Newbury's 2015 Flat season concludes this Saturday, October 24, with Worthington's Armed Forces Raceday.
The seven-race programme runs from 1.50pm to 5.20pm, with a pair of Group Three contests taking centre stage - the £45,000 Worthington's Whizz Kidz Stakes (1.50pm), run over seven furlongs for two-year-olds, and the £70,000 Worthington's Victoria Club Stakes (2.25pm), over a mile and a half for three-year-olds and upwards.
There are 12 entries for the Worthington's Victoria Club Stakes including Godolphin's Romsdal (John Gosden), who was placed in both the Derby and St Leger last season as well as finishing third in this season's King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Energia Davos (Jane Chapple-Hyam) was a Grade One winner over 10 furlongs in Brazil back in 2011 and the seven-year-old proved he still retained his ability when causing a 40/1 shock last time out in the Group Three Darley Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket on October 10.
Melodious (David Elsworth) has been a consistent performer throughout 2015, putting up her best performance when going down by a neck in the Group Two Park Hill Stakes over an extended mile and three quarters at Doncaster's St Leger meeting last month.
Two other interesting three-year-olds are the lightly-raced Moderah (James Fanshawe), the impressive five-length winner of a Leicester maiden on September 21, and Koora (Luca Cumani), who was runner-up in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes at York in August before coming home sixth when favourite for the Park Hill Stakes.
Tasleet (William Haggas) heads 19 entries for the Worthington's Whizz Kid Stakes. The Showcasing colt only found the mighty Shalaa too good in the Group Two Richmond Stakes Stakes at Goodwood in July before going on to take a valuable sales races at York.
Dean Ivory has entered Twin Sails, who was beaten under eight lengths behind Air Force Blue last time out in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, and Fighting Temeraire, who recently landed a Windsor maiden.
Twin Sails has been very consistent throughout 2015. After winning his first two starts at Newbury and Salisbury in June, he was a close fourth in the Group Two Vintage Stakes at Goodwood in July and subsequently produced good efforts to be placed in valuable sales races at Doncaster and Newmarket.
Ivory reported today: "Twin Sails will probably go for the Worthington Whizz Kidz Stakes although we won't make a final decision until later in the week.
"Fighting Temeraire is also entered for a Listed race at Doncaster and is more likely to go there.
"We will just look at the ground at Newbury before coming to a decision. It's the end of the season and horses are starting to get a bit on the tired side, so I just want to make sure everything is right before committing him. These are the factors we have to put into the equation.
"I thought it was a good run by Twin Sails last time out in the Dewhurst. Going into a race like that, you don't expect to be in the first three. I think he might have been a bit closer if I hadn't run him as quickly following his previous run - that was a bit harsh of me.
"I also think he wasn't really suited by the track at Newmarket as he changed his legs several times and was also short of room at one point.
"If he'd had everything in his favour, I think he would have finished a bit further up. If you take the winner (Air Force Blue) out of the Dewhurst, which is a big if, then Twin Sails ran really, really well. They always say the Dewhurst is the hardest two-year-old race of the year."
Godolphin's Start Time (Saeed bin Suroor) could step up in class after posting an eye-catching success in nursery company at Windsor last time, while further interest comes from Abe Lincoln (Jeremy Noseda), Crazy Horse (John Gosden) and Return Of The Mak (Richard Fahey), who all made winnings debuts.
The ground at Newbury is currently Good to Soft, Good in places.
