Five talking points for Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting as top-end handicappers mix with Group 1 juveniles

The autumn equinox has been and gone, the nights are beginning to draw in and after watching Ayr at the weekend the boss has requested a ‘Cambridgeshire mudlarks’ piece, right?

Wrong! Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course is Good (Good to Firm) in places and selective watering is in progress thanks to a forecast that would have you believe we are all bathing in an Indian Summer.

Wednesday and Thursday look relatively warm for the time of year (18 and 19 degrees Celsius) and it looks dry at Headquarters all week, so trainers will be reversing their soft-ground specialists back into their stables.

Instead, it looks on the quick side and while that might mean a stands’ side bias in the bet365 Cambridgeshire again, at least the juvenile form on offer should stand up ahead of an informative weekend.

So, what’s on the menu?

1. Treble tops, Gosden again, last laugh for Haggas?
2. Coolmore v Godolphin in the Middle Park?
3. Should we be taking on Royal Fixation in the Cheveley Park?
4. What long-term project is on the radar in the Royal Lodge?
5. Why’s the Joel Stakes so exciting on Friday?

1. Let’s talk bet365 Cambridgeshire. Can the ‘well-in’ Treble Tee prevail for the Crisfords, will it be Gosden again or could William Haggas have the last laugh after all?

Treble Tee is favourite for the Cambridgeshire and he’s 4lb ‘well-in’. Having something visibly up your sleeve from the handicapper is never a bad thing in a race like this but Anmaat, Group 1-winning Anmaat, was well-in for this race in 2021, running off a mark of 98, and he got beaten by 40/1 chance Bedouin’s Story. It’s that kind of race.

There is plenty in Treble Tee’s favour. He’s unexposed after just six starts, he’s a rapid improver and there could be even more to come from him over nine furlongs. He’s trained by the Crisfords and one of them, Simon, went close to winning this race with Mordin, who was second in 2018 to John Gosden’s Wissahickon.

Gosden is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cambridgeshire, winning it five times, from Halling in 1994 to Lord North in 2019. This year he has four chances with son and joint-trainer, Thady, with their Fifth Column heading the charge from Westridge, Theory Of Tides and Earl Of Rochester.

Theory Of Tides is also 4lb ‘well-in’ after being reassessed to 95 after being beaten a half-length by Newbury specialist Mustazeed on Saturday, but Fifth Column looks the number one for the yard after his victory at York where he just got there in the dying strides over a mile.

And what of William Haggas? Neither of his pair, Treasure Time or High Degree, are ‘well-in’ but he could’ve had a very short-priced favourite in Crown Of Oaks who would’ve been 10lb ahead of the handicapper under a 4lb penalty here had he not been taken out after being beaten at the Curragh at the Irish Champions Festival.

He only ran at the ICF to try and ensure a Cambridgeshire run, but the Curragh race came too soon and he would’ve got in Saturday’s race anyway, hindsight revealing a rare misjudgement from a trainer that isn’t in the habit of making mistakes.

Of course, it could be that Haggas had a Cambridgeshire horse in mind in any case, with both of his potential runners of interest, particularly Treasure Time who was short of room at the Shergar Cup but ran well in first-time cheekpieces.

Whatever you fancy, it could be worth waiting for the draw. Last year the far side held sway on soft ground, but with conditions set to be considerably quicker all the evidence points to a stands’ side bias. With that in mind, this is a puzzle that can wait a few more days.

2. Can Charlie Appleby add to his three domestic Group 1s in 2025 with Wise Approach in the Tattersalls Middle Park or will Aidan O’Brien add to his considerably larger haul in the race?

This is a fascinating antepost market. Wise Approach is the 6/4 favourite with Gstaad 5/2, but they could easily flip-flop if both are confirmed. Wise Approach is Charlie Appleby’s only entry and looks highly likely to run, but Aidan O’Brien has five of the 11 entries and we don’t know who will turn up from Ballydoyle.

Wise Approach has improved with experience. He’s got considerably better post-Royal Ascot, his four-length Newbury win bettered again by his Prix Morny third where he has just half-a-length to find with Gstaad.

It would be a tantalising rematch, with Gstaad having run again since in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on September 14 where he was a head second to Zavateri. Will O’Brien want to run him again so quickly? He’ll want to get a Group 1 win out of him at two and that enhances the chances he will run.

