John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Thursday.
History to repeat with well-treated winner in Newmarket opener?
There’s a field of 16 three-year-olds for the six-furlong handicap (13:50) that opens Newmarket’s card, but it could prove less competitive than the numbers suggest. Towards the foot of the weights, Amo Racing colt Sovereign Spell, trained by Kevin Philippart de Foy, looks thrown in from a BHA mark of 85, coming out fully 9 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Coincidentally, this same contest was won by a very well-treated sprinter last year, Double Rush for Charlie Hills, who had easily won a maiden at Wolverhampton on his previous start. Sovereign Spell won the very same race last time, he too making all to land the odds by a wide margin, in his case by five and a half lengths. That race might have lacked depth, but the handicapper looks to have taken a chance by leaving Sovereign Spell’s mark unchanged, especially as the fourth horse from the Wolverhampton race, Royal Poetry, won back at Wolverhampton last week.
Sovereign Spell had been tried in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and was first past the post in a novice at Windsor later in the summer on his first start for his current yard but was later disqualified on a technicality. A progressive sort, he looks very well treated for his return to handicap company.
Time For Sandals can hotfoot it in Abernant
The Abernant Stakes (15:00) looks a competitive renewal of the first Group race of the year for sprinters, several of whom will no doubt be turning up in some of the best races in this division later in the season. Among those to note are Aramram, who ran a career best when getting the better of the reopposing Jasour in the listed Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster last month, and Washington Heights who was a 33/1 winner of this race first time out two years ago when beating the subsequent July Cup winner Mill Stream. He won a listed race at York last season and is back down in grade here.
The one who they might all have to beat, however, is the only filly in the line-up Time For Sandals, trained locally by Harry Eustace. She progressed well last year, pulling off a 25/1-win in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot where she travelled powerfully and responded well for a neck win over the subsequent Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze while pulling well clear of the rest on her side of the track. Time For Sandals then ran well under a penalty back at five furlongs when a close third to JM Jungle in the King George Stakes at Goodwood and shaped better than the distance beaten suggests in the Sprint Cup at Haydock on her final start last year when forced to challenge widest of all.
Partnered for the first time by Ryan Moore, Time For Sandals can get her four-year-old campaign off to a winning start, coming out a couple of pounds clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Hankelow looks best in quality Craven
The signature race of Newmarket’s first meeting of the year, this year’s Craven Stakes (15:35) looks a strong renewal with all bar one of the seven colts holding an entry in the 2000 Guineas in just over two weeks’ time.
Aidan O’Brien has never won the Craven but his runners in it have been few and far between and they haven’t been among his leading classic contenders. However, he sends over a Group 1 winner this time in the form of Hawk Mountain who is a general 16/1 chance for the 2000 Guineas but as short as 7/1 in places for the Derby. That raises the question of whether a mile on good ground will be a sufficient test of stamina for a colt who kept on well to win the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster on his final start last year on heavy ground. By Wootton Bassett out of the Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Hydrangea, his pedigree points to further too.
If this does prove a bit too much of a test of speed for Hawk Mountain, Karl Burke’s Hankelow looks the one to take advantage. The strong, lengthy son of Night of Thunder was highly progressive at two and just a nose away from being unbeaten in three starts after Avicenna, who he meets again here, pipped him in the listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster. Hankelow then made all under a good ride from Clifford Lee to win the Autumn Stakes over the Craven course and distance when stepping up to a mile, and with further improvement to come, he can get the better of the Ballydoyle challenger.
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