Montassib and Almeric caught the eye on Saturday

Saturday analysis: Montassib and Almeric catch the eye for future assignments

By Ben Linfoot

Horse Racing

Mon September 22, 2025 · 2M ago

Ben Linfoot unpicks the performances of Almeric at Ayr and Montassib at Newbury with both on the radar for big prizes in the future.

How good could Almeric be?

Fancied for the Prix du Jockey Club after his win in the Feilden Stakes earlier in the campaign, Almeric made his long-awaited return to action in the Listed Doonside Cup Stakes at Ayr on Saturday afternoon.

His Feilden form had worked out well – runner-up King Of Cities landed the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York just last month – and given he had reached a high level after just three starts he was sent off 13/8 to beat solid players in this grade.

Indeed, he took on a trio of horses rated 110 or 111, all of whom had form on soft ground, but he fairly routed them despite a slow start that saw him detached from the main group early in the contest.

Oisin Murphy was superb on him, letting him find his rhythm despite rustiness in the early stages after five months off the track, and he kidded him into the race, latching back on to the main group in the straight before switching him towards the stands’ side to make his challenge.

As stamina and class took over the result was soon not in doubt, and he won going away by almost three lengths, shaping every inch like he’ll get a mile and a half no fuss as befitting his pedigree.

He’s from a Kirsten Rausing-bred family that includes loads of mile-and-a-half horses and some that stayed further than that; Alcaeus, Alla Speranza and Altesse the best of the bunch with Timeform ratings of 105, 109 and 109, respectively.

They’re good numbers, but Almeric got a provisional Timeform rating of 124 after this and he’s well worth a go at the top level already, his Champion Stakes entry at Ascot next month offering the chance for him to have a go at a Group 1 this season.

Almeric makes a slow start at Ayr

Whether Andrew Balding pitches him in there remains to be seen.

The Doonside Cup-Champion Stakes double was done by William Haggas’ Addeybb five years ago and if Ascot comes up soft or worse then Almeric comes into the conversation, for all that he remains 33/1 in places for the race (cut to 12/1 by Sky Bet and Paddy Power amongst others).

Whether he goes to Champions Day or not he looks a top-class prospect for next season and with stamina and testing ground looking his forte he could well be a potential Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe horse for the future.

Indeed, there are similarities here with Rausing’s Arc winner Alpinista.

She was also from a good family, but she ended up being the best amongst her siblings thanks to her sire Frankel who was the final piece of a jigsaw Sir Mark Prescott got the pleasure of putting together in fine style.

In Almeric’s case the arrival of Study Of Man to Rausing’s Lanwades Stud was the key and this colt looks to have inherited plenty of the attributes that saw his stallion win a French Derby.

That race wasn’t to be for Almeric, but a 2026 Arc bid could be on the agenda. It’s still early days for him after just four starts, but he looks good and he could be very good indeed.

Montassib primed for Champions Sprint

One horse who will be heading to Champions Day at Ascot will be Haggas’ Montassib and he could hardly have delivered a better audition for the QIPCO British Champions Sprint than the one he produced at Newbury.

Running for the first time in 336 days since last year’s Champions Day, Montassib was sent off 11/2 for the Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy Stakes over five furlongs – his first run at the minimum trip in a 21-race career.

Not only was he expected to be rusty and perhaps vulnerable to a thriving speedster, but he had to deal with a tardy start and as Habooba set off like a scalded cat on the far side he was quickly detached from the action.

Montassib (far left) is quickly left with loads to do at Newbury

Cieren Fallon tracked the smaller group on the stands’ side and was getting after him at halfway, but the son of Exceed And Excel warmed to his task admirably and flew home for a never-nearer two-length third under hands and heels riding.

Cut from 20s into 12s in places for the Champion Sprint, he’s still available at 16s and those odds look big given he heads into Ascot a fresh horse with this superb fine-tuner under his belt.

The seven-year-old was only fifth in the race last year, but he was drawn on the wrong side and ran a fine race in the circumstances as it was very difficult to make up ground from the rear with the prominently-ridden horses holding sway.

That’s not often the case on the Ascot straight course and granted a bit of luck with conditions and the draw he could well take advantage of his ultra-light campaign in Berkshire on October 18.