Why the Superlative Stakes Matters
There's a particular thrill to watching the best juveniles of a generation take shape in real time, and the Boodles Superlative Stakes at Newbury on Saturday afternoon is one of those races where you genuinely feel the future being written. A Group 2 over seven furlongs for two-year-olds, it sits on the racing calendar as a key pointer to the Dewhurst, the National Stakes, and — for the very best — Classic campaigns the following spring.
Seven colts have been declared for the 16:00, with a prize fund of £125,000 and Good to Firm ground underfoot. The field may be small, but the quality is concentrated. You've got Aidan O'Brien sending over an unraced debutant with Ryan Moore in the saddle, Charlie Appleby fielding a colt who already knows this track, and a clutch of lightly raced types with genuine upside. This is exactly the kind of race I love to dig into. Let's get stuck in.
Contender-by-Contender Breakdown
Al Hudaiba (William Buick, Charlie Appleby) — Draw: 6
He's the one I keep coming back to. Rated 98 — the highest official mark in the field by some distance — Al Hudaiba arrives here as both a course winner and a distance winner. That double tick is significant at this level. William Buick doesn't need to be told twice when Charlie Appleby sends him to Newbury with a horse who's already proven he handles the track and the trip. Godolphin have been meticulous in their preparation of this colt, and a rating of 98 at this stage of a juvenile career tells you everything about how his form has been received. On Good to Firm ground, which should suit a horse with his stride pattern, he has to be the one to beat.
Abraham Lincoln (Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien) — Draw: 5
No rating, no form — but Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien. That combination alone demands respect, and in a juvenile race it demands your full attention. Coolmore don't send horses to Newbury in July without believing they have something. The absence of a rating simply means he's unraced, not untalented. Moore has a habit of making debuts look effortless on well-bred colts, and if Abraham Lincoln has been working well at home — and you'd expect he has — he could easily be the one who blows the market apart. The draw in stall 5 is workable. The danger is we simply don't know how good he is yet. That uncertainty cuts both ways.
Notable Dream (Marco Ghiani, Marco Botti) — Draw: 7
Rated 94 and a distance winner, Notable Dream is an interesting each-way proposition. Marco Botti has a solid record with precocious types, and the fact that this colt has already won over seven furlongs suggests he's not just a speedball who'll be found out. Marco Ghiani rides with real confidence at this level. The wide draw in stall 7 on a straight seven-furlong track shouldn't be a major issue — more on that below — but he'll need to be at his very best to trouble the top two in the market. Worth including in any each-way combination.
Green Sovereign (Tom Marquand, Harry Eustace) — Draw: 1
Rated 89, Green Sovereign represents the Harry Eustace yard, which has been punching above its weight with juveniles in recent seasons. Tom Marquand is a smart judge and won't be here just to make up the numbers. Stall 1 on a straight track at Newbury is actually a perfectly respectable draw — you're not buried wide, and you can dictate your own rhythm. That said, an 89 rating puts him 9lb below Al Hudaiba on the figures, and at Group 2 level that's a meaningful gap to bridge. One for the notebook rather than the betting slip today, unless the market suggests something we don't know.
Alfred Wallace (Billy Loughnane, Ed Walker) — Draw: 4
Rated 85 and a distance winner, Alfred Wallace is the outsider of the main contenders on official figures. Ed Walker is a thoughtful trainer who doesn't run horses out of their depth without reason, and Billy Loughnane has developed into one of the most exciting young riders in the country. The seven-furlong form is encouraging, but a mark of 85 against a field that includes a 98-rated course-and-distance winner makes this a tough ask. Best watched for now.
Going and Draw: What the Conditions Tell Us
Good to Firm at Newbury in July is about as straightforward as it gets. The track rides true, the ground rewards horses with a clean, fluent action, and there are no significant bias concerns. On a straight seven furlongs, the draw is largely neutral — stalls 1 through 7 offer no meaningful advantage or disadvantage, particularly in a small field where positioning is easy to manage from the outset.
What matters more on this ground is stride efficiency. Horses that get into a rhythm quickly and travel well through their races tend to thrive. Al Hudaiba's course form already tells us he handles it. Abraham Lincoln is the unknown quantity, but well-bred Coolmore colts are rarely unsuited by decent summer ground.
Value Picks and Dangers
The two unrated runners — Pikachu (Charlie Johnston, Rowan Scott, stall 3) and Silver Dominion (Oliver Cole, Oisin Murphy, stall 2) — are worth a brief mention. Johnston fields plenty of juveniles and occasionally springs a surprise, while Oisin Murphy on Silver Dominion is a jockey booking that commands attention. Neither has the form profile to suggest they're winning this, but in a race with two unraced runners, the market will tell a story in the final hour before post time. Watch the money.
The genuine danger to my selection is Abraham Lincoln. If O'Brien and Moore have been sitting on something special — and they have form for exactly that — then the debutant could make this look simple. I've been burned before by underestimating the Ballydoyle machine on a first run. The price will reflect the uncertainty, and that's the trade-off you make.
My Selection: Al Hudaiba
Al Hudaiba is my pick for the Boodles Superlative Stakes. The case is straightforward: he's the highest-rated horse in the field, he's already won at this course, he's already won over this distance, and he has William Buick — one of the most composed big-race riders in the sport — in the saddle. Charlie Appleby doesn't run horses in Group 2s for the experience. He runs them to win.
The only question is whether Abraham Lincoln arrives as a generational talent. That's always possible with Coolmore. But I back proven form over unknown potential, and on everything we know going into this race, Al Hudaiba deserves to start favourite and deserves to win it.
Check the full Newbury racecard for the latest market moves and any late declarations before you commit.
Who is the Favourite for the Boodles Superlative Stakes 2026?
Al Hudaiba, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, is expected to head the market. His official rating of 98 is the highest in the field, and his status as both a course winner and distance winner at Newbury gives him a compelling profile for this Group 2 contest.
Is the Draw Important in the Boodles Superlative Stakes?
On a straight seven-furlong track at Newbury, the draw is largely neutral — particularly in a small field of seven runners. Stalls 1 through 7 offer no significant advantage, and jockeys can position freely from the outset. Going and stride efficiency matter far more than gate position in this race.
What Does the Boodles Superlative Stakes Tell Us About the Classics?
It's one of the key juvenile form guides of the summer. Winners and placed horses from this race frequently go on to contest the Dewhurst Stakes in October and, for the very best, the 2,000 Guineas the following May. A strong performance here — especially from an unraced type like Abraham Lincoln — can reshape ante-post markets overnight.
