Three horses to follow from the Future Champions Festival at Newmarket

SWELTERING, 2nd in Oh So Sharp Stakes Newmarket October 09

The first eight home in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes were covered by just two lengths, the winner - Lola De Valence - was sent off at 40/1 and rated 'just' 89 so it would be easy to take a dim view of the form. Nor do trainer Andrew Balding or owner Cheveley Park Stud have any recent history of targeting the seven furlong Group 3 with the latter's Angel's Hideaway - second in 2018 - their only runner and Balding saddling two, one who finished last and Mubasimah who never won again after running Calendar Girl to a neck.

However, Sweltering should start next season on a workable handicap mark given the above. Gaining more black type for this filly will be the priority but a rating in the low 90s would give connections options to go down the handicap route first and target races such as the Sandringham at Royal Ascot, a race in which Mubasimah finished 23rd off a mark of 100 this season.

The Leicester novice Sweltering won by four lengths has a decent recent record with the last four winners - Touleen, Formal, Spiritual, Rage Of Bamby - going on to be rated in excess of 100. The sixth won next time and the four length second, Ferrystream, had already shown a fair level of ability suggesting this year's renewal is up to scratch.

Sweltering is a Palace Pier half-sister to Humidity and Holloway Boy which offers encouragement that she will both train on and stay another furlong. She was fast through the first furlong on Friday and may just have paid the price for that and getting racing too soon when caught on the line. If she learns to race more evenly, that should draw out further improvement and aid her progression in 2027.

PROBING, DESERT ROMANCE and CONSTELLA, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Triple Time Maiden Fillies' Stakes October 10

Ralph Beckett won this maiden in 2023 and Charlie Appleby has won five of the last 10 runnings with four of them sent off as favourite. As such, it was probably informative that Beckett's Probing was the market leader, narrowly from the winner Cullentragh Rainbow, with the Godolphin runner only third best on debut, both in the market and the race.

The Trackside Live team were at Newmarket and felt both fillies would improve for the run with Probing earning a relatively rare 'one for the notebook' verdict and a comment of 'lovely big stamp of a filly, might tighten up over the rib for the run but might be the best of them going forward'.

I shouldn't think either of them will be a price next time in a maiden/novice but this maiden has been contested by some useful performers of late and it wouldn't be a surprise if any of the first three proved able to make their mark in pattern races next season and they certainly have the pedigrees to match.

Frankel filly Probing is out of a five furlong winner, herself a half-sister to two Group 1 winning sprinters, and holds an entry in the Irish 1000 Guineas which is some indication of the regard in which she's held for all that there's plenty of water to flow under the bridge. Desert Romance is a Dubawi filly out of a 10 furlong winner by Sea The Stars who can count Pinatubo among her siblings.

While the first three home might be aggressively campaigned as they go in search of black type which could limit betting opportunities, that might not be the case with Constella who stuck with them for a long way until tiring. This half-sister to decent sprinter Twilight Calls wasn't a cheap purchase at 135,000 guineas but she definitely looks capable of giving connections some fun for their money once handicapping and she showed enough promise here to think that she can reach a useful level.

AL HAMAAD, 1st in Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte October 10

There were some obviously impressive performances at Newmarket but with everything that was going on in the UK on Saturday, the performance of Al Hamaad in the Chantilly Group 2 may have escaped a few eyes.

Trained by Andre and Lavinia Fabre, Al Hamaad was taking a big step up in class after winning his maiden at the second attempt and faced some proven rivals, including British challengers Acclamation Star, Scythe and Jolivette with the latter Group 2 placed both in the Mill Reef and in the Lowther when behind Libertango.

Jolivette didn't run up to form but nevertheless Al Hamaad was a very taking winner under Oisin Murphy who rides plenty of winners for owner Prince Faisal and the jockey was suitably impressed, saying: "He is by the right stallion [Wootton Bassett], he is with the right trainer, he is a fantastic mover and he has a very bright future indeed. I hope he goes right to the top."

Samangan (2025) and Charyn (2022) won this race en route to Group 1 glory and it would be no surprise if Al Hamaad were able to follow suit but whether that's over sprint trips or further remains to be seen. He's a half-brother to seven furlong Group 3 winner Fang and there is stamina in the distaff side of the pedigree so there's a chance that he may stretch out to a mile for all that he's shown plenty of gears in his races so far.

Either way, as Murphy said, the future looks very bright indeed.

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