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Analysis
& Selections by THE ROOK - Whether
it be "the race of the day" or a small prize round the gaffs,
we will attempt to use our knowledge of the formbook to highlight the
fancied horses participating each day and their characteristics and
requirements. Hopefully this 'second opinion' provides you with a winner
or two each day, or even reinforces your own view on a particular
may even convince you to back some of those horses which we feel are the
"ones to fear", or have decent eachway claims. whichever is
the case, we hope the information is of use to you.
DEWHURST
MEETING at NEWMARKET - THE COURSE
Newmarket,
the Headquarters of Flat racing, has two courses, the Rowley Mile and
the July course. On the Rowley Mile, all races from five to ten furlongs
are run on the straight with a marked dip over a furlong out with a
stiff uphill finish. All races over a mile and a quarter are run right
handed. The track requires stamina and balance from the thoroughbred,
and tends to suit horses that come from behind. The Champion Stakes, the
main race of the meeting is run over the last ten furlongs of the Rowley
Mile, whilst the 2 ¼ trip of the Cesarewitch will test the stamina of
the participants to the extreme.
SELECTIONS
- For each race, we have given you who, in our view, are
the likeliest winners; (¹
NØ.1 CHOICE ),
as well as any runners who could run well at eachway odds; (²E/W
ALTERNATIVE ) .
Any runner from our features are shown before each race's analysis.
The Flatman's Analysis
& selections for Champion Stakes Day have been posted on his web
page (see opposite).
NEWMARKET
Saturday 20th October
1:45 Jockey Club Cup (Group 3) £50000 added, 3yo plus, 2m, penalty £29000,
7 runners.
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>Rainbow High, Invermark, San Sebastian,
Royal Rebel, Capal Garmon, Moon Emperor, and Yorkshire all warrant some
level of consideration in a confusing and trappy 2mile event. You could
raise questions about all of these, and this isn't a race for a large
investment. Yorkshire could be very dangerous here, as he may get the
uncontested lead he craves, however Invermark is the percentage call,
having made a satisfactory return to action at Haydock in September, his
first run since finishing fourth in the 1999 running of the Prix du
Cadran Casino Croisette Barriere (Group 1).
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Invermark,
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>
2:15 Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes (Group 2) £100000 added, 3yo
plus, 7f, penalty £58000, 15 runners.
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~> Punters will no doubt latch onto Tough
Speed, who was supplemented for the Champion Stakes last weekend before
being re-routed to this apparently easier assignment. His chance is
obvious, having impressed in his last two starts; at York in handicap
company, and most recently at Doncaster, where he took the White Rose
Park Stakes (Group 3) from China Visit. He must go close on these runs
however this is no forgone conclusion with the likes of Warningford,
Nice One Clare, Three Points, Late Night Out, Father Thames, Fath, and
Atavus, all capable of making him work for this. Formlines point to
Tough Speed, however I wouldn't be surprised if Father Thames goes close
at his optimum distance. He is another handicapper stepping up in Grade.
He also a Handicap at York with a bit in hand. He then stepped up to
Listed company at the beginning of this month, and ran creditably when
finishing fourth to Beckett, giving the impression that the mile trip
may have a little too far for him. He could go off at double figure odds
and my view is worthy of eachway consideration
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Father Thames, (e/w)
²ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> Tough Speed
2:55 Tote Cesarewitch Showcase Handicap £120000 added, 3yo plus, 2m 2f,
penalty £78000, 33 runners.
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>Alleluia, Taffrail, Barba Papa, Distant
Prospect, Heros Fatal, Cover Up, Ravenswood, Wave Of Optimism, Archduke
Ferdinand, Big Moment, Guard Duty, Hirapour, Hugs Dancer, Seliana, and
Tarxien, are likely to figure at the head of this annual conundrum.
Fortunately despite the large field its almost certain that probably
only a handful will figure at the end of this searching test. As in the
previous race, it is fairly certain that punters will latch onto one
horse - Alleluia who could turn out to be the handicap blot if the form
of her Doncaster Cup victory is an accurate gauge of her ability.
However punters beware - How many times have you seen the so called
"handicap good thing" get turned over ?!! .... enough times to
be a little wary of simply rowing in with her. The progressive Taffrail,
last year's winner Heros Fatal, and Barba Papa (who has been laid out
for this) are equally suited to this unusual test, as might be
Ravenswood. He should be ideally suited to this trip, and has caught the
eye on both his last two starts - last time out he stayed on strongly to
just fail to catch Darasim at Doncaster over 1m 7f . I'm sure he'll go
close and he is the selection. I wouldnt be surprised if all of Martin
Pipe's runner ran well here, despite an absence of over 650 days, it
wouldnt surprise if Cyrian ran well at big odds
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Ravenswood, [e/w]
²ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> Alleluia,
³LONG*SHOT :<>:~~> Cyrian
3:30 Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1) £200000 added, 2yo only colts and
fillies, 7f, penalty £116000, 8 runners.
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~> I have to agree with The Flatman's
assessment of this race. it is hard not to be impressed with the change
of pace shown by Rock Of Gibraltar at Longchamp ... I'm not prepared to
oppose him, despite the good claims of Comfy
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Rock Of Gibraltar
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> Tendulkar (USA)
4:10 Dubai Champion Stakes (Group 1) £448000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 2f,
penalty £259840, 13 runners
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
Runner(s) mentioned in our "Horses To Follow"
Feature:<>: ~~> No Excuse Needed
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>Another complex puzzle for punters.
Nayef heads the market after three progressive wins, most recently
beating Sagittarius by 1½lengths in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at
Ascot last month . I expect plenty of use him to be made of him, and he
could stretch these, however this is a strong possibility that he could
be done for here. I fully agree with The Flatman about the claims of
Equerry, (who makes far more appeal than Best of the Bests does) and
Carnival Dancer (who impressed when he beat Albarahin at Ayr), and
alongside No Excuse Needed, who in my needs further than a mile Aiden
O'Brien's pair Beckett, who impressed here on his last start, and
Hawkeye, (not disgraced behind Summoner at Ascot, in a race not run to
suit), look the likeliest winners. I've always liked Equerry, and I hope
he can take this extremely difficult 'call'. No Excuse Needed is the
eachway alternative.
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Equerry
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> No Excuse Needed
4:45 Owen Brown Rockfel Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies) £50000 added, 2yo
only fillies, 7f, penalty £29000, 11 runners.
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~> Echo River, who has been a regular
selection of the Rook this season has a good opportunity to take her
third race of the season. She did run well in defeat (as stated above by
The Flatman) in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster, and should be a little
too strong as this distance for the promising pair Misterah and Lahinch
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Echo River (USA)
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> Cozy Maria (USA)
5:20 NGK Spark Plugs Handicap £10000 added, 3yo plus, 7f, penalty £7296.25,
30 runners.
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
Runner(s) mentioned in our "Future Winners" Feature:<>:
~~>Nisr,
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>On a very busy weekend's racing, this 30
runner puzzle is one trap too many. Kayo, Lapwing, Stratton, Amicable,
Hilltop Warning, A Touch of Frost, How Do I Know, Millennium Force, are
likely to figure at he head of the betting, however Nisr, one of FURLONG
TO GO's "Future Winners" could go close if he gets the run of
the race. Nisr is very lightly raced, but is a progressive sort. He met
with trouble ion running when finishing third at Newbury on his last
start, and hopefully can get into the money here. A Touch of Frost, who
ran well at Ascot last week is the alternative
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~>Nisr, [e/w]
²ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> A Touch of Frost,
NEWMARKET
Friday 19th October
1:20 Federation of Bloodstock Agents Maiden Stakes
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Black Sam Bellamy,
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Music Club (USA)
1:50 Newmarket Darley Stakes (Listed Race)
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Marhoob (USA)
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Smirk
2:20 Heathavon Stud Houghton Conditions Stakes
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Expected Bonus (USA)
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>
2:55 £100000 Tattersalls Autumn Auction Stakes
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Ayzal
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~> Foursome
3:25 Travis Perkins Bentinck Stakes (Listed Race)
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
Runner(s) mentioned in our
"Future Winners" Feature:<>: ~~>Mugharreb (USA), and
Welcome Friend
(USA)
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Mugharreb (USA)
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Danehurst
3:55 Patrick Delaney Racing Welfare Stakes Showcase H'cap
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Thihn, (e/w)
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Calcutta,
4:25 Federation of Bloodstock Agents Maiden Stakes
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Diaghilev,
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Dolores
5:00 Fen Ditton Nursery (2-y-o H'cap)
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Bestam,
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Football Crazy
5:30 Newmarket Challenge Cup
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Studio Time (USA)
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>
NEWMARKET
Thursday 18th October
Concentrating on
our horses to follow feature this evening, but will provide analysis for
Friday (hopefully), and certainly for Saturday's card.
1:50
Grosvenor Rated Stakes Showcase H'cap
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Thundering Surf
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Mesmeric
2:20 Pearl And Coutts Severals Stakes (Listed Race) (Fillies &
Mares)
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
Runner(s) mentioned in our
"Horses to Follow" Feature :<>: ~~> Goncharova
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Molomo
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Goncharova
2:55 Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy Nursery (2-y-o H'cap)
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
Runner(s) mentioned in our
"Future Winners" Feature :<>: ~~> Broken Barricades
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Cotton Kid
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Broken Barricades
3:25 Pearl And Coutts Rated Stakes (H'cap)
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
Runner(s) mentioned in our
"Future Winners" Feature :<>: ~~> Smart Predator
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Smart Predator
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Ellens Lad
3:55 Sharron Murgatroyd Selling Stakes
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Muffit
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Eachy Peachy
4:25 European Breeders Fund Snailwell Maiden Stakes
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Ajeel
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Canlis
5:00 Buckenham H'cap
¥:<>:<>:<>:THE FURLONG
POLE:<>:<>:<>:¥
T.H.E. R.O.O.K. :<>:~~>
¹NØ.1 CHOICE :<>:~~> Aswan
²E/W ALTERNATIVE :<>:~~>Menaggio
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