Fascinating Craven meeting opens Newmarket season
Newmarket opens its gates for the first time this season on Tuesday and the opening “Craven” meeting provides a welcome starter to the main courses to be served at racing’s headquarters in the coming months. Whilst the highlights are understandably the 2 Guineas trials, the Craven and the Nell Gwyn, the meeting is always a great reference point for the season with no fewer than 8 maiden and novice races that always provide a hatful of future winners and horses to follow.
Day 1 features the 1000 Guineas trial, the Nell Gwyn and although the race is not deep in quality it is competitive nonetheless with 11 going to post. Main Edition had plenty of experience as a 2 year old and the form of her 3rd in the Group 2 Rockfel stakes was franked on Saturday when the 2nd Dandhu won the Fred Darling at Newbury. She looks sure to run well with Ryan Moore on board and would be my selection in what is a difficult race to assess. Aiden O Brien should have the warm favourite Western Australia in The Listed Fielden Stakes but I like the once raced Karl Burke trained Kadar who was well backed when beating a Gosden hotpot on debut at Haydock. The son of Scat Daddy who cost over 7 million SEK as a yearling looks just the type to improve as a three year old.
The highlight of day 2 is the Craven Stakes itself, a group 3 contest over a mile and a proven Guineas trial. Charlie Appleby’s Zakouski looks sure to go off favourite and although there are 5 unbeaten horses in the 10 runner field, he will take all the beating and feel he can give Appleby a second successive victory in the race. I am sure the sponsors and the racecourse will be hoping this year’s race throws up horses to emulate the class of 2018 when Masar romped home and was then placed in the Guineas and won the Derby, and Roaring Lion was down the field before recording 4 Group 1 wins later in the season.
Day 3 of the meeting is all about future promise and seasoned handicappers with a number of beautifully bred horses and exciting potential lining up in the maiden and novice contests and several old warriors returning to the track in the later races.
