Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on Thursday.
Godolphin runner to rise and shine
Set the alarm clocks for Thursday morning, folks, as Nottingham and Newmarket have ushered forward their meetings to begin at 10:30 and 10:45 respectively in order to combat the heatwave.
Newcastle’s all-weather card lives up to its name by standing firm, though the forecast highs of 25 (compared to 32 and 30 at the other day-time meetings) probably has more to do with it than the city’s general clothing approach to weather extremes (tops off in summer; short sleeves only in winter).
Newmarket’s card features a ‘Large P’ horse – Mysterious Times – in the opening It's Racing Staff Week EBF 'Confined' Novice Stakes (10:45) which denotes that significant progress is expected following the colt’s debut third at Sandown where he did a lot of things wrong, including jumping the path, but shaped with bundles of promise.
The race has been won by some decent sorts in recent years, including Rogue Lightning in 2022, Billboard Star in 2024 and Beckford’s folly in 2025, all of whom went on to win in listed company or higher. ‘Horse In Focus’ Mysterious Times represents the same connections as Beckford’s Folly, and the Godolphin colt represents a Charlie Appleby yard that has a 39% strike-rate with its juveniles at the track over the past five seasons.
There are interesting rivals, though, including Weekend Roar who shaped well at Salisbury, as well as newcomers Lion Of God and Jackson Canyon. The latter is trained by Michael O’Callaghan who has a 15% strike-rate with his two-year-olds when sending them to Britain; the market should help guide as to what is expected from just the second he has sent to the July Course.
Game to impress in Empress
Just 11 lb separates seven of the eight runners in the feature contest, the Empress Fillies’ Stakes (12:15), which isn’t a lot when it comes to two-year-olds; generally speaking, the more runs a field has had usually leads to a tighter dispersal of ratings.
But it’s the once-raced Glorious Game who tops Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings following a debut success over Motown Filly at Windsor just 17 days ago. She was nicely clued up but still showed enough greenness – along with her pedigree, being closely related to the smart winner up to 9f Feliciana de Vega – to suggest that there is plenty of improvement to come.
A break of 17 days may feel like a summer holiday to Beauty Box, who runs just eight days after landing a maiden success at Ripon, but her earlier efforts in defeat read well, a comment that also applies to 12-day absent Havana Sprite who shaped as if the step up to this trip would suit when readily making all at Bath.
But the prize for quick turnarounds goes to Albany Stakes also-ran What A Girl Wants, though her finishing position of 21st doesn’t tell the full story as she was repeatedly stopped in her run last week. From my (very limited) experience, what a girl wants is not to be rushed into anything, but she looks capable of bouncing back and a repeat of her Irish efforts would likely see her go close.
Treble Tee to call the tunes in the Toon
Up at Newcastle, it’s day one of the three-day Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate Festival, which seems a bit of a stretch, but there we are.
The JenningsBet In Kippax Seaton Delaval Handicap (15:47) is the standout feature race of the card, and there’s a field of 11 bidding to take home first prize of £18,319. It’s another tightly-knit affair on ratings (just 6 lb between the whole field), but Treble Tee looks a fascinating top-weight on his return from three months off.
With a BHA rating of 103, he has to give a lot of weight to the field, but the Simon & Ed Crisford-trained four-year-old has plenty of talent and should appreciate the return to a sounder surface having appeared unsuited by the going in listed events either side of his winter break.
Sixth in the Cambridgeshire in September, this strong-travelling, imposing individual is best when granted a true gallop to chase, and he should get that here thanks to the presence of Mr Swivell and Clouds Hill, both of whom like to get on with things.
Coupled with the stiff finish and 5-lb claimer Mason Paetel taking off a handy chunk of weight on his first ride for the yard, that helps make Treble Tee the best bet on the card.
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