Live Cesarewitch Meeting blog from Newmarket: Video replays, reaction, tips, bookmaker offers and more

• Chaldean makes all to win Dewhurst Stakes
• Run For Oscar routs Cesarewitch field
• Newmarket review: Godolphin make Flying start
• Mill Reef third Charyn wins Chantilly Group Two
• Horse racing tips
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips

All times BST, please refresh for updates

Wasdell Group Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle

1602: I think we've time to take in a race from Chepstow and Broomfield Burg is the favourite for this valuable handicap at 5/2 from Knappers Hill at 16/5. Morning gamble Unanswered Prayers remains solid at 13/2.

Instructions have just been issued from above and this will be the last race on the blog for today. They're coming in. And take two.... the starter wasn't happy.

Bourbali and Zabeel Champion lead over the first two. The favourites race close to each other in fifth and sixth. Knappers Hill is wide on the track as they tackle the third flight down the back straight. Unanswered Prayers is in third with three to jump in the home straight. The field bunch up as they close in.

Knappers Hill didn't have a lot of room but got through against the field, Broomfield Burg and Proschema had smoother passages. Knappers Hill jumped the last in front and stuck to his task to win well for Nicholls.

Despite the money for Broomfield Burg, I think Knappers Hill will have been a popular winner. It certainly sounded that way from the crowd noise.

I am going to leave you there. Enjoy your weekends, cheerio.

Wayward Route

1555: Garden Route is playing up at the start ahead of the York maiden. The ITV Racing coverage is drawing to a close but there's plenty more racing to come this afternoon. Garden Route has been withdrawn I believe.

They are away. Feud was favourite with Garden Route around 10/3 when taken out. There was a difference of opinion about the best place to be on the track (it seemed) but they all came down the winner in the end where Modesty led them home.

The winner was returned at 10/1 and won by three or four. Hannity suggests the form has some substance which bodes well for Fahey's Kintaro who very much caught the eye with the way that he finished.

Chris Dixon has just described him as 'one to follow next year' and he thinks 'he's very much a staying type' so that's an encouraging start. One for the My Stable tracker perhaps.

Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap

1525: They are in the paddock for this historic handicap.

Ahorsewithnoname is the outright favourite and 'the one to beat' according to Dixon but he's also keen on Evaluation who is 3 lbs well in. That last nugget was shared by Stanley and Dixon hasn't revealed a verdict to Racing TV listeners yet.

Support has continued to come for Scaramanga, Call My Bluff and Vino Victrix whereas Baby Zeus has been more or less steady at around 9/1.

They have finished casting their eyes over the runners in the paddock and the field are on their way to post, that will take a while.

I failed to get away from a very boring conclusion of Ahorsewithnoname and Baby Zeus but thankfully there are plenty of pundits out there prepared to look beyond the obvious which might prove well worth the effort with all those extra places on offer. One who is worth a second glance is the charismatic Not So Sleepy who has run well in this race before but his stablemate, Vino Victrix, has attracted far more market support.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Ahorsewithnoname, is on ITV Racing: "Not even a maximum field which is surprising but it's open, she's in good form and we come in hopeful. I've probably got it totally wrong but she had a couple of runs after the end of the NH season. She had a good short break, had a racecourse gallop at Newbury, we worked it out on the same plan as Buzz. She won two really nice races prior to Royal Ascot and looked really good doing it so this was the obvious race after the Royal Ascot plan was abandoned (because of the quick ground)."

Dixon is making the case for Evaluation on the other channel, describing his latest run as 'very solid form'.

"I think he's got a huge chance and I do think his chance has been overlooked by the market," he concludes which is rather stronger. Evaluation is still 14/1. Dixon wants to go back to talking about Run For Oscar who he thinks could have been leniently treated by the handicapper for his Haydock win; he is 4/1. He reveals he's backed Ahorsewithnoname and Evaluation but breaks off to comment how well Not So Sleepy looked in the paddock.

Almost set.

A keen Bascule is to the fore with Molliwood and Withhold. There's trouble in behind in a bunched field. They've covered half a mile. Scaramanga is prominent. Not So Sleepy refuses to settle and is pulled out and allowed to stride on. Withhold goes with him. Final five.

Run For Oscar comes through and goes clear.

Vino Victrix was second with Not So Sleepy third. Other places to be confirmed. Zoffee was fourth and Ahorsewithnoname fifth.

