Alex Hammond tips Purr Along and High Celebrity for big wins at Newmarket
By Alex Hammond
Last Updated: 11/07/14 1:38pm
As a youngster the July meeting at Newmarket was one of my favourite places to be. I used to head there every year with my Mum and one of the things I remember, apart from the fabulous racing, is the Thunder Bugs (small itchy flies!).
Having watched the racing there on Thursday it seems the only thunder they are experiencing is of the disruptive weather kind! The ground is now officially soft after 27mm of rain in a 24-hour period at the East of England track. Let’s hope it’s more favourable for the rest of the week as it really is one of my favourite flat meetings.
Let’s start by taking a look at the racing on Friday where the feature race is the Group 1 Qipco Falmouth Stakes. Take a check on the non-runners because there are plenty coming through and the card looks set to be decimated.
Soft ground is an unknown for Integral who comes here off the back of an impressive win in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot where she had Purr Along, Sky Lantern, Peace Burg and Certify in behind. Her owners Cheveley Park Stud will be very keen to get a Group 1 win to her name and this looks a good opportunity. The ground is an unknown quantity for her, though.
The rain that has fallen is a negative for last year’s unlucky loser Sky Lantern and her trainer Richard Hannon will walk the track before making a decision on her participation. If I was to hazard a guess I’d say she will not run as the rain clouds haven’t shifted from Newmarket all night and it was still raining on Friday morning. Before the rain fell overnight Hannon seemed fairly confident that she could turn the Royal Ascot form around as she has stripped much fitter for that run.
Rizeena was also a Royal Ascot winner for popular trainer Clive Brittain. She beat her own age group in the Coronation Stakes and had Kiyoshi well behind. I have a niggling doubt about her ability to show her best at this track and for that reason I’m opposing her.
I fancied Purr Along for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes but the race didn’t go entirely to plan for Johnny Murtagh’s filly. She was carried wide having been dropped out and stayed on well to finish third. She handles cut in the ground and has run well on her two starts for her new trainer having cost her new Qatari owners 1,000,000 guineas at the December Sales last year.
Charlie Appleby was left scratching his head after Certify’s disappointing reappearance in that Ascot race. She returned from 16 months out to win in Dubai in January, had one more run at Meydan in February before her British reappearance at Royal Ascot. Integral looks a filly with plenty more to come for trainer Sir Michael Stoute and the best could still be yet to come from the four-year-old. However, at the likely prices and with ground conditions as they are, I think it could be worth sticking with Purr Along who is a proven performer on soft ground.
Celebrity spotting
The Duchess of Cambridge Stakes looks a quality Group 2 but High Celebrity looks like she is going to be incredibly popular in the race we know better as the Cherry Hinton. Andre Fabre’s filly made a winning debut over seven furlongs at Chantilly last month and she couldn’t have broken her maiden in better fashion. Fabre rarely sends juveniles over to race on these shores and she is potentially very smart. I Am Beautiful is a significant absentee for Aidan O’Brien.
David Elsworth’s Arabian Queen will suit the step up to this six-furlong trip as her dam, Barshiba, had plenty of stamina. This filly is blessed with plenty of speed herself, but on her Queen Mary performance looks like step up in trip will be in her favour. None of those fillies have form on soft ground, but Parsley does. Richard Hannon’s daughter of Zebedee won on her penultimate outing on a good to soft surface at Goodwood, but she has plenty of pace and this stiff 6 furlong trip may have been her undoing last time out. I’m going to go with the filly that looks potentially the best of these, High Celebrity.
Also on Friday there is a decent three-year-old sprint handicap, the Betfred Mobile heritage handicap over six furlongs. High On Life is a horse on a roll having won all four outings this season for Jamie Osborne. He’s a progressive horse and there looks to be more to come from him and he may still be on a winning mark. However, this looks like the toughest race he has contested so far and he will do well to continue that run here. He does have form on soft ground though which is in his favour. Charles Molson is trained by Henry Candy who is particularly adept at training sprinters. Although he’s yet to win this term he has shown up well in defeat and handles soft ground. He’s met trouble in running on all three outings this season so far and given better luck can run a big race.
