Dubai Future Champions Day at Newmarket has two standout races. The Darley Dewhurst Stakes at 3.00pm matches the 2,000 Guineas favourite against the Derby favourite. The Club Godolphin Cesarewitch follows at 3.40pm, with 29 runners over two miles and two furlongs.

Going: Good to firm (GoingStick 7.3). Rain is forecast, so it could ride closer to good by post time. Check the going update on Saturday morning.

Time	Race	Runners
1.15pm	Darley Stakes (Group 3)	5
1.50pm	Zetland Stakes (Group 3)	6
2.25pm	Autumn Stakes (Group 3)	7
3.00pm	Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1, 7f)	5
3.40pm	Cesarewitch (Heritage Handicap, 2m2f)	29
4.15pm	Maiden Fillies’ Stakes	7
4.50pm	Nursery Handicap	9

Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1, 7f), 3.00pm

Only five runners, but it’s the clash of the season so far. Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten Desert Castle, the 2,000 Guineas favourite, takes on Aidan O’Brien’s Darkness Falls, the Derby favourite. The market makes it a two-horse race.

All carry 9st 3lb. Prices on Thursday 8 October: Desert Castle 10/11, Darkness Falls 15/8, Great Barrier Reef 7/1, Jassas 33/1, Gentle Hurricane 40/1. Check the final market on the day.

The contenders

Desert Castle is a Frankel colt and a full brother to two Group 1 winners. He’s 2 from 2. In the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, he missed the break and still beat Sergei Diaghilev by three lengths. That performance cut him to around 4/1 for the Guineas. This is his first Group 1. Appleby has won three Dewhursts since 2019, and his juveniles tend to peak at this time of year.

Darkness Falls is a Camelot colt. He won the Golden Fleece at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend by more than four lengths over nine furlongs. He drops two furlongs in trip here, and this is his first run below a mile. The stable reports he has come out of that race well and his work since has been good. With three runs behind him, he has the experience his rival lacks.

Great Barrier Reef won the Coventry at Royal Ascot but lost his unbeaten record last time. He has only sprinted. Moving up to seven furlongs is the question, and the trends are against horses dropping in from 5f or 6f.

Jassas (won a Haydock novice) and Gentle Hurricane need big improvