Headquarters Delivers the Goods
Well now, what a grand afternoon we had at the home of the flat! Newmarket served up a proper feast of racing on Wednesday, and while we might not have had Group company, there was enough quality scattered through the card to keep this old scribe scribbling furiously in his notebook.
The going was riding a touch on the easy side - good to soft in places they said, and you could see it in the way some of the more experienced campaigners were handling the conditions. Nothing wrong with that mind you, gives the softer-ground performers a chance to strut their stuff before the summer firmness sets in properly.
Novice Stakes Sets the Standard
The opening novice stakes over six furlongs was the pick of the card for my money, and what a field they assembled! Twelve runners with some serious pedigrees and trainer firepower behind them. Oisin Murphy aboard Primal caught the eye immediately - any horse good enough to get the Irishman in the saddle for a Class 4 novice is worth a second look.
But it was the presence of Le Grand Etoile with Rob Hornby doing the steering that had me most intrigued. That's a combination that doesn't rock up to Newmarket for the exercise, and the breeding suggests there's plenty more to come over longer trips. True Charm under Tom Marquand was another that screamed 'future winner' - Marquand's been in flying form this season and his agent doesn't pick these rides with a pin.
The dark horse of the race? Cilician with Joe Leavy. Might not have the star power of some jockeys in this field, but sometimes that's exactly when the value lies. One to keep a close eye on going forward.
Fillies' Division Shows Promise
The maiden fillies' stakes over the minimum trip was a proper puzzle to unravel. Ten runners, all unrated, but some serious bloodlines on show. Terminology jumping out of the stalls with James Doyle suggests connections think she's got the speed to match that name, while Senorita Bonita getting Murphy's services again tells its own story.
But here's where it gets interesting - Fast Track with Hornby aboard looked like she could be anything. Sometimes these sprint fillies' maidens throw up the future Group performers, and there was something about this one's entry that screamed 'we think we've got a proper one here.'
The longer fillies' handicap later in the card was where the real education lay though. Bami topping the weights at 70 but still attracting support, while down at the bottom Katalyst on just 63 looked like she could be thrown in at the weights. That's the kind of mark that can launch a summer campaign if the filly's been working well at home.
Handicap Highlights and Future Stars
The feature handicap over a mile and a quarter was where the serious punters would have been doing their homework. Gatehouse with Robert Havlin carrying top weight of 81 - that's a horse that's clearly shown plenty at home to be asked to give lumps of weight away to this field.
More interesting though was That Darn Cantor getting Murphy for the third time on the card. When a jockey of his calibre takes multiple rides at a midweek meeting, you sit up and take notice. The horse is down at a workable mark of 72, and if the stable's got him cherry-ripe, that could be a very tidy each-way proposition.
Barbury Boy with Marquand was another that caught this old eye. Down in grade, down in trip, and with a jockey who's been riding everything like it owes him money lately. Sometimes the stars align just right for these types.
Looking Ahead: Ones to Follow
Right, here's where the real value lies for the weeks ahead. From today's Newmarket racecard, I'm marking down several for the notebook.
Le Grand Etoile from the opener looks like a horse that'll improve significantly for the step up in trip. Watch for him in novice company over a mile next time - could be anything. Terminology from the fillies' maiden has the look of one that'll appreciate a stiffer test, possibly over seven furlongs at a track like Sandown.
From the handicap ranks, keep a close eye on wherever Katalyst pops up next. If she's shown any sort of improvement from today's run, that 63 mark could look very generous indeed. Barbury Boy is another that could have plenty more to offer, especially if they find him a similar contest at one of the summer festivals.
The bottom line? Wednesday at headquarters might not have been headline-grabbing stuff, but there was enough quality scattered through the card to keep us busy for weeks. Sometimes the best winners come from these quieter midweek affairs where the pressure's off and the horses can show their true colors. Mark these names down - you'll be seeing them again soon enough, and probably at much shorter odds.