Golden Steps is another horse I like, this time for Newmarket trainer Marco Botti. He had just the one educational run in the winter of his juvenile campaign on the all weather and has shown promise this term. In three starts he has progressed with each run and won an all age handicap at Doncaster last time out. He is still inexperienced, but is going the right way and looks a useful sort if he can overcome his lack of race hardiness.
Royal Seal represents the powerful combination of Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore and turns out under a penalty having won over seven furlongs at Sandown last weekend. She wore the hood for the first time there and is dropping in trip for a first try over six furlongs. She looked short of pace over five furlongs last month and I’d prefer to see her over seven furlongs again. I’m going to go with Golden Steps, but have huge respect for Charles Molson.
On to Saturday and the Group 1 Darley July Cup looks exceptional with 16 horses declared for the six furlong contest. Edward Lynam is having huge fun with his ‘Power’ horses and both Sole and Slade are declared to run on Saturday. You would imagine the ground would need to dry out for King’s Stand winner Sole Power who shows his best on a sound surface. In fact, his trainer said on Friday morning that he is an unlikely starter and a decision will be made on raceday morning.
Diamond Jubilee victor Slade Power on the other hand won’t mind the ground however it rides on the July Course and for that reason he is my preferred choice of his two runners. He has done most of his winning over Saturday’s trip too and he is a major player. Due Diligence is one of three three-year-olds for Aidan O’Brien in this and comes here having finished second to Slade Power in the Diamond Jubilee. He didn’t get the most straightforward passage there and is a proven performer on soft ground so is of interest here even though it can be tough for three-year-old sprinters.
Spanish training
Noozhoh Canarias finish a non-staying sixth in the 2000 Guineas and the drop in trip shouldn’t inconvenience this smart Spanish trained three-year-old. Aljamaaheer is gradually getting the hang of sprinting and the penny should really have dropped now. I fancied him for the Diamond Jubilee but he probably still needed experience in the sprinting division, despite that he ran well to be third. My concern about him in this race is the ground as he seems better on a sound surface so I’ll be keeping an eye on conditions, but the stiff finish at Newmarket should suit and if the ground is good or better I’d fancy his chances.
Hot Streak is another smart three-year-old sprinter and was beaten favourite when third in the King’s Stand. He will enjoy ease in the ground and there’s no reason this six furlongs trip won’t suit as well as the five he has been running over most recently. Like Hot Streak, Astaire is also trained by Kevin Ryan. He would prefer the ground to remain on the soft side but looks like he needs to up his game to beat the protagonists. Undrafted has travelled over from America for Royal Ascot winning trainer Wesley Ward. He has had a feel of the undulations of this track this week but didn’t really need that rain to fall. Everything seems to be in the favour of Slade Power and I’m going with him for Eddie Lynam and Wayne Lordan and if it were to dry out significantly Aljamaaheer would be at the top of my shortlist.
The 666Bet Bunbury Cup looks as tough as ever to predict. Twenty were declared and at the time of writing there was one non-runner, Don’t Bother Me, so a maximum of 19 go to post for this ultra-competitive seven furlong handicap. Horstead Keynes runs off the same handicap mark that saw him finish an excellent second in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot behind another of Saturday’s runners, Louis the Pious, who has a tough task in his bid to follow up. Horstead Keynes is another who prefers top of the ground and I’d like to see it good or faster to give him his best chance; that looks unlikely.
Georgian Bay was eighth in that Ascot race and his trainer Karl Burke is operating at a 33% strike rate at the moment. He didn’t get the best of runs and was staying on nicely. Abseil was well fancied for the Hunt Cup and was sent off 7/2 favourite. However, Sir Michael Stoute’s four-year-old was only eighth after being denied a clear run, but I’m not sure the drop back to seven furlongs is what he wants. Royal Hunt Cup winner Field of Dream won this race last year and is now 9lbs higher 12 months on taking into account the penalty he carries for that recent win. The form of the Wokingham Handicap can also be taken into account with regard this race.