If not Gstaad the super subs are lining up, headed by Puerto Rico. The Champagne Stakes winner is on a roll and he could get on a roll on this course given it tends to suit front-runners when the ground is on the quicker side.

Both Gstaad and Puerto Rico will be dropping in trip if they take in the Middle Park. That shouldn’t inconvenience either of them and for all this would be a welcome domestic Group 1 for Appleby, looking at his hand it could well be Aidan’s again.

3. Royal Fixation has solid claims in the Group 1 Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes as 13/8 odds imply – so why should we be taking her on?

Ed Walker’s Palace Pier filly looks good and when you mix together her Duchess of Cambridge second to Venetian Sun with her dominant win in the Group 2 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes success you can see just why she is a short price.

A few things nag at me at the price, though. Firstly, you’ve got a bunch of rivals from big yards improving at different rates and progression from at least some of them is expected, for all that Royal Fixation could improve again too.

Secondly, there is her running style. She came from last to first at York thanks to a startling turn of foot, but how often have we seen such a weapon blunted on the Rowley Mile, particularly on quicker ground, as those at the front of the pack don’t come back.

Tactics have to be factored in once the final field is established and if it looks like the run of the race might go against her I wouldn’t be in two minds about taking her on, for all that she’s a quality two-year-old and a top-class prospect.

4. The Group 2 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes has previous for being the launchpad for an above-average three-year-old, so who fits that bill this time around?

Shirley Heights, Ela-Mana-Mou, Mister Baileys, Benny The Dip, Frankel, Roaring Lion and Coroebus – yes, the Royal Lodge does have previous when it comes to unearthing a Group 1-winning three-year-old.

Plenty of this year’s field are bred to come into their own at three, too, notably any of the O’Brien seven, take your pick from that septet. Daytona is on a retrieval mission after being beaten at Deauville last time, but he is bred for middle-distances and the best could be yet to come, with similar sentiments applying to Action (watch his Galway win, below) who is closely related to Lambourn but with Frankel for a sire instead.

They could be ones for the future, but it’s hard to get away from George Boughey’s Bow Echo in the here and now. He showed a good attitude to regain the initiative from Publish in the Ascendent Stakes at Haydock and reports of a pleasing gallop last Saturday suggest his trainer has him exactly where he wants him.

Also, how has Charlie Appleby never won the Royal Lodge? He seems to have won every Group 2 going on the Rowley Mile, but not this one. He’s 0/4, with Flying Honours not getting the job done despite being sent off 2/7, while the aforementioned 2000 Guineas winner Coroebus could only manage second.

This year he relies on Pacific Avenue, the son of Dubawi finishing fourth by half a length in that crazy four-way photo for the Solario Stakes at Sandown last time. At the very least, he’ll enjoy stepping up in trip to a mile.

5. Finally, Friday sees a potentially excellent renewal of the Group 2 Boylesports Daily Racing Rewards Joel Stakes taking place, is it all about the three-year-olds this year?

Yes, I think it is, and while I can’t remember too many occasions where I got excited about a Joel Stakes, this season’s renewal could be a crackerjack.

Older horses have tended to rule the roost in this race, but there has been the odd quality three-year-old come through to win the contest including Time Test, Beat The Bank and Kameko, and a pair from the Classic vintage could do battle this Friday.

That man Appleby could run his son of Ghaiyyath, Opera Ballo, this project simmering away quietly ever since he was way too keen in Field Of Gold’s Craven Stakes. Time, a hood and a couple of Listed wins have come subsequently, platform laid for a crack at Group 2 level.

He’s exciting - if they can keep a lid on him - and you sense that lid will have to be kept in check as he won’t get away with any funny business against Karl Burke’s Zeus Olympios, who also looks ready for a go at this grade on the back of his authoritative Group 3 Superior Mile success at Haydock last time.

Punted like defeat was out of the question, he couldn’t have been more impressive on just his third career start and the son of Night Of Thunder has forced his way into Group 2 reckoning ahead of likely top-level assignments next season.

They could both be heading that way in 2026. And if Opera Ballo has ambitions to step up to a mile and a quarter next year he’ll want to be settling well over a mile in this heat, his mettle likely to be tested against a rival of the quality of Zeus Olympios.

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