Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
High quality Dewhurst in store
Nine of the last 13 renewals of the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (15:00) have been won by either Aidan O'Brien or Charlie Appleby – traditionally the two most powerful trainers in Britain and Ireland over the past decade, though the likes of Andrew Balding, Joseph O'Brien and William Haggas have all made some inroads into that dominance in recent years.
Indeed, at the time of writing Balding currently leads O'Brien by roughly £300,000 in the British Flat Trainers' Championship, though it would still be a surprise were he able to repel the Ballydoyle battalions until December 31st.
Chaldean (2022) and Gewan (2025) gave the Balding team great satisfaction when winning this race, and it should be noted that 25/1 winner Gewan had been well beaten in the Champagne Stakes on his preceding run, though it seems unlikely that this year's representative Gentle Hurricane will find the seven lengths of improvement needed to turn around the Doncaster form with the emphatic Godolphin winner Desert Castle.
In terms of Timeform ratings, Desert Castle is just 1 lb clear of main rival Darkness Falls, winner of the (recently upgraded) Group 1 Golden Fleece over two furlongs further last time. He's a fascinating contender, with that form already franked, as is stablemate Great Barrier Reef who has missed several engagements this season but has produced performances of note – winning the Coventry Stakes, in particular – when turning up. He lost his unbeaten record when trying to give Push The Boat Out 5 lb in the Round Tower Stakes last time, but that horse has since run very well in the Middle Park.
Whatever happens on Saturday, expect a few ripples in the antepost market for next spring's Classics. The last three Godolphin winners of this race, Pinatubo, Native Trail and Shadow Light, were placed in the 2000 Guineas the following season, while the last Ballydoyle winner – City Of Troy – disappointed at Newmarket but then bounced back to win the Derby. The aforementioned Chaldean won the Guineas, 12 years after his sire Frankel – in the same Juddmonte silks – achieved the same double.
Big day for the Boys In Blue
In a neat segue, the Triple Time Maiden Fillies' Stakes (16:15) - which used to be called the Godolphin Under Starters Orders Maiden – features newcomer Desert Romance who is the first foal of a half-sister to the aforementioned top-class Pinatubo. The race title this year refers to the Kevin Ryan-trained Queen Anne winner who currently stands at Godolphin's Dalham Hall Stud for £10,000.
Desert Romance's dam Sundoro went within a whisker (or nose, to be precise) of making a wining debut, but her sire Dubawi - another Dalham Hall resident, though heavier on the wallet at £350,000 - was unbeaten at two, as was her uncle Pinatubo who won six in a brilliant debut season.
Charlie Appleby won a division of this maiden in both 2022 and 2023, as well as the last two renewals; Desert Romance may be expected to continue that run, though it should be pointed out that Cullenagh Rainbow's debut third has been franked, several others have shaped with promise, and there are a couple of interesting newcomers to boot.
Tricky handicaps everywhere you look
The Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap (15:40) looks a typically competitive renewal, as does the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle (16:02) at Chepstow, so I'll just point you the way of people who know better than me, and instead focus on another impossible puzzle in the form of York's Sky Bet Sprint Trophy Handicap (15:17).
Emphatic Curragh winner Coul Angel narrowly heads the betting despite an 8 lb rise taking him over 100 for the first time; defending champion Binhareer has been there since going very close over C&D on his reappearance in May.
A visor and a return to six furlongs appears to have transformed Old Is Gold, while Ayr Gold Cup hero Pellitroy ran a blinder under very different conditions at Ascot last Saturday and the top-weight is being kept busy by trainer David O'Meara who won this with Gulliver in both 2019 and 2020.
On the subject of dual winners, Richard Fahey won this twice with Strike Red who regained his title in 2024 and, having finished in midfield 12 months ago, is attempting to repeat the pattern in a first-time visor.
Weight-adjusted ratings suggest that the market has it about right, but I'm hopeful that Ardisia can find the required improvement to bridge the gap for his 'Hot Trainer' Hugo Palmer. The three-year-old has the 'Horses For Courses' flag thanks to a number of strong performances on speed-favouring tracks as well as a fine third in the valuable Harry's Half Million By Goffs sales race last August. Though beaten into seventh in the Ayr Gold Cup last time, that doesn't tell the full story as he was stopped in his tracks. With ground to suit, David Probert back on board, he looks overpriced at a general 25/1.
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