Racing’s pendulum swings ever more in favour of the flat now the Grand National is been and gone. Newmarket’s Craven meeting brings a midweek treat ahead of Easter weekend and we’ve had a look at the biggest names making their comeback alongside 888‘s new customer offer of £30 in Free Bets when you bet £10.
New Science – Charlie Appleby, William Buick (2.25 Tuesday) 6/4
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The European Free Handicap may not have produced a Guineas winner for some years, but it is usually won by a horse who follows up in Group level.
Mystiko was the last winner to follow up in the 2,000 Guineas, but other classic winners, such as Desert Prince and Indian Haven have succeeded here since then. NEW SCIENCE, one of a number of exciting three-year-olds who will carry Godolphin’s colours this season, is fit and fresh from Dubai ahead of this season’s renewal.
He faces only four rivals here, but has the leading form in the book so far. He won twice as a juvenile, defeating leading Derby hope Reach For The Moon on debut at Yarmouth, while he also won in Listed company at Ascot. Runner-up that day was Angel Bleu, who had won a Group 1 by the end of the season.
His comeback in Dubai was slightly disappointing, but he was held up in last at a carnival in which so many winners went pillar to post. Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby’s Naval Crown emerged from this race to run an excellent fourth in the opening Classic of the season and no doubt connections will hope New Science could follow suit.
Master Of The Seas – Charlie Appleby, William Buick (3.00 Tuesday) 11/10
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The only older horse in this lineup, MASTER OF THE SEAS was last season’s 2,000 Guineas runner-up, where he went down only narrowly to Poetic Flare.
He was also a winner at this meeting in the build-up, winning the 2021 edition of the Craven Stakes. His entire 2021 campaign was geared around racing at 1m, but his two runs in the autumn proved disappointing. He was third in the Group 2 Joel Stakes in September, but could not land a blow on the fabulous Baaeed in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day.
The start of this year marked a transition for Master Of The Seas though. He was gelded in January after those below par efforts and steps marginally up in trip here to 1m1f in the Group 3 Earl Of Sefton Stakes.
On known form, he has a clear class edge over many of these. He will have to contend with racing off level weights with his opponents after losing his three-year-old allowance, but he could easily have improved from three to four.
Hello You – David Loughnane, Rossa Ryan (3.35 Tuesday) 2/1
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Young trainer David Loughnane had his best year to date in 2021, saddling 42 winners to a 12% strike rate, as well as runners at the Breeders’ Cup in November.
While his number of winners had only improved marginally on previous years, his prize money tally speaks of the upgrade in the levels of horses he has trained. The £594,072 his horses accrued in earnings was well over £200,000 more than he had earned in any previous calendar year.
HELLO YOU was one of those chiefly responsible for this improvement. She started her career with Ralph Beckett last season, but transferred to Loughnane in August. Her victory in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes in September was reward for patience on her first two efforts for the yard.
She followed that up by running a stormer in fifth, beaten less than two lengths, at the Breeders’ Cup. Her close relative Ajyaall was a late bloomer, so there is definitely hope she will have grown up between two and three.
Ebro River – Hugo Palmer, Jamie Spencer (3.00 Wednesday) 7/4
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EBRO RIVER has had a healthy career already for Hugo Palmer. A Group 1 winner and three-time scorer in all from nine starts, his entry on Wednesday suggests a Classic tilt may not be on the horizon. He goes in the 6f Abernant Stakes, taking on his elders.
He started at the minimum trip of 5f last season, winning at Doncaster before taking the first two-year-old Pattern race of the season in Sandown’s Listed National Stakes. It appeared Group company may be narrowly beyond him when he was upped in trip to 6f, as form figures of 544 followed in the Coventry, July and Richmond Stakes at Ascot, Newmarket and Goodwood respectively.
However, trainer Hugo Palmer’s ambition paid off at the beginning of August. Just ten days after his Goodwood fourth, Palmer sent Ebro River to contest the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland. Under a front-running ride from Shane Foley, he battled to a ¾ length success.
Only 2,000 Guineas favourites Native Trail and Point Lonsdale proved too good over 7f at the same trip thereafter, while heavy ground was a reasonable excuse for a below par run at Longchamp on Arc weekend. Speed was the son of Galileo Gold’s forte at two and connections still believe that to be his trump card a year on.
Native Trail – Charlie Appleby, William Buick (3.35 Wednesday) 2/5
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The star juvenile in 2021, Charlie Appleby’s NATIVE TRAIL is favourite across the board for the 2,000 Guineas.
While many recent winners of the first Classic had done so first time out for the season, Poetic Flare bucked that trend last term. Similarly, Appleby has often favoured running a potential Guineas type in the Craven Stakes, the highlight of Newmarket’s midweek meeting.
Native Trail began his career in fine style at Sandown last June, winning by four lengths. The runner-up, Royal Patronage, would be a Group 2 winner by the end of the season, though the Godolphin horse only just got home on his first Group start in Newmarket’s Superlative Stakes.
He was upsetting the odds when scoring at Group 1 level for the first time, beating Aidan O’Brien’s Port Lonsdale in the process. The Dewhurst, over course and distance, was a procession in October, with Native Trail a comfortable two-length winner.
He may well come on for the run, but his is easily the most hotly-anticipated comeback of the week.
Star Of India – Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore (3.35 Wednesday or 3.35 Thursday) 15/2 for the former
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Freshness could be one thing that gets in Native Trail’s way. Another is an Aidan O’Brien trained opponent in the shape of STAR OF INDIA.
A brother to the yard’s Roman Empire, who has since gone to Hong Kong, Star Of India debuted late in 2021 in a maiden formerly won by Cliffs Of Moher at Leopardstown. He did the business nicely under Seamie Heffernan, winning by 2¼ lengths while notably strong at the finish.
He was off the bridle earlier than a few of his rivals that day, though and it is interesting that he has been given the option of the Fielden Stakes over two extra furlongs on the Thursday. Nevertheless, he has been declared here and certainly looked like a horse with burgeoning potential.
The increase in distance to 1m should do him no harm at all and he could give the favourite a fright.
