Robbie Lee has four horses to follow at this week's Craven Meeting at Newmarket.
CRAVEN MEETING
The Craven Meeting, one of the first big fixtures for the flat season, has arrived, and Newmarket’s Rowley Mile is hosting three days of exciting action. The Suffolk racecourse will provide racing fans with Group contests alongside competitive handicaps and novices.
The key race for the meeting is the Craven Stakes, which was won last year by none other than Field Of Gold, the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner.
Here is a preview of the three days, running Tuesday to Thursday, including a look at the big races, with four horses to follow.
TUESDAY
The opening day sees a seven-race card beginning with a very interesting seven-furlong maiden for three-year-olds. The Godolphin team will be looking to win this race for consecutive years with the Charlie Appleby-trained Cerro Blanco.
One of the feature races for day one is the £30,000 EBF Conditions Stakes, once again for three-year-olds. Godolphin also have a strong hand in this race with Talk Of New York, who goes into it a 6/1 second favourite for the 2000 Guineas.
The card concludes with four handicaps, one of which being the 16:10, a £15,000 contest over one mile. Hugo Palmer has won the last two renewals and will be hoping that We’re Goosers will continue his winning run in this particular race under Jason Hart. The colt will be looking to defy a mark of 78 to win on handicap debut.
WEDNESDAY
The action intensifies on day two, with several top level horses looking to open their turf campaign in competitive stakes races.
The Betway Earl Of Sefton Stakes (15:00) is a Group-Three and Damysus is currently leading the market. Last season’s Darley Stakes winner, trained by the Gosdens, will having to take on a competitive field of six to land a hat-trick of wins at group and listed level.
The Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes continues the Group-three action and 13 runners are looking to land the £100,000 contest on their seasonal reappearance. Aidan O’Brien looks to have a big player in this race with Beautify, who enjoyed a successful two-year-old campaign, winning a Group Two and finishing a close second in the Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Two maidens are next in the card and it is closed with a competitive handicap over one mile and two furlongs. The contest was won in 2024 by Kalpana. She was an impressive winner off a mark of 78 and is now rated 120 after a superb performance in the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.
THURSDAY
The Craven meeting concludes with another top quality card, opening with a £50,000 handicap over six furlongs. An interesting runner in this field of 16 is the Clive Cox-trained Song Of The Clyde who will be looking to win first time out in a handicap carrying top weight. Last season he was a brilliant winner of the Harry’s Half Million at the Ebor Festival.
The 2025 Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sands is making her first start of the season in the Zyn Abernant Stakes (3:00). The Harry Eustace trained horse will be dropping in class down to a Group-Three, and with Ryan Moore booked to ride, looks a very eye-catching runner.
The feature race of the meeting is the Betway Craven Stakes. A field of seven is set to line up in one of the key trials for the Betfred 2000 Guineas, with Hawk Mountain and Hidden Force heading the market. The former won the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster last season and Aidan O’Brien’s colt will be aiming to build on that success at the highest level.
Hidden Force, trained by Charlie Appleby, has been visually very impressive in his two career victories so far, with both of those coming at Kempton, and will look to remain unbeaten under William Buick.
The card is ended by an 18-runner £30,000 handicap which looks ultra-competitive. A runner to note in the field is James Owen-trained Goldmoyne, who hasn’t been outside the first three in his 11 runs since winning off 48 in December at Newcastle. Now rated 40lbs higher, the gelding could continue to progress to land a nice pot under Cieren Fallon.
FOUR HORSES TO FOLLOW:
SIERRA SANDS Tuesday 15:00
Ed Dunlop has a very interesting runner in the form of Sierra Sands who was last seen winning a maiden at Catterick. He beat an Andrew Balding-trained horse by half a length that day but looks capable of better performances in the future. He has an opening mark of 79 and could be capable of a strong performance off that rating. The Dunlop team have recruited a very eye-catching booking of Ryan Moore, who is only there for one ride on the Tuesday. He looks a very appealing price.
PERSICA Wednesday 15:00
This five-year-old showed very strong form at the start of last season, including when winning this race last year. Richard Hannon's charge struck again on the Derby Day card before just starting to lose his way a bit, with some disappointing performances at the very top level. Back down into calmer waters and running for the first time since a gelding operation, he may well get back on track and defend his crown in this contest under Oisin Murphy.
AMERICA QUEEN Wednesday 15:35
Richard Hughes’ filly looked very smart as a two-year-old last season, posting some very creditable runs in defeat. On debut, at Haydock, she was level above the field, winning by an easy 12-lengths. She was then pitched into Group-two in the Lowther Stakes at York, where she was beaten just length by Royal Fixation. The pair pulled well clear of the rest and she confirmed her ability once again when a staying on fourth in the Cheveley Park at the highest level. The form is very strong and she looks overpriced for the Nell Gwyn, she is definitely worth following.
BECKFORD’S FOLLY Thursday 15:00
The Godolphin team look like they could have another live chance at this meeting, this time with Beckford’s Folly. He looked a smart prospect when winning on his second and third start at the July course before taking a backwards step when an underwhelming sixth in a Group Three at Kempton.
However, following a gelding operation, he landed the Cornwallis Stakes at this track when powering home late to beat Brussels, who has just been denied twice at Group-one level. That form reads very well and with a mark of 110 and receiving weight off the rest of the field (apart from one), he looks to have a lovely chance of winning on seasonal reappearance.
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