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| Punter's Diary by Malcolm Heyhoe |
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| Updated: 25th September 2009 - GG.com |
Autumn Glories
Autumn’s firm grip is felt with full force on the first of the month when Newmarket stages the three-day Cambridgeshire meeting on the Rowley Mile course. Events get under way on a quieter note with the Noel Murless Stakes grabbing the first-day headlines and this might be just the race for Henry Cecil’s well-regarded Manifest to continue his steady ascent.
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On October 2 the fireworks begin with the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes where France’s Special Duty looks likely to follow in the footsteps of another Gallic female gem in the shape of Natagora who landed this same race for France in 2007. In the Group 2 Middle Park Stakes the Mark Johnston-trained Awzaan looks the one to beat after his latest exploits.
On the third and final day, October 3, the Cambridgeshire takes its annual bow and once again the first leg of the autumn double seems more open than ever. Indeed the bookies have been betting on this race for over a month now and in that time no clear candidate has emerged and the market has one horse at 12-1 bar the field. For what it is worth I fancy Sirvino and Charm School to play a leading role in the season’s fastest nine furlong sprint.
In the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes I expect to see Ghanaati resume winning ways now that she races against her own sex after a heavy defeat against the boys in the Sussex Stakes. She looks a cut above the opposition at Newmarket. The same can also be said of Goldikova who should win the Group 1 Prix de la Foret over at Longchamp on the same day while Wajir looks a good thing in the Prix Hubert Chaudenay on the same Longchamp card.
On Sunday October 4 Europe’s premier Group 1 contest for middle-distance racehorses takes centre stage courtesy of the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, just one of two races shown live on the BBC that day. This shows the contempt with which the Beeb holds racing as a spectator sport and racing’s disappearance from Auntie is part and parcel of that tawdry channel’s decline in general sports coverage.
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As for the big race Sea The Stars looks to have the prize at his mercy if the weather continues dry on the other side of the English Channel. John Oxx’s superstar has swept all before him this season and can crown a glittering campaign with an Arc success. If the ground should turn soft then Vision D’Etat and Sariska could well cause a surprise but their prospects hinge upon the weather on the Bois de Boulogne.
Elsewhere on the Arc card the Prix de l’Abbaye is a case of round up the usual suspects over a fast 5f while in the Prix du Cadran Yeats may well bring down the curtain on a fantastic career as a top-class staying horse though Incanto Dream is a dark one for the home team. Finally in the Prix Marcel Boussac Alain de Royer-Dupre dispatches a smart filly called Rosanara and she could prove one of the day’s better bets.
A quiet weekend follows after the thrills and spills of Arc day with Ascot staging the main meeting on October 10 with the Autumn and Cornwallis Stakes occupying pride of place while over at York there will be a large field for the traditionally insoluble Coral Sprint Trophy where the advice may well be to back Richard Fahey’s representative.
October 17 is the last great day of the Flat season when Newmarket hosts the Champions Stakes, a Group 1 contest over a mile and a quarter, No obvious candidate stands out for this big prize whereas the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes for two-year-olds should feature the brilliant and unbeaten Arcano and he is fancied to round off a terrific season in winning style.
In the Cesarewitch, the second leg of the autumn double, Swingkeel and Wells Lyrical could be suited by this savage test of stamina and they look the best of the fancied horses. The Flat action switches to Newbury after the peak points of Champions day and the St Simon and Radley Stakes dominate Newbury’s October 24 card while the Racing Post Trophy continues the search for a two-year-old star on the same day at Doncaster. A week later on October 31 the jumpers lumber into view with the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and for many racing people the real game can begin.
Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips
Archive September 2009