Winning rider David Egan tells ITV Racing that he took a pull three out while Charles Byrnes spoke to Persad.

"He had a very good preparation. It's one of those plans that came off on this occasion but they don't always come off," he said.

Coral Sprint Trophy Handicap

1512: They are betting 7/1 the field for the big sprint at York which features last season's 1,2,3.

Air Raid and Lucky Man are my two against the field but it's Gulliver who heads the betting for David O'Meara who has enjoyed another decent campaign. They are loading.

Jason Weaver has put up an outsider in Gis A Sub and gives a positive mention to Bielsa. Dakota Gold is the last in.....will he be first home?

Bergerac is tearing down the nearside rail but Dakota Gold leads in the centre past halfway. They bunch up with a furlong to go.

Strike Red wins at 12/1 for Richard Fahey and Billy Garritty. He was another who ran in last year's renewal.

His victory knocked all bar two players out of the ITV7.

Hyperfocus, Silver Samurai, Dakota Gold and Lucky Man followed the winner home.

Hannity chats to the winning rider: "Brilliant really.

"He's run some good races all year, sometimes a bit unlucky, but luckily it's all come right in a big race. Dakota Gold gave me a pace, I got there too soon really, he pulled up in front. They've been flying all year and I think we've got more quality than ever. Any winner is good especially for a good trainer and good owners."

Darley Dewhurst Stakes

1445: It's time for the feature race of the day and it promises to be a fascinating renewal.

Dettori will be hoping for better fortune than he enjoyed in the opener. He was on ITV's The Opening Show this morning when he said about Chaldean: “He gave me a good feel and he’s going places. We all come into the race with similar profiles and that’s why the Dewhurst is there – to find out who is the king of the jungle. He’s very uncomplicated and straightforward. He’s a joy to ride and you can have all sorts of different plans with him.”

Nostrum is a good looking individual apparently, he's the favourite at 2/1.

Juddmonte's representative Barry Mahon is with Persad: "They're two high class colts. This is the premier Group One for two-year-olds and it's nice to have two live chances in it. We can't pick between them and we're just hoping the two of them run good races. Nostrum is a big horse but hopefully mentally and physically he's ready for today. We'd be happy if either of them won."

Aesop's Fables is an interesting runner for O'Brien. He's got to put a bad run behind him but if you buy into soft ground being the excuse in the National Stakes then he'd have to be on your radar given he was sent off at 8/13 for that Group One.

Appleby runs Naval Power and is with Tom Stanley: "He's in great shape. He's won over the seven and a mile, coming back in trip doesn't worry me. They've all got to step up to the top table now and time will tell."

He's not giving much away and who can blame him. We'll all know more in around 10 minutes or so.

Persad talks to Isaac Shelby's trainer, Brian Meehan: "He's in very good form. Really happy with him. Today was always a big target. His work has been excellent. Great shape."

Time for a word from paddock expert Ken Pittersen: "Nostrum will dominate most paddocks, he stands out. Chaldean is a smaller type but looks great in his coat. A really good renewal. I would say Nostrum has taken another step forwards. Nostrum is going the right way and is a fabulous looking horse."

The Juddmonte horses are 9/4 and 5/2 with Naval Power 4/1 and Aesop's Fables tightening up to 5s; is that significant? It's time to find out.......

Chaldean goes on from Naval Power with Nostrum third. They all look to have plenty of racing room. Naval Power was the first to come under a ride as Chaldean kept pouring it on from the front. Outsider Royal Scotsman ran a huge race to keep him honest, only going down narrowly with the pair two clear of Nostrum with four back to Aesop's Fables.

Adele Mulrennan talks to the winning jockey: "He fluffed the start but luckily I was able to get him up there. Jim came late and fast and took him by surprise. I was nothing but impressed with him at Donny. A proper Guineas horse for next year."

Kevin Blake thinks that Chaldean may be the first Group One winning juvenile colt for Frankel who, of course, also won the Dewhurst.

Andrew Balding on ITV: "Frankie has given him a fantastic ride, all credit to Frankie. All the team at home, I can't thank them enough for getting everything right for today. It's a nice collection of races. He should go on next year and stay a mile, so lots to look forward to. I think anything is possible for him so we'll just leave that until we get closer. It's an amazing race to win, it's the most important juvenile race of the year."

Chaldean has received quotes of between 6/1 and 8/1 for the 2000 Guineas.

Coral "Beaten-By-A-Length" Free Bet Handicap

1435: Back to York for a small field but excellent handicap where Protagonist is proving very popular. He's bidding to provide Messrs Marquand and Haggas with a double.

He was on the wrong side in the Cambridgeshire but didn't run too badly. It's interesting to see him turned out again this quickly and the market support is encouraging. This is far from a penalty kick with some strong opposition including Godolphin's aptly named Marching Army but nothing is being backed against Protagonist.

Saga went close in the Britannia but hasn't excelled since and is stepped up a quarter of a mile in trip; a return to that strong Royal Ascot level of form would obviously make him a player but he has more to prove than most. The first runner is in the gates.

Marching Army has 'a comparatively easy lead' according to commentator Mark Johnson. That remains the case as they turn into the straight. Algiers is in second as Marquand asks the favourite for an effort, it's not easy but he is picking up.

It looks hard work and Algiers wins a walking finish at 11/1.

Harry Burns was the man in the saddle for the Crisfords. Protagonist was second with Marching Army and Saga close behind.

Emirates Autumn Stakes

1415: They're off for the Native River Handicap Chase at Chepstow shortly - Tea Clipper has proved a popular selection there - but I'm going to stay with the action from Newmarket where the runners are in the paddock for the Group Three Autumn Stakes, with the exception of Dancing Magic who is going to post early. And quite calmly in his red hood.

It's a changing market with Holloway Boy the current 2/1 favourite from Epictetus at 9/4 and Silver Knott at 10/3. Exoplanet is 6/1 and I'd be hopeful of a big run from the son of Sea The Stars. Roger Varian has his string in good form and his runners usually derive considerable benefit from their initial outings; it bodes well that Exoplanet was able to win his debut but it may be asking too much to expect him to beat the favourite at this stage of his career.

This may 'only' be a Group Three but recent winners include Coroebus, Ghaiyyath, Trading Leather and Kingston Hill among others.

Clifford Lee has just told Persad that Holloway Boy should 'have a great chance today' and expects him to be suited by the mile.

Varian is on Racing TV and reveals that he is following the same route with Exoplanet as he did with Kingston Hill.

"Win, lose or draw today I think we have a nice one for the future," he concludes.

Dixon thinks this is a difficult race for a punter to get their teeth into, he's a little put off by Epictetus' absence since debut; the market, however, doesn't seem worried and he's back into 2/1, alongside Holloway Boy who the pundit thought 'looked fantastic in the paddock'. Some late money for Exoplanet too who touched 4/1 before going back to 9/2.

Racing. Exoplanet missed the break but not by far. The two outsiders lead towards the three pole. Epictetus gets first run but is collared by Silver Knott (4/1). Holloway Boy had no run at all and finished a never nearer third. That was an unsatisfactory race. The ITV Racing commentators are pointing out that the winner was trapped for a while too but he was able to get out unlike Holloway Boy.

Here's Buick: "The ground was against him (at Doncaster) but he travelled well and saw out the mile well there. He is big and has plenty of scope to improve next year. They are three-year-old types really and anything they do at two is a bonus.

"Naval Power is uncomplicated and I'm looking forward to it."

Appleby: "William said he was never comfortable in the Champagne but we had a genuine excuse and the ground and step up in trip today was always going to suit.

"Naval Power is in great order but it's a very competitive race. They are all testing themselves and it's going to be a good guide to next year's Classics."

Over at Chepstow, Peregrine Run (15/2) beat Tea Clipper.

Coral Rockingham Stakes

1400: The runners are on their way to post for an open renewal of the Listed Rockingham Stakes that features the well backed Bay Of Plenty for Murtagh. He is a 7/2 chance with Bolt Action and Alpha Capture half a point shorter.

This should be run at a good clip as Felix Natalis usually puts the pedal to the metal and I wonder if this could be set up for a closer.

ITV Racing report that Dettori isn't quite sure what happened at Newmarket but he's okay. They are not sure where Liftoff is and she appears to have taken off across the Downs. Hopefully she is fine and will soon be re-united with her team.

At York, Alpha Capture has shortened to 5/2 for Haggas and Marquand who have some live chances on the card; his latest short-head behind Cold Case looks decent form and Chris Dixon believes the favourite is the one to beat.

Lumiere Rock has won a Group Three at the Curragh for Joseph O'Brien and Daryl Jacob is on the board at Chepstow with Tuddenham Green. Off at York.

