Newmarket October 12th & October 13th 2018
What a two-racing day at Newmarket Friday & Saturday!
Three Listed, three Group 3, one Group 2 and two Group 1
Usually the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, Gr-1, 7f, for 2yo colt & fillies, with a total prize money of £ 500.000, produces the top 2-Y-O in the UK and in Ireland and I dare to say in Europe.
The race has been named after Captain R. H. Dewhurst (1862 – 1936) who in 1904 went training to Bedford Lodge in Newmarket.
His main winners were Corcyra (GB) (Polymelus), 1911, who won the Middle Park Plate in 1913, Benevente (GB) (Polymelus), 1915, who won the Coventry Stakes at the Royal Meeting in 2017.
The principal owner of the stable was the 5th Earl of Cadogan, one of the landlords of London.
Before we’ll move to the races of today I want to tell you a very interesting story which probably you don’t know.
On October 3rd 2017, at Newmarket, during the yearling sales (Book 1), a filly by Kodiac ex Queenofthefairies (Pivotal), born in Ireland, went under the hammer of the auctioneer and was purchased by M. V. Magnier, Myfair Speculators of the South African Marcus Jooste and Peter & Ros Doyle for Guineas 925,000.
Then Mr. Jooste started to have very serious financial problems and his share was bought by Mrs. Evie Stockwell in whose colours on September 28th 2018, at Newmarket, won the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, Gr-1, 6f, for 2yo fillies only, with a total prize money of £ 300.000.
Who is Mrs Evie Stockwell?
Very simple: she is the mother of Mr John Magnier, the Supremo of Coolmore Group worldwide, who owns that filly in partnership with his mother and with Mr. Michael Tabor & Mr. Derrick Smith (those three guys are commonly known in the racing circle as “The Lads”).
Who bred this filly?
Very simple: Mr. Anthony O’Callaghan of Tally Ho Stud, Mullingar, Co. Vestmido, Ireland, with his wife Mrs. Anne Magnier, John Magnier’s sister, so Mrs. Stockwell’s daughter.
Mrs. Stockwell, 92, jetted to Newmarket (private aircraft, of course) to see the filly running and to get the trophy.
On Tuesday October 9th 2018, a half-sister to Fairyland was in the ring at Newmarket as a yearling (Book 1): she is by Muhraarar (GB) (Oasis Dream, a stallion whose first crop are yearlings.
Same connections as breeders, but the purchaser was Shadwell Estate Company of HE Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who stands this sire at his Nunnery Stud, near Newmarket, at a fee of £ 30.000.
Guess the price of this filly: Guineas 925,000, of course.
Let’s forget old and recent history for a while and let’s concentrate on the first day of the 2018 Meeting.
Friday October 12th 2018, going good, good to firm in places, with a strong wind, H. 1.50PM GMT: they will be off and running in Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes, Group 3, 5f, for 2yo, with a total prize money of £ 60.000.
I have very few doubts: True Mason (GB) (Mayson) is a very good thing and is form is very strong even if he won only one race, but he was third in the Prix Morny, Gr.1, at Deauville and last time out he was second in the Mill Reef Stakes, Gr-2.
The Timeform adjusted for the race gives him the top rating at 124p.
At the moment he is trading between 2/1 and 5/2 and in my opinion he has more than 28.60% chances of winning this race and his trainer (do you remember Laurens (GB) (Siyouni)?), Karl Burke, is not in great form (only 7% of winners to runners in the last 14 days), but he is able to get a horse spot on a big day.
The pace will be very, very fast.
H 2.25PM GMT: Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes, Gr-2, 7f, for 2yo fillies only, with a total prize money of £ 60.000.
Once again the pace will be strong.
Frosty (IRE) (Galileo), the full sister to Winter, who won both the English and Irish Guinea, gets the vote and he should be favourite around 9/4 – 5/2.
Get on!
She won first time out and this is very unusual for horses trained by Aidan O’Brien, so she must be very good, and she will come on tons from his first race.
Donnacha O’Brien will be on board because Ryan Moore, on Tuesday, flew to your country to ride US Navy Flag (USA) (War Front) in the Everest, on Saturday.
Please bear in mind that this chap has won both the Middle Park Stakes & Dewhurst Stakes, both Group 1, last year at Newmarket and last time out in the UK won the Darley July Cup, Gr-1, once again in July at the HQ of English racing.
You guys are very strong with sprinters, but in my opinion, he could be a good each way bet.
The Timeform gives 103P to Frosty and the capital P means that this filly is almost certainly capable of much better.
H 3.00PM GMT: Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards Challenge Stakes, Gr-2, 7f, for 3yo+, with a total prize money of £ 120.000.
The pace should be quite weak.
If the ground will be as it should be, good to firm or firm, Limato (IRE) (Tagula), 6, runs on his own: he is trading at 2/1 and this is a very, very tempting price.
H 3.35PM GMT: bet365 Fillies Mile, Gr-1, 1m, for 2yo fillies only, with a total prize money of £ 500,000.
These fillies will go very fast, trust me.
This is a real conundrum for me as I don’t fancy Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream), maximum rating of the Timeform (132), trading at around 4/1 – 9/2.
I think that Aidan O’Brien can win several big races of this Meeting, so my selection is Hermosa (IRE) (Galileo), full sister to Hydrangea, a dual Group1 winner.
Her price, at the moment is between 3/1 and 100/30: very good.
Last time out she won the Weld Park Stakes, Gr-3, 7f, quite easily, at the price of 5/4.
And The Lads have not declared Just Wonderful (USA) (Dansili), who won last time out, on this course, the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes, Gr-2, over 7f, showing a terrific acceleration in the last furlong, so they must be quite confident in Hermosa.
Just Wonderful should have been my nap of the month of October.
Good luck and see you tomorrow for the preview of the big race for the two-year-old colts: what a race and what a difficult task to suggest a winner!
Carlo Zuccoli
