The Group 2 Joel Stakes is the feature on Friday’s card at Newmarket. As the week builds towards the Cambridgeshire on Saturday, this Group 2 brings together a stout field of competitive older milers, as well as some promising, up-and-coming three-year-olds.
We preview the runners below, also taking into account the key recent form lines which could help shape the race on day two of the Cambridgeshire meeting.
Joel Stakes racecard
Awaiting racecard…
Joel Stakes field
There will be plenty of racing enthusiasts excited to see Godolphin horse Talk Of New York once again. The three-year-old boasts high level form behind Bow Echo and Gstaad and was unlucky to be beaten last time out.
Fellow younger horses Colori Forever, Hankelow and Wild Desert join the fray. The last-named is Talk Of New York’s stablemate and may well be used for pacemaking duties. The former duo though have already competed against their elders, with their form tying in last time out with Persica and The Lost King.
Comfortably the veteran in the field is former Group 1 Lockinge Stakes winner Audience. The seven-year-old has found some renewed form of late for trainer David O’Meara, who he joined form the Gosdens.
The key Joel Stakes form
Here are the key recent form lines which help shape the current field and betting for the Joel Stakes.
Thoroughbred Stakes (Group 3) @ Goodwood (31st July)
This race is both the most significant yet most fragile piece of form if the market is to be believed. In this Goodwood Group 3, Talk Of New York finished second. However, he was given a lot of work to do from behind a clear and sturdy pace and could only stay on into second behind winner Shayem, being beaten only half-a-length. The Joel Stakes favourite still emerged with his reputation enhanced though and previous form behind Bow Echo and Gstaad is notable.
Superior Mile (Group 3) @ Haydock (5th September)
The Group 3 Superior Mile at Haydock was the last race of four of the seven-strong field. Persica secured the victory, narrowly holding on from The Lost King. With such a fine margin between the two, there should be little between them again, while both Hankelow and Colori Forever, in fourth and fifth, were within a length-and-a-half of the winner too.
Solonaway Stakes (Group 2) @ Curragh (12th September)
Only Audience contested this race among the Joel Stakes field. He is yet to win for his current trainer, but finished second at the Curragh, producing his fourth placed effort in a row. He finished only a length-and-a-half behind a winner rated 8lb higher than him at the time.
Newmarket, recent history and race-day updates
A three-year-old won this race last year in Zeus Olympios, who went on to be a high class horse in 2026. However, he was the first horse of the Classic generation to win the Joel Stakes in five years, proving you need to be a high quality three-year-old to match up to the older horses in the race.
Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire meeting gets underway on Thursday, with the ground set to be consistently good for the first two cards.
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