Andrew Balding’s Absolutely So was the well supported favourite that day but the ground didn’t suit and he could only finish 15th, conditions will suit him better on Saturday. It was the horse that finished ninth that I like, Glen Moss, who ran well to head his group on the far side. The far side wasn’t the place to be and he has run well on each of his four starts for his new trainer, David Brown. He must be there or thereabouts once more on ground that will suit. I think he could offer some good each way value here.
Moving away from Newmarket and York also stage a decent card on Saturday where the feature race is the 55th John Smith’s Cup. I love this mile and a quarter handicap and a maximum field of 20 have been declared. It is a disadvantage to be drawn high here as it’s difficult over this trip at this track to ride the race you want from a wide stall position. That’s a blow for Roger Varian as Faraaj is drawn widest of all in 22. That’s a shame as he was a ready winner over this trip at Epsom last time out. He’s 9lbs higher for that win. Favourite Bold Sniper is well drawn for Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore; they come out of stall seven. He wears the hood and doesn’t look totally straightforward, but came close to giving The Queen a Royal Ascot winner and runs off the same mark here.
One point to make is that despite the deluge of rain at Newmarket, it has been dry at York and we have perfect summer racing ground; it’s good to firm. Tarikhi is one that catches my eye. Trained for Godolphin by Saeed bin Suroor he had his first start for a year at this track last month. He has been gelding during his time on the sidelines and should strip fitter for that outing. That run came over nine furlongs and this extra furlong looks ideal. He also has the assistance of Kieren Fallon who is the master at riding this track after his grounding when based in the North in the early part of his career. The horse isn’t badly drawn in 11 and with only seven starts to his name so far there could be more to come.
Winning habit
Fallon was on board Godolphin’s other runner, Saxo Jack, at Royal Ascot last time out. The horse got in a stew beforehand and finished last and I hope he’s on the right one this time. Queensberry Rules is a horse I’m finding frustrating to follow.
I fancied him for the Hunt Cup, but he didn’t get into it and has stamina to prove over this 10 furlong trip. His trainer William Haggas is making a habit of winning this race though. Clever Cookie started out life in Bumpers for trainer Peter Niven; winning his first two. He then had a few runs over hurdles, again winning in that sphere including in Grade 2 company.
So, he’s a useful performer and that has been highlighted since his switch to the flat where he has struck up a good partnership with Graham Lee. He broke his maiden on soft ground over 12 furlongs at Doncaster and since then has progressed further to win twice. He won a 10 ½ furlong handicap here on soft ground and then dead heated for a mile and three quarter Listed race on easy ground also on the Knavesmire.
My concern is that the best of his form is with cut in the ground and at the moment he doesn’t look like getting that. He looks ahead of the handicapper though. Top weight goes to Cambridgeshire winner Educate who is 8lbs higher in the handicap since that win last Autumn.
Chancery looks the pick of David O’Meara’s trio, although he is drawn very high. He does though have good form at this track including over this trip. John Gosden is handy at getting horses to win big handicaps before going on to bigger and better things. He saddles Nabucco who looks like he would prefer more cut in the ground than he is likely to get; the rain will most likely come too late for him.
Tahiri isn’t without a chance for trainer John Quinn. He hasn’t had this former German trained filly for too long, but she has run well in a couple of starts for her new handler. The trip suits her, but the ground may not be soft enough. I’m going for Kieren Fallon’s mount Tarikhi to provide Godolphin with a win in this valuable handicap.
Selections:
Friday
Purr Along in the Falmouth Stakes @ 15/2 with Sky Bet
High Celebrity in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes @ 5/6 with Sky Bet
Golden Steps in the Heritage Handicap @ 13/2 with Sky Bet
Saturday
Slade Power in the July Cup @ 3/1 with Sky Bet
Glen Moss in the Bunbury Cup @ 12/1 with Sky Bet
Tarikhi in the John Smith’s Cup @ 10/1 with Sky Bet