Saturday Newmarket tips
13:30 Jabaara
14:05 Totnes
14:40 Eminency
15:15 Signcastle City
15:50 Montassib
16:25 Sumo Sam
17:00 Al Barez
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
This doesn’t look the deepest race of its type for the track but the Roger Varian-trained JABAARA is bred to be useful, related to several winners at up to a mile and a quarter, and she represents a yard that can ready a newcomer. The market will reveal more, but she is preferred to Oops and South Kensington, who also make appeal on paper.
Several to consider in this competitive handicap, but TOTNES is going the right way of late and she is taken to continue her progress. She left her debut form well behind when opening her account at Wolverhampton in March after five months off, and she can have a line put through her next start on handicap debut when she didn’t get a clear run. Totnes was again well supported when resuming winning ways at Lingfield last time, overcoming a pace bias to beat another unexposed sort. She is 5 lb higher now, but has more to offer, and will be competitive if transferring her improved form back to turf. The form of Acotango’s Haydock reappearance effort is solid and he is greatly respected, while Ceanna and Good Gracious are also appealing.
EMINENCY didn’t progress as expected after getting off the mark at the second attempt at Windsor last season, but ran respectably in a valuable sales race and a competitive nursery, and he very much caught the eye on his return to action at Kempton last month. He was well supported and would have likely gone close to winning with a clear run, finding trouble in-running on more than one occasion and finishing with running left at the line. The handicapper has left him on the same mark, which is clearly a lenient one, and a big run is expected. Expert Agent, Revenite and Quinault are other young sprinters who look capable of better, too.
SIGNCASTLE CITY shaped well in a strong race on the July Course on his debut last summer and built on that promise when landing the odds on his next start at Salisbury just two weeks later. He has run respectably since, but left the impression he would come on a fair but for his reappearance at Haydock last month, not settling fully and his effort flattening out in the closing stages. That race is working out well, so he is a horse to be interested in from a 1 lb lower mark representing a yard among the winners. Striking Star rates a big threat though on the back of his very good second over course and distance, while Powerdress, a stablemate of the selection, is also considered.
MONTASSIB is proving expensive to follow but he again caught the eye on his reappearance at Haydock last month. He bounced straight back to form away from testing conditions, unlucky not to finish closer and shaping as if there’s a nice race to be won with him somewhere down the line this year. Hopefully he won’t get too far back here and can confirm himself a well-handicapped horse. The Gatekeeper and Star of Orion were 1-2 in a course and distance handicap at the Guineas meeting and might be the pair to give the selection most to think about.
SUMO SAM overcame inexperience when making a winning debut over seven furlongs at this course last season and she looked potentially smart when finishing runner-up to a very promising filly in the Pretty Polly Stakes over a mile and a quarter back at this track on her return 13 days ago. She was found wanting for experience on that occasion on just her second start, but that run won’t be lost on her, and she is very much the one to beat now having her sights lowered. Strong Impact was beaten only by Infinite Cosmos, who finished third in the Musidora earlier this week, in a maiden here on her return and can follow the selection home.
AL BAREZ won three of his first four starts and he shaped as if retaining all of his ability on his return to action over course and distance last month. That was his first start since undergoing a breathing operation and he wasn’t entirely seen to best effect, having to switch over a furlong out and also short of room in the final furlong. He is entitled to strip fitter for that effort and remains a handicapper to be positive about. Isle of Lismore, who finished fourth at Ascot last time, could emerge as the chief threat to Tom Clover’s low-mileage four-year-old.
Newmarket Racing tips
13:30 Jabaara
14:05 Totnes
14:40 Eminency
15:15 Signcastle City
15:50 Montassib
16:25 Sumo Sam
17:00 Al Barez
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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