Antepost Angle: Matt Brocklebank's Cambridgeshire Handicap preview and tips
Matt Brocklebank turns his attention to the Cambridgeshire Stakes at the end of the month and feels it's time to strike a bet.
Recommended bets: Cambridgeshire Handicap
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It's 10 years since John Gosden landed the Cambridgeshire, Tazeez scoring at 25/1 and doubling up for the Newmarket maestro following Pipedreamer's victory as 5/1 favourite in the famous Cheveley Park silks 12 months earlier.
It's a prize Gosden nearly always targets with improving handicappers so won't want to wait much longer to win the great race again, and he's got three likely three-year-olds in the frame this season, with the year-older Tricorn seemingly struggling to recapture his best following a gelding operation last winter.
Wissahickon, Argentello and STYLEHUNTER (16/1, Bet365) are the trio to focus on from Clarehaven Stables, and it's the latter who appeals most on the back of his impressive victory at Goodwood.
The son of Gosden's Breeders' Cup Classic hero Raven's Pass is clearly bred to be pretty good; his dam is by Deep Impact out of a champion racemare in Chile, from the family of Chilean Derby and Leger winner Baalbek.
And after a winless first four visits to the racecourse, two of which came as a juvenile, Princess Haya's chestnut has really started to click and that innate family talent is beginning to emerge.
There's plenty of encouragement in his arc of improvement as a three-year-old this year to suggest we could be dealing with a future Group horse, so his revised rating of 100 following that odds-on triumph over the Cambridgeshire distance of nine furlongs last time out doesn't look insurmountable.
Indeed, what it does do is essentially guarantee his place at Newmarket on September 29, with last year's Cambridgeshire ratings ranging from 90 to 110.
Stylehunter's wins at Goodwood and Lingfield back in May are not extraordinary pieces of form, but it's the efforts in defeat around those wins which put him right in the mix for a race of this nature.
There were subsequent winners in both races when beaten narrowly at Yarmouth and Newmarket earlier in the year, while his sixth - beaten just two and a half lengths - in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot reads really well in hindsight, the race throwing up 12 future winners (nine horses).
He didn't have excuses at the Royal meeting but his challenge was made more towards the centre of the course as winner Ostilio flew up the stands rail, and he can probably be marked up somewhat having ultimately been involved in bunched finish for third.
After 65 days off it was pleasing to see the horse resume with such a commanding victory at Goodwood and while that race cut up with a few non-runners making his task easy enough, he didn't disappoint given he was entitled to need the run.
He's joint-favourite with plenty of firms but looks one to get on side nice and early at the standout 16/1 before another shake-up in the market following Doncaster's big meeting next week and the Dubai Duty Free Handicap at Newbury (1m2f) later this month.
Gosden isn't the only trainer with an ultra-strong hand in the race. Andrew Balding is responsible for main market rival Urban Aspect, plus two in the blue and white Leicester City silks of King Power Racing - namely Zwayyan and Pivoine.
Pivoine won a couple of autumn handicaps last term for Sir Michael Stoute and only really looked like filling his potential for his new trainer when bolting up at the Ebor Festival last month.
He slammed Glorious Goodwood scorer Alfarris by two and a half lengths but a subsequent 8lb rise is going to make it really tricky for him to land another big one before the end of the campaign. Ready preference is for Stylehunter.
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