Felix Natalis took them down the middle but was swamped with a furlong to run as the Haggas runners dominated; Kyeema may just have held on from Alpha Capture. Photo. A cheer goes up as the replay is shown and it looks as though the favourite had his head down at the right time. A thriller.

The 5/2 favourite has been confirmed as the winner. It's been a good half hour or so for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede whose colours were also carried by Tuddenham Green.

Niall Hannity grabs a word with the winning jockey:

"That Doncaster form was real strong and the ground wasn't going to be a problem, it was just a worry whether the six furlongs was going to be a bit sharp. I'm glad I was on the right one, just!

"He's really gritty, he won the nursery well at the big festival here and is showing himself at a good level, that was a great run from him. He'll definitely get a bit further. Seven is definitely on the agenda for him and another furlong when he's stronger and more developed might come."

Godolphin Flying Start Zetland Stakes

1340: Pol Roger didn't exactly advertise Metal Merchant's form in the first at York and Metal Merchant is a general 20/1 as one or two firms offer some evens about Flying Honours.

Martin Dixon describes Blanchland as 'a good looker' and adds that he 'quite likes his chance' which is pleasing for me given that he would be my choice against a favourite which is begging to be opposed at the price. That's not everyone's view as Dave Nevison has revealed that he's currently 'heavily odds-on' on the Betfair Exchange. Flying Honours has been well backed through the day. The runners are on their way to post.

Tom Stanley has grabbed a quick work with Blanchland's trainer, Jane Chapple-Hyam:

"He's a lovely horse, he did nothing wrong at Newcastle and hit the line hard. It was a really wet blustery day. He's trained well since the race and we think we've got a good place chance, it will be hard against the favourite. Not worried about the distance."

A mate at the track tells me that Band Of Steel is 'a lovely, rangy type' but Moore's mount is one of the outsiders of the field at 40/1; perhaps he's one for your My Stable tracker with next season in mind.

Dixon adds that 'it's hard to knock the favourite but I wouldn't be inclined to back him' and that seems a reasonable take on this Group Three as the field starts to load. They're off and Dear My Friend, against the rail, leads in company with Galactic Jack; Flying Honours tracks them. Five to run. Blanchland has one behind and is niggled, there's a faller! Liftoff apparently galloped away, fingers crossed.

Flying Honours is pushed hard by Blanchland but wins as the pair pull a couple of lengths clear of Dear My Friend.

Apparently Frankie Dettori was able to walk to the ambulance. Let's hope it's positive news for both him and Liftoff.

A quick word for ITV Racing from Buick: "When he ran in the Royal Lodge they went very slow and it didn't suit this fellow. Up in trip and an end to end gallop today. I wasn't aware (of the incident), I just saw the loose horse. I hope Frankie is up and okay, that's all that matters."

Rishi Persad is with winning trainer Charlie Appleby: "Delighted to get back on track. After the last run we were head-scratching slightly despite the pace of the race which didn't suit him. He's grown up again since that last run and we can put him away for the winter now and look towards some of those Derby trials in the spring."

They run Silver Knott in the next and Appleby reports his charge to be in good form.

French theme

1327: I didn't hang around for the end of the first from Hexham - it was won by Rocco Storm - or to watch the Chantilly race, instead switching channels to Racing TV in time to see Hippodrome win the first from the Curragh at 5/2 for Aidan O'Brien and Seamie Heffernan.

It's swiftly over to York for the nursery where market mover Three Yorkshiremen, trained by our columnist Richard Fahey, heads the betting. The ITV Racing opening credits are playing and it's all systems go.

Collateral formlines are all the rage in the juvenile contests today and Pol Roger, 10/1, was second to Metal Merchant last time and the winner goes in Newmarket's first, the Zetland Stakes. Apparently Pol Roger was very much on his toes at the start.

They raced down the near side rail at York which is interesting with regard to the rest of the card. Hard against the rail was the eventual winner Grey's Monument who won by five or six; photo second.

The winner was returned at 4/1 for Hector Crouch and Ralph Beckett. Three Yorkshireman was stuck out on the wing, more towards the middle of the track and finished fourth.

Chantilly pace

1312: The task facing Eddie's Boy in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly has been made that bit easier with Matilda Picotte declared a non-runner.

The Sky Sports Racing coverage should switch to France shortly but Andrew Thornton is currently previewing the opener from Hexham where the weather and the setting looked absolutely fabulous. Prior to that, Alex Hammond ran through the market movers and there had been a big move for Unanswered Prayers in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow. Trained by Chris Gordon, Unanswered Prayers is a general 6/1 from 16s.

