Aside from the 2000 Guineas, racing fans are treated to an exciting day of racing at Newmarket on Saturday, including the Group 3 Palace House Stakes over 5f.
Aside from the 2000 Guineas, racing fans are treated to an exciting day of racing at Newmarket on Saturday, including the Group 3 Palace House Stakes over 5f.
Twilight Calls will be aiming to start his season with a success in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes (4:00), as he did twelve months ago when securing a Class Three course and distance handicap on reappearance. He could only manage fifth in this contest subsequently but ran finished runner-up in the Group 2 Temple Stakes and Group 1 King's Stand Stakes before fetlock issues curtailed his season. His form appears superior to the rest of the field.
The John Ryan-trained Manaccan made the successful transition from handicapping to Group races in 2022, closing the season with a Black Type double in the Listed Rous Stakes at Ascot and Group 3 Mercury Stakes at Dundalk. Stablemate The X O ran a big race to finish second (125/1) in the Group 3 Commonwealth Cup Trial Stakes on Wednesday, which will be encouraging for any followers of stable form.
Connections of Vadream will be hoping the rainy forecast is accurate as the four-year-old filly seemed to relish the heavy ground when scoring in the Listed Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster in early April. She probably falls short of top-class company, but an open Group Three would be within her grasp.
The remainder of the field is consists of useful handicappers making their first steps into Group company, such as Charlie Hills' Equality, who won a competitive handicap at Haydock in September. Race fitness may be an advantage in an open affair which would play to the strengths of Live In The Dream, unbeaten in two handicap starts in 2023.
WIN: TWILIGHT CALLS
Trainer Michael Dods looks to have the Listed Ellen Chaloner Stakes (The Kilvington Stakes) (2:15) under control with the joint-favourites Azure Blue and Gale Force Maya.
The pair started joint-favourites for the course and distance Listed Boadicea Stakes in October with Azure Blue winning and Gale Force Maya back in fourth. Azure Blue had the benefit of a four pound weight advantage over her stablemate on that occasion and the two fillies are likely to be closer together for their respective seasonal reappearances.
George Boughey has Perdika who has the benefit of race fitness after a good second in the Listed Lansdown Stakes at Bath behind Happy Romance. Her efforts over 6f have been mixed (1-4) but she is a Listed winner with plenty of runs behind her in 2023.
Richard Hannon's Heredia drops to six furlongs for the first time since her debut win at Windsor. She justified favouritism when winning the valuable 1m Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot last year but struggled to feature in Group Three events subsequently. Listed level may be more suitable.
DARK HORSE: HEREDIA
Elsewhere on the card, Julie Camacho has the current favourite Shaquille in the Howden Insurance Handicap (5:15) who holds a Group 1 Commonwealth Cup entry after two comfortable handicap wins.
The Suffolk Stakes looks an open renewal with Spring Cup Handicap winner Jimi Hendrix currently heading the betting at 6/1. He will face Godolphin's Bahrain handicap victor King of Conquest and HM The King and HM The Queen Consort's Saga, who will be aiming to add a Royal winner to a day of Coronation celebrations.
