Andrew Asquith selected a 12/1 winner last week and is back with three recommended bets at Newmarket and York in his latest ante-post column.
Weekend View: Saturday October 11
1pt win Accredit in the Zetland Stakes at 7/1 (William Hill, 6/1 Unibet, Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
0.5pts e.w. Pole Star in the Cesarewitch Stakes at 25/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4 General)
1pt win Erzindjan in the "Pipped At The Post" Handicap at 5/1 (bet365, Unibet, Ladbrokes, Coral)
The Dubai Future Champions Festival at Newmarket starts on Friday and it is always an excellent two days of racing. The ground at the time of writing is good, and with little rain forecast this week that should be maintained for the weekend.
I always like the Night of Thunder Zetland Stakes, a Group 3 usually made up of lightly-raced juveniles who, for some, will be the first time they get to tackle a mile and a quarter in their career.
Aidan O’Brien has a host of potential improvers among the entries, and it will be interesting to see which of the eight turn up, but the one who catches my eye is the John & Thady Gosden-trained ACCREDIT.
He has a beautiful pedigree, by Dubawi and the third foal of useful Entitle, who is a half-sister to Enable, and he has looked a very good prospect in two starts so far.
Accredit made his debut in soft ground over seven furlongs at Sandown, and very much caught the eye with a big move into contention over a furlong out, but he was unable to sustain that forward move and wasn’t knocked about.
He showed the benefit of that experience when easily opening his account upped to a mile at the same course last month. That was just a three-runner race in heavy ground, but it was encouraging how well he travelled and he put the race to bed in a matter of strides from under two furlongs out.
The ground that day would have placed extra emphasis on stamina for all they didn’t go that quick, but he went like a horse who wouldn’t have been fazed by a quicker tempo, and he was only dossing once in the clear, his jockey never asking for maximum effort and also easing him close home.
His pedigree suggests he’ll be well suited by a mile and a quarter, even at this early stage in his career, while he also moves like a horse who will be suited by a return to a sounder surface. Accredit will need to improve further, but he is expected to, and I was surprised he wasn’t shorter in the betting for this.
Not for the first time in recent years, there won’t be a maximum field for the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Stakes, while similarly to 12 months ago, it isn’t jam packed with quality, just two horses among the entries with a BHA mark north of 100. The dwindling prize money for the race over the years is surely a big factor.
Still, it’s a typically open renewal and, though three-year-olds don’t have a cracking record – Darley Sun in 2009 the last from that age group to win – I can’t resist backing POLE STAR to small stakes at a fair price.
He has progressed into a useful performer this season, only making his debut in May, and winning three times, notably handicaps over a mile and three quarters from marks of 82 and 87, respectively.
The latest of those came at Yarmouth in July where he had Caprelo back in third and he wasn’t disgraced in the Melrose at York next time. He shaped like a horse who is in need of a bigger test of stamina on that occasion under a patient ride, just staying on gradually in the closing stages.
Pole Star was ridden more prominently in another competitive three-year-old handicap at Haydock last time, but again was found lacking for a change of gear once the race began in earnest, while he was also short of room in the final furlong.
He has seemingly been saved for a crack at this prize since and, though he may have to race from 1lb out of the handicap, he has the potential to improve a fair bit now moving up four furlongs in trip. Pole Star is one from one in handicaps against his elders and is fancied to go well now getting the proper test of stamina he continues to leave the impression he’ll relish.
York also host a competitive card on Saturday on what will be their final meeting of the season. The Coral “Pipped At The Post” Handicap looks a useful contest on paper but it is ERZINDJAN who stands out when taking everything into account.
Admittedly, he’s an infrequent winner, his last success coming way back in April 2021 when trained by Dermot Weld, but he recorded several smart efforts in Dubai afterwards, and has shaped like a well-handicapped horse in three starts for Terry Kent.
He ran a cracker on his return from almost a year off when beaten under two lengths by the thriving Fox Legacy in the John Smith’s Cup over this course and distance in July, doing especially well to finish as close as he did in a race which favoured those ridden prominently.
Erzindjan wasn’t far behind that level of form back at York next time, but it is his latest run in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket which really makes him of interest. He raced in the unfavoured stand-side group on that occasion, and he was left with a mountain to climb, still last of that group with around two furlongs to go, but sluicing through rivals and storming home in the final furlong.
The fact he pulled around six lengths clear of the next one home in his group suggests he’s on a very workable mark and his effort can be upgraded further when taking sectionals into account.
Erzindjan ran the last three furlongs almost half a second faster than the second and third and nearly a second faster than the winner, the first three all racing on the far side, while he was also the only horse in the field to break 35 seconds (34.59).
He appears to have been let off quite lightly with just a 1lb rise in the weights and, proven in softer ground, it is hard to pick holes in his chance now moving back up to a mile and a quarter.
Preview posted at 1515 BST on 07/10/2025
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