In France, Eddie's Boy is as short as 1/3 for this Group Two with Charyn a 5/1 second favourite and it is 14/1 bar the pair. They are going behind and this is a nice little appetiser ahead of the main, domestic action.

There's both good news and bad news. The coverage stayed with Hexham - you can tell how often I tune in to French racing! - rather than show Chantilly with the result appearing on our fast results page before being shown on the telly. That was the bad news but the good news is that Charyn took the prize to boost that Mill Reef form.

Make your Marq

1252: Tom Marquand has a good book of rides at York this afternoon and it will be surprising if he, and William Haggas, return empty handed from the Knavesmire.

I fancy Protagonist to leave his run in the Cambridgeshire behind him, he was tenth overall but second home on the far side, but I'm not expecting Marquand to get a bonus aboard Popmaster in the sprint that follows.

There hasn't been an awful lot of cut in the ground for most of the racing this season but there is some ease underfoot at York today and that's good news for the likes of Air Raid.

Air Raid was third in last year's renewal - to the re-opposing Volatile Analyst and Laugh A Minute - and I think the consistent seven-year-old can hit the frame again at a double figure price from a similar rating and with conditions in his favour, at last.

The other one that I want on side is Lucky Man who races from the same mark as when a fine fourth in the Ayr Gold Cup. He runs York well and the recently applied cheekpieces seem to have brought about a little improvement; he has a little more to prove on today's going but otherwise is very hard to knock.

Old friends

1235: There are some more familiar names to many on the Chepstow card and the Native River Handicap Chase has attracted a strong field.

This unusually dry summer has resulted in the often informative Dunraven Windows Novices' Chase being a match which is rather a shame but the rest of the card looks competitive.

Paul Nicholls has won four of the last six renewals of the bumper with smart pair McFabulous (an absentee from the novice chase) and Knappers Hill featuring among them so it may well be a race to catch up on via our free replays if you don't see it first time around.

Knappers Hill is bidding to win at this meeting for the third successive season but has rather more on his plate than in preceding years in the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle, a race that often works out well in the first few weeks of the season.

Knappers Hill should relish the underfoot conditions so it wouldn't surprise me if he's ready to roll with Betfair Ambassador Nicholls telling his column 'I think he can still be competitive' from his revised mark.

He's fairly strong in the market too which is not the case with the four-year-old Zabeel Champion whose jockey wears the race sponsor's silks. I'd be hopeful that Zabeel Champion can continue to climb the ranks over hurdles but the vibes aren't encouraging for this immediate prospects.

Elementary for Watson

1210: The eagle-eyed among you will have noted that Hollie Doyle isn't riding in the UK but is instead donning her silks at Chantilly for a couple of runners trained by Archie Watson.

The pair appear to hold leading claims in the Listed race (1507) with Manitou, twice a winner since finishing third to the unbeaten and well-named Streets Of Gold, but the busy Eddie's Boy may have more on his plate in the Group Two Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (1315).

Eddie's Boy is actually the shorter price of the two runners but faces some useful opposition, including Lowther third Matilda Picotte, Ascendant Stakes fourth Seeking Gold and Mill Reef third Charyn.

A lot of form lines should come together on a fascinating afternoon but whether it will actually make the picture any clearer or not is another matter entirely.

Eddie's Boy dotted up in a Group Three over course and distance last time but I think that Charyn could give him much more to think about in an hour's time.

A flying start

1155: The odds-on Flying Honours would be an appropriate winner of the Godolphin Flying Start Zetland Stakes given his name and owner but he's twice been beaten at Newmarket, on debut and in the Royal Lodge Stakes.

The step up to 10 furlongs promises to suit and may well help him realise the potential that has seen him made favourite on each of his four starts but it's not the sort of profile that appeals to me in an odds-on shot.

There are some relatively unexposed sorts in opposition as you would expect and Ben Linfoot has made the case for Batemans Bay and you can watch him doing so in the tweet above the 1028 post.

I'm drawn to the claims of Blanchland who has a mountain to climb on official ratings given he's rated some 21 lbs inferior to the jolly but it seems significant to me that owner Peter Harris and Jane Chapple-Hyam are prepared to forego a potentially lenient initial rating in order to have a crack at this prize.

The step-up in distance should suit given his middle distance pedigree - although he was a shade keen when winning at Newcastle - and may help to bring about further improvement.

Sean Woods has enjoyed a decent time since returning to these shores and the booking of Ryan Moore for his two runners takes the eye - Moore is 1/3 for the trainer, plus a third place - but I struggled to get excited about the level of form achieved by Band Of Steel in winning at Wolverhampton.

Band Of Steel is another runner who could easily have been lining up in handicap company though, having been allotted a mark of 85.

Ces who?

1136: The Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap may be a Flat race but it has been dominated by predominantly National Hunt yards.

Willie Mullins has won three of the last four renewals and saddled the second to Nicky Henderson's winner, Buzz, 12 months ago; the previous runnings were won by Roger Charlton, Hughie Morrison, Alan King and Philip Hobbs with Mark Johnston and Brian Meehan rounding out the decade.

It's no surprise, therefore, that the market is somewhat dominated by runners from those yards with the Charles Byrnes-trained Run For Oscar thrown into the mix too.

Given the leading contenders are so easily identified, in theory, this has been reflected by the SPs of the winners with Stratum the outlier of the last half dozen at 25/1; the other five were no longer than 10/1.

Exotic combinations or forecasts might tempt a few and was certainly gettable last season with an 8/1 chance rounding out the first three.

Of course, the layers are dangling a carrot with the extra places and Sky Bet are paying down to seventh with a number of other firms, including Betfair Sportsbook and Paddy Power, offering six places and that does offer the temptation to cast the net a little further.

Casting the eye back a little further in the last decade reveals that the market leaders' dominance isn't absolute with the four other scorers obliging at 50/1, 66/1 (twice) and 10/1.

What are we going to get this afternoon?

I was finding it difficult to get away from the top of the market, a position that Vino Victrix now inhabits which was not the case last night, which has left me scratching my head. There's plenty of time to look at the betting anew nearer off time but I keep coming back to Baby Zeus and Ahorsewithnoname; sometimes it doesn't pay to try and overcomplicate things.

More from North

1102: A quick rifle through the search engine of choice has turned up a few more lines on runners today from Watch & Learn columns, including this take on Epictetus' debut which came at Newmarket way back at the start of July.

"Epictetus got the better of another son of Kingman, Leadman, in the opening maiden in an 89 timefigure that can be upgraded to 99 after Course Track sectionals are incorporated (hand-taken sectionals are near impossible on the July Course)."

Epictetus is the current, quite well-backed, favourite for the Autumn Stakes.

Naval Power is a little uneasy in the Dewhurst betting and North was not won over by his 1/3 victory in the Ascendant Stakes.

"Let’s not beat about the bush - Naval Power easily brought the best form to the table in the Ascendant having won a similar contest at Ascot on his previous start by six-and-a-half lengths in a smart 109 timefigure, so was entitled to win with some ease. That effort by itself was enough for Timeform to have the penalised Naval Power 12lb clear at Haydock, but for all he had to wait for a gap before being asked to go and win his race he seemed to me short of that instant burst of speed (overall timefigure 79, sectional upgrade 22lb) to be pencilling him in as a budding Guineas winner."

North did offer a caveat or two and if you want to read those, click here.

Chaldean is the biggest rival to Nostrum according to the layers but will a small field render his Champagne Stakes form misleading?

"The opening Coral Champagne Stakes attracted only three runners (the smallest turnout this century, following just four last year) and saw something of an upset with the odds-on Solario winner Silver Knott [runs in the Autumn Stakes] having his bubble burst at the hands of Acomb winner Chaldean who controlled the race from the front in an ordinary 99 timefigure, upgraded to a more respectable but still lowly 106 once sectional upgrades are applied. I doubt it’s strong form."

Dominate Nostrum?

1046: Nostrum, along with Isaac Shelby, is the least experienced runner in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes and it's possible that it could prove to be undoing stepping up to contest this competitive Group One.

However, there's no hiding from the impression that he's made in winning his maiden at Sandown and the Group Three Tattersalls Stakes (from Holloway Boy, a runner in the Autumn Stakes at 1425) and a few weeks ago, our timefigure guru Graeme North had this to say as he reflected on the recent big-race action in his column Watch & Learn.

"The Tattersalls Stakes (Somerville) went to Nostrum in a 93 timefigure, along with a 20lb upgrade giving him an overall time performance of 113. I thought he handled the undulations far better than the runner-up Holloway Boy, but he impressed me come the line and I’ll be following him with interest next year. Victory Dance had little substance to his form and didn’t deserve to start favourite."

In the two paragraphs immediately prior to that, North dissected the Royal Lodge Stakes which also has a bearing on today as Flying Honours, a beaten favourite there, is again odds-on, this time for the Zetland Stakes which kicks off the Newmarket card at 1350 and North was not impressed.......

"The Royal Lodge looked an insignificant race in the wider scheme of things. Won by The Foxes in a 32 timefigure with a big upgrade, it attracted the smallest field this century and was a sham of a race that is supposedly a test of a staying juvenile (the race was won by Frankel in 2010 a 110 timefigure by 10 lengths when the race was held at Ascot).

"Whether The Foxes is a legitimate Classic contender remains to be seen but Flying Honours back in third had his bubble burst, as did to a lesser degree by association in my eyes the horse he beat at Salisbury, Cloudbuster, who’d been bigged up in some quarters for winning a four-runner sprint for home from the front at Newbury the previous week."

Flying Honours is dropped in grade and stepped up in trip and perhaps the combination will help him get back to winning ways?

Power moves

1028: Paddy Power posted their Newmarket market movers on twitter an hour ago and they read as follows:

1350 Metal Merchant 18/1 from 28s

1425 Epictetus 2/1 from 9/4

1500 Chaldean 3/1 from 10/3, Naval Power 10/3 from 7/2

1540 Vino Victrix 9/1 from 10s, Call My Bluff 16/1 from 20s, Bascule 22/1 from 28s, Withhold 30/1 from 40s

1615 Desert Order 11/8 from 6/4

1650 Pink Crystal 8/1 from 9s

Glancing at the Oddschecker market movers table and it seems as though a lot of the focus has been on the card at York.

As well as the aforementioned support for Bay Of Plenty, It's Good To Laugh is shown as being cut from 8/1 to a low of 11/4 in the stayers' handicap at 1625 with Mustazeed 3/1 from 9s in the finale; in the opener at 1330, the aptly named Three Yorkshiremen is 9/2 from 9s and the only real surprise is that there hasn't been a springer in the market for the big sprint at 1515 although, perhaps, the betting is still settling down following the withdrawals of both Apollo One and Dusky Lord.

Punting matters

1019: The juvenile races don't set every punter's pulse racing and it won't surprise many to learn that a number of our tipsters have eschewed those contests in favour of a tilt at the Cesarewitch.

Hot off the metaphorical press are the selections of the Punting Pointers team and their preview can be read by clicking on the image above.

There has been (at least) one meaningful move for a juvenile on today's cards though and that is a gamble on Bay Of Plenty, trained by Sporting Life columnist Johnny Murtagh.

Bay Of Plenty opened up at a general 11/1 and 12/1 yesterday and even touched 14s in a place but is currently trading at about 7/2 for the Rockingham Stakes at York and Murtagh told his column that he thought running in the race 'was worth taking a punt'.

It would seem as though someone has taken those words literally.

In the previous post, I mentioned that Nostrum was proving a little easy to back and consequently Chaldean has been trimmed to 11/4. As far as the Cesarewitch goes, Run For Oscar and Ahorsewithnoname are hard to separate at around 9/2 with Vino Victrix and Baby Zeus twice those odds.

Greetings

1006: Good morning and welcome to the blog.

There are five pattern races from Newmarket this afternoon and the small matter of the Cesarewitch (and a nursery); the meeting should really help whet the appetite for those winter months ahead.

Chepstow's two-day meeting also helps in that regard although the track would probably have preferred a little more rain having had to water overnight despite getting 5mm of rain during racing yesterday.

Unfortunately McFabulous is a non-runner on account of the going which is good, as it is at Newmarket.

The Dewhurst Stakes is one of the key juvenile races in the British season and was established in 1875 by Tom Gee, who sponsored the first running and named it after his Dewhurst Stud in Sussex. Designed as a race for horses with Classic aspirations, the Dewhurst Stakes got off to a perfect start when the first winner Kisber went on to win The Derby of 1876.

A few more have followed where Kisber led but the question that will be asked at various points today is whether any of the seven runners in 2022 will be following suit in 2023.

Sir Michael Stoute trains the slightly uneasy 9/4 favourite Nostrum. A little surprisingly, Stoute has only once won the Dewhurst and that was fully 36 years ago with Ajdal.

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing columnists
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content