Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I preview Friday’s Group 1 bet365 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket's Future Champions Festival.
Friday Racing
Newmarket’s two-day Dubai Future Champions Festival kicks off on Friday. The feature race is the Group 1 bet365 Fillies' Mile (3:35), part of a seven-race card, with a strong undercard of Group races and the bet365 Old Rowley Cup Handicap.
ITV4 will televise five races from Newmarket, plus three from York and two from Chepstow’s Persian War meeting. The highlight at Chepstow is the Grade 2 Unibet Persian War Novices' Hurdle (3:15). It’s a packed afternoon of racing that you can enjoy for free.
ITV often gets criticism for its horse racing coverage, with claims of ‘dumbing down’ or insufficient betting content. This critique seems off base. No other sport gets this level of coverage on terrestrial TV. Instead, we should be celebrating that we have a broadcaster committed to showing it.
On another note, back to one of my personal gripes. Why is today’s Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket going off at 1:47? This is a big race that’s been run since 1948, yet it’s treated like a greyhound race at Crayford or Sheffield. Would it really hurt to round the time up to 1:50?
Newmarket
Recent rain has softened the ground at Newmarket to good to soft, good in places, as of Thursday morning. With mostly dry conditions forecast for Thursday and Friday, it could be closer to good by the start of the Future Champions Festival.
York
It’s the final two days of racing on the Knavesmire in 2024. Currently, the going is soft, heavy in places. Like Newmarket, the forecast for Thursday and Friday doesn’t suggest much more rain, but it’s hard to see it improving beyond soft at this time of year.
Chepstow
Chepstow kick starts the 2024/25 jumps season today with the Unibet-sponsored Jumps Season Opener. While some see Cheltenham’s Showcase meeting as the real start of the jumps season, yours truly included. For many NH fans this meeting heralds the start. The going was good to soft, soft in places on the chase track and soft on the hurdles track. Beter than it looked earlier in the week. Granted it’s a low-key start but plenty of old favourites are making their return to action.
Group 1 Fillies’ Take Centre Stage at Future Champions Festival
Newmarket
3:35 – bet365 Fillies' Mile (Group 1) – 1m
Just seven runners line up for this Group 1 contest for 2-year-old fillies, but it's still a classy race.
Taking a quick look at the trend since the race was switched to Newmarket in 2011. Favourites have exceeded market expectations.
- Desert Flower leads the field, remaining unbeaten on three starts, after winning the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster. She’s proven over a mile and is the one to beat.
- January was a closing second behind Desert Flower in the May Hill Stakes and is progressing with racing. Ryan Moore has opted for her over stablemate Dreamy, another promising filly who won the Group 3 Flame Of Tara Stakes last time and is another nice prospect.
- Tabiti improved on her debut win when landing the Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes (6f) last month. Won last time despite the drop back in trip. Bred to appreciate a mile and the daughter of Kingman is another contender from an in form yard.
- Anna Swan has won both her starts, including a win at Newbury three weeks ago, and though she needs to improve, is open to plenty of progress for the step up to a mile and can’t be discounted.
Fillies' Mile Verdict: Desert Flower is a very boring selection but at odds on I can let her win.
I sent out Friday’s race preview to Victor Value subscribers early on Thursday afternoon. I have a few fancies over the weekend. If you want my previews and selections for Newmarket Future Champions Weekend, including Saturday’s Cesarewitch Handicap, you can get them here.
Good luck with your Friday bets.
John