Newmarket hosts Betfred Cambridgeshire Day on Saturday, September 24, and the seven-race card on the Rowley Mile offers a mouth-watering programme of two Group One contests, a Group Two race and one of the most competitive handicaps of the season.
The richest contest of the day is the £174,400 Group One Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes (2.35pm), which has attracted 14 fillies and mares at today's five-day confirmation and supplementary entry stage.
Heading the 14 going forward is Sahpresa, who is set to try and become the first triple winner of the mile race following her victories in 2009 and 2010. The six-year-old, who is trained in France by Rodolphe Collet, has finished second or third on her last three outings, which all came in Group One company, including when runner-up to Timepiece in the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on July 8.
Progressive three-year-old Alanza, trained in Ireland by John Oxx, has won her last three starts, most recently the Group Three Sceptre Stakes over seven furlongs at Doncaster on September 8, and today was supplemented for the Kingdom Of Bahrain Stakes at a cost of £16,000.
Explaining the decision, Oxx said today: “The weather looks like it will be dry enough for Alanza but she goes well enough on good to firm, which the ground seems likely to be.
“She came out of her Doncaster run very well - she came home in good form - and it was probably a case of going for this race or doing nothing with her for the rest of the year. It is a bit of a chance supplementing her, but she looks so well in herself that we are letting her run at Newmarket.
“She doesn't have a Group One rating at the moment and she has a good bit to go but we felt that she would make a nice four-year-old and she has a lot of things going for her - she is very tough, consistent and reliable.
“Running her at Newmarket will point us in one direction or another with regards to whether she can make the grade next season.”
Other leading contenders for the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes include the Dermot Weld-trained Emulous, successful last time out in the Group One Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, plus Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes winner Timepiece and the 2010 runner-up Strawberrydaiquiri.
Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes – Betfred bet: 11/4 Sahpresa, 7/2 Emulous, 5 Alanza, 7 Timepiece, 8 Nahrain, 14 Chachamaidee, Together, 20 I'm A Dreamer, Strawberrydaiquiri, 25 Antara, Music Show, 33 Beatrice Aurore, First City, Wild Wind.
1/5 1-2-3
The second Group One contest on Betfred Cambridgeshire Day is the £163,500 Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes (2.35pm), run over six furlongs for two-year-old fillies. A total of 15 go forward today for the prestigious contest, headed by the unbeaten Best Terms. Trained by Richard Hannon, Best Terms landed the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot before successfully stepping up to six furlongs in the Group Two Jaguar Cars Lowther Stakes at York last month.
Lightening Pearl, trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons, has been supplemented for the Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes at a cost of £15,000 following a facile five-length victory in the Group Three Round Tower Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh on August 28. The daughter of Marju had previously finished a close third to the unbeaten Maybe, favourite for next year's QIPCO 1000 Guineas, in a Group Two contest at the Curragh on August 7 and comfortably landed a seven-furlong maiden at Roscommon in July.
Lyons said today: “Lightening Pearl is grand at the moment and we are going to have a go at a Group One with her.
“As far as I am concerned, the best juvenile that we have seen this season is Maybe and we were unlucky not to be second behind her in the Debutante Stakes.
“Our filly stepped up on that with a good performance in the Round Tower Stakes and I didn't want to take on Maybe again. She gets seven furlongs and a mile, but she has shown enough speed for six furlongs, so the Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes seemed the obvious race for her.
“I wouldn't want the going too quick but she goes on most ground - she's only a small light filly. Good ground would be lovely but she will be fine as long as it is not heavy or firm.”
Leading hopes for the Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes also include the David Wachman-trained Fire Lily, who chased home Maybe in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes having previously only found Best Terms too good in the Lowther Stakes (in which Hello Glory finished third). Godolphin's Gamilati won the Group Two Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cherry Hinton Stakes on the July Course but the Mahmood Al Zarooni-trained filly subsequently disappointed when last behind Best Terms at York. One filly that could make a quick return to Newmarket is Wahylah, following her success in the £100,000 Tattersalls Millions Fillies' Median Auction Stakes on Saturday.
Cambridgeshire Day gets underway at 2.05pm with the £100,000 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, a mile Group Two contest for two-year-old colts and geldings. The 14 confirmations feature the unbeaten Ektihaam, a ready winner last time at Doncaster, Farhaan, who followed up an impressive maiden victory at Newmarket with success in a novice event at Salisbury, and Fencing, the comfortable winner of the Listed Washington Singer Stakes at Newbury. Richard Hannon could be represented by Group Two Champagne Stakes winner Trumpet Major.
The £160,000 Betfred Cambridgeshire itself takes place at 3.50pm and all of the leading fancies stand their ground among the 92 acceptors for the historic nine-furlong handicap. Currently heading the market at 9/2 is the Jeremy Noseda-trained Dare To Dance, a winner of two of his three starts. However, connections face a nail-biting wait to see if he makes the final line-up for the Betfred Cambridgeshire, which has a safety limit of 35, as he currently stands at number 45 in the order of elimination.
A consolation race is staged at Newmarket the day before, Shadwell Day, Friday, September 23, the £30,000 Standing For Success Handicap (Silver Cambridgeshire), for horses that miss the cut for the Betfred Cambridgeshire.
Betfred Cambridgeshire – sponsors bet: 6 Dare To Dance, 10 Cry Fury, 12 Man Of Action, Maraheb, Questioning, 14 Don't Call Me, Maqaraat, 16 Arlequin, Markazzi, 20 Albaqaa, Club Oceanic, Galiando, Pintura, Proponent, Red Gulch, Sagramor, Stunning View, 25 Aerial Acclaim, Belgian Bill, Circumvent, Credit Swap, Distant Memories, Hillview Boy, Jutland, Paramour, Pendragon, Pires, Prince Of Johanne, Tinkertown, 33 bar.
