A Good Day's Work Up On The Yorkshire Coast

Right, pull up a stool and let me tell you about Wednesday at Redcar. Six races, two Listed contests worth a combined £125k, a pair of novice stakes that had the notebook twitching, and going that was doing nobody any favours on the wide outside — good to firm throughout, with patches of the stuff that'd have your granny wincing on the sloping sections near the woods' side. In other words, a proper summer's day in North Yorkshire, and not a cloud in the sky to soften the blow. If your horse needed cut in the ground, sunshine, you were in the wrong county.

It's a card that deserves more attention than it'll get from the southern press, and as ever, your man Tom is here to make sure the good stuff doesn't slip through the cracks. Let's get into it. You can check the full Redcar racecard for all the details.

The Feature Races: Listed Quality On Both Ends Of The Card

The headline act was always going to be the British Stallion Studs EBF Upavon Fillies' Stakes at 16:30 — a Class 1 Listed contest over a mile and a furlong and a bit, worth £70,000, and by God it had the fillies to match. Five runners rated 86 or above, and right at the top of the pile sat Felicitas (Kieran Shoemark), carrying a rating of 103 and the course-and-distance form flag flying proudly. When a filly has already shown she likes the track and the trip, you sit up and pay attention, and Felicitas has been giving connections plenty of reasons to smile this season.

She wasn't without opposition, mind you. Alla Stella (Luke Morris, rated 99), Regal Charm (Rob Hornby, rated 99 — another C&D merchant), and On Message (Hector Crouch, rated 99) made this a proper Listed contest rather than a glorified walkover. Miss Scott with Oisin Murphy up at a mark of 92 was the interesting each-way proposition — Murphy doesn't take rides like this for the craic, and if the favourite hit any traffic, she was the type to pounce. Regal Charm in particular intrigues me going forward — course and distance form at this level is gold dust, and Rob Hornby rides her with the confidence of a man who knows exactly what he's sitting on.

Earlier at 15:30, the British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes — a Listed mile contest worth £55k — gave us a fascinating clash. Dandyman Dan (Shoemark, rated 96) was the top-rated, but Firehorse (Tom Marquand, rated 94) is a horse I've had my eye on all summer. Marquand doesn't ride for fun, and Firehorse looked the type who'd relish the fast ground and the stiff finish Redcar serves up. Quest For Stars (Connor Planas, rated 93) was the dark horse of the piece — Planas is quietly having a very tidy season and shouldn't be underestimated. Rocket Boy (Marco Ghiani, unrated) was the wildcard, and Listed races always have one of those to keep you honest.

Novice Watch: The Ones To Scribble Down

Now here's where it gets properly interesting for those of us who like to get ahead of the handicapper. The Michael Brunton Memorial EBF Novice Stakes at 14:30 — six furlongs, ten runners, and not a rating between them — was a proper lottery on paper, but a few names jumped off the page.

Forbidden Fire with Oisin Murphy aboard was the one I'd have been watching like a hawk. Murphy at this level, on a debutant or lightly-raced type, is about as reliable a signal as you'll get in flat racing. The man doesn't waste his time. Hackpen Hill (Kieran Shoemark) also caught the eye — Shoemark has been in terrific form and tends to know what he's sitting on in these maiden/novice affairs. Saturn Star (Hector Crouch) was another worth noting; Crouch is developing into a seriously underrated rider and has a knack for getting the best out of unexposed types.

Over in the 16:00 Molson Coors Pembroke Novice Stakes, Remi Mae (Oisin Murphy, rated 69) and Gris de Chine (Callum Shepherd, rated 59) came in with experience and ratings, which in a novice field makes them the ones to beat. But keep an eye on Annie Sioux with Tom Marquand — when Marquand takes a novice ride, there's usually a reason, and it's rarely because he fancied the drive to Redcar for the fresh air.

Handicap Heat: The 15:00 Six-Furlong Dash

The Frazier Jones Wine Merchants Handicap at 15:00 was a cracking little six-furlong sprint handicap at Class 3, and So Darn Hot (Shoemark, rated 90) was the one to beat on ratings. Course-and-distance form ticked off, top weight, top jockey — all the boxes. But in a race like this, on ground this quick, the pace scenario matters enormously, and with Dr Strangelove (Marquand, rated 86, C&D) and Dandana (Probert, rated 89, D) also carrying course form, this was never going to be a procession.

Supreme King (Murphy, rated 78) was the one I'd have been sneaking onto the each-way slip. A mark of 78 with Murphy on top in a six-furlong dash? On faster ground that suits a horse with a sharp turn of foot? I've seen worse bets. An Outlaw's Grace (Sean Levey, rated 78) is another who catches the eye — Levey is a quietly excellent jockey who doesn't get the credit he deserves, and a rating of 78 in Class 3 company suggests connections fancy a big run.

Ones To Follow — Mark These Names Down

Here's the bit you came for. After a day like today at Redcar, a few names deserve a permanent spot in your notebook:

  • Felicitas — If she won the Upavon in the style her rating suggests she's capable of, she could be heading for Group company before the season's out. Watch for entries at York or Haydock.
  • Regal Charm — Course and distance form at Listed level. If she ran well in defeat, she's one to follow in similar company. Handicaps off this mark would be very interesting too.
  • Firehorse — A horse I've been sweet on all summer. A good run in the Stonehenge Stakes sets up a cracking autumn campaign. Could be one for a Group 3 on decent ground.
  • Forbidden Fire / Annie Sioux — Whichever of the Murphy/Marquand novice rides impressed most today, mark them down. Both jockeys have an eye for a good juvenile, and the winners of these races often pop up in better company within weeks.
  • Supreme King — If Murphy got him home from that mark, the handicapper will have a decision to make. Could be one for a Class 2 sprint before the season's done.

The Final Word From The Paddock

Look, Redcar doesn't always get the respect it deserves from the London-centric racing media, but days like this Wednesday remind you why the Redcar racecard is worth your time. Two proper Listed races, competitive handicaps, and a batch of novices who could develop into something special — that's a fine afternoon's racing by any measure.

The going was testing in its own way — not soft, but fast enough on those wider parts of the track to expose any horse with a question mark over their soundness or stamina. The horses who handled it well today are the ones built for the rest of the flat season, and potentially beyond. Keep your notebooks handy, because a few of today's Redcar runners will be making headlines before the leaves start to turn. You heard it here first.