Hi all,
I covered Saturday’s Future Champions Day in Monday’s column. Today, I’m looking back at Friday’s card, which featured the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile, plus a few highlights from the Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow.
Newmarket – Friday
Revival Power carried a penalty for her recent Group 2 Flying Childers win and wasn’t disgraced when finishing three lengths fifth to Beckford’s Folly in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes. The winner got up on the line to deny favourite Brussels by a nose. Revival Power remains one to keep onside. She’s got the scope to do even better as a three-year-old, much like her full sister Winter Power. A flatter track suits her, and as I said after her Ebor Festival win, Tim Easterby will surely be working back from next year’s Nunthorpe Stakes.
Calendar Girl made a smooth step into Group company when landing the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes. The return to 7f suited her, and she handled the track well. She should stay a mile next season and remains open to further progress. Mubasimah, a recent C&D winner, improved again on just her second start to finish a neck behind the winner. She’s another to keep on the radar for next year.
While Calendar Girl and Mubasimah are only 1,000 Guineas outsiders for now, the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile was won by a genuine Classic contender in Precise.
She travelled smoothly and swooped late to land Friday’s feature in fine style. The pace held up well, so her late surge stood out. That was her second Group 1 win after the Moyglare, and she’s still trading around 4/1 for the 1,000 Guineas. You’d expect shorter, but Aidan O’Brien has another star in Diamond Necklace, winner of the Prix Marcel Boussac, who might be even better. And we’ve not even mentioned Cheveley Park winner True Love. For now, I’d side with whichever of O’Brien’s fillies doesn’t go to the Breeders’ Cup.
Friday Eyecatcher
Respond (Andrew Balding), often too keen in the past, settled much better when held up in the Old Rowley Cup Handicap. The steady pace was against him, but he finished best of those ridden from off the pace, closing to within two lengths of the winner, Yabher. Sent off the 5/2 favourite, he’s shaping like a well-treated three-year-old who’ll land a good middle-distance prize next season.
Future Champions Verdict
All told, it was a fascinating Future Champions weekend. One that offered plenty of pointers for the 2025 Classics, even if the pecking order among the leading two-year-old colts is far from settled. That said Gewan’s success in the Dewhurst has been underestimated by bookies and punters and he would be my favourite for the first colt’s classic. Meanwhile Precise’s win in the Fillies Mile shows what a stranglehold Aidan O’Brien has over next year’s fillies’ Classics.
Welsh Racing Festival – Chepstow
Early numbers suggest the first Welsh Racing Festival was a modest success in terms of attendance which is encouraging news. However, the lack of rain meant the ground at Chepstow was unusually quick for the first major meeting of the winter jumps campaign. That led to 47 non-runners across the three days. With no meaningful rain forecast for at least another week, we’re likely to see small fields dominating the early jumps scene.
Last week I saw plenty of the jumps YouTubers getting giddy about the meeting. It’s utterly ridiculous. It’s far too early to be getting carried away. You really shouldn’t get excited about the jumps until Cheltenham’s Paddy Power meeting. That’s when the proper action begins and we might have to wait longer if the rain doesn’t arrive.
Anyway, here are my three standout performances from the meeting:
Sticktotheplan made it three wins from five starts over hurdles when landing Friday’s Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle. The five-year-old, making his debut for Ollie Murphy after switching from Ireland, impressed with the manner of his success and clearly enjoys a sound surface. There should be more to come from him on this ground in the months ahead.
Ask Brewster (Evan Williams)
Ask Brewster made it four wins from eight starts over fences with a tiday success in Saturday’s Native River Handicap Chase (2m7½f). Raised 9lb for his Cheltenham win (3m4f) in April, he showed he’s a rapidly improving staying chaser. He jumped soundly, rallied after being headed two out, and his stamina really kicked in approaching the last. The quick ground held no fears for the 6yo. Given he stays further it’s easy to see why trainer Evan Williams believes he could develop into a Scottish Grand National contender. It was nice to see a Welsh trained winner at the Welsh Racing Festival.
Celtic Dino, who relishes good ground, overcame a slight mistake to win Sunday’s Welsh Champion Hurdle, giving Sam Thomas a second successive victory in the race. With conditions still favouring quicker ground, and many top hurdlers waiting for softer going, the six-year-old could easily pick up a Graded hurdle prize this autumn.
In tomorrow's column I'll be looking at Qipco Champions Day at Ascot.
Good luck with your Tuesday bets.
John