Welcome to a new weekly column that will focus on the two-year-old action, mainly that which takes place below pattern class level.
This week usually sees the quality of juveniles on display increase, with the 7f maiden at the Newmarket July meeting on Saturday (perhaps best known to some as the Strutt & Parker Maiden Stakes) a traditionally strong event. Only seven runners have been declared for this year’s renewal, which is the smallest field since 1992 (also seven).
Alhaarth beating Mark of Esteem in 1995 enjoyed a modern twist last year, with recent Eclipse Stakes winner Constitution River meeting his only defeat to date at the hands of subsequent Group 3 winner and dual Guineas placer Distant Storm. Craven winner Oxagon finished fifth while Derby Italiano winner Venetian Prince was a further place back in sixth.
The latter is trained by Andrew Balding, who won the 2023 renewal with Arabic Legend. He saddles the smartly-bred newcomer SUBSCRIPTION this time around. By Night of Thunder, he is a three-parts brother to French 10.5f 3yo Group 3 winner Agave (by Dubawi) and out of a Group 3-placed French 15f 3yo winning half-sister to 11-time 10/12f Group/Grade 1 winner Enable.
