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| Punter's Diary by Malcolm Heyhoe |
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| Updated: 27th September 2007 - GG.com |
October's Box Of Delights
Flat racing fans are in for a whirlwind time in October as the turf season moves sharply into autumn and climaxes with a stunning succession of championship days that includes the Arc, Dubai Champions and Breeders’ Cup weekends.
The high-level action comes thick and fast and begins with the Cheveley Park and Middle Park Stakes, two big races for two-year-old fillies and colts respectively on Friday, October 5 at Newmarket. In the former contest watch out for Pascal Bary’s speed machine Natagora, one of the best juveniles in France this season and a good second to top-class colt Myboycharlie in a Group1 at Deauville last time. Connections believe the six furlongs of the Cheveley Park will be ideal.
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In the Middle Park trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam will be hoping that stable star Winker Watson can
carry over his high summer form to the leaf-blown expanses of the Rowley
Mile when he rounds off his season in the colts’ feature. On the
following day a large field will contest the Totesport Cambridgeshire and
horses such as Pipedreamer and Teslin are ones to consider closely for
the first leg of the autumn double while over at Redcar on the same day
Luca Cumani’s progressive Craggy Cat could be one for the valuable Two-Year-Old Trophy.
After barely catching breath on Cambridgeshire day Longchamp stages Europe’s finest day’s racing on October 7 with a set of enthralling contests that will match the Breeders’ Cup
extravaganza later in the month at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. Besides
the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, there will be five more
Group 1 contests on a thrilling Sunday’s action from the Bois de
Boulogne.
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In the Arc itself, a small field is likely and much of the race’s luster has been dimmed by the retirement through injury of Manduro, the world’s
highest-rated racehorse. In his absence the 2007 Derby hero Authorized is
a worthy favourite especially if the ground rides easy while France’s
best hope rests with Zambezi Sun, who may also prefer soft ground and arrives at the Arc after reaching a place in the Prix Niel, a race that has supplied eight of the last 10 Arc winners.
The rest of the Arc card draws in five more Group1 races and Nunthorpe hero and star juvenile Kingsgate Native is likely to take plenty of stopping in the Prix
de l’Abbaye which
is sure to feature many of Britain’s tried and trusted sprinters
alongside Fleeting Spirit, another speedy juvenile and
the Molecomb conqueror of Kingsgate Native in August. Finally, don’t ignore Andre Fabre’s
three-year-old representative in the Prix du Cadran, a race he regularly targets with a smart and developing stayer.
After the highs and lows of Cambridgeshire and Arc weekend, the temperature drops a little for racing on Saturday October 13 with the two-year-old speedsters occupying a place in the spotlight in the Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot while over at York on the same day there is the usual head-scratching mix of hard-to-solve handicaps and a listed race for juveniles in the shape of the Rockingham Stakes, Barry Hills often has a favoured runner in this 6f event.
With barely time to pause and take breath, racing’s caravan rolls
on to Newmarket for the scintillating Champions Day on Saturday October
20 and all eyes will be upon the Champion Stakes,
the season’s last Group 1 contest for all-aged older horses. A
high-class field should be in store for this 1m 2f prize and in recent
seasons looking for a fresh and lightly-raced runner has proved a profitable
policy.
Step forward France’s Literato, trained by Jean-Claude
Rouget and owned by France’s minister of defence, Herve Morin. A runner-up to Lawman (another possible Champion Stakes contender) in the French Derby, Rouget’s
star colt scored in Group 2 grade at Deauville over the summer and at
Longchamp the other day, and this race has long been mooted as an ideal
target for this progressive type.
In the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes the high-class Godolphin colt Rio De La Plata may well seek to make amends for his defeat behind current 2,000 Guineas ante-post favourite New Approach in
Ireland in September. Paul Cole’s improving Luck Money and
Brian Meehan’s exciting colt Sharp Nephew could also number among his rivals but it would be no surprise to see the Godolphin hotpot emerge victorious before heading for winter quarters in Dubai.
In the Jockey Club Stakes on Champions day Sir Michael
Stoute’s
tough stayer Distinction will attempt to put his advancing years behind him by gaining due reward for several sound recent efforts while in the Challenge Stakes Jeremy
Noseda’s recent Doncaster victor Arabian Gleam bids to raise his game another notch in this Group 2 contest.
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The curtain comes down on October courtesy of top-class action at Doncaster which features the Racing Post Trophy on October 27 and here any juveniles from Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle base will merit serious inspection. Two-year-olds also occupy centre stage at Newbury where Jeremy Noseda's Mr Keppel should go close in the Horris Hill Stakes. Osborne’s classy juvenile is held in high regard and may wells urprise more fancied rivals.
The end of October ushers in the first stirrings of the jumps scene proper when Aintree stages the Old Roan Chase on Sunday October 28. Jump fans won’t need reminding that Kauto Star began his route to Gold Cup and King George glory with a thrilling success in this very race twelve months ago. He may bid to do the same again while the northern chasing star Monet’s Garden is another possible for what may turn out to be a hot race.
Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips
Archive September 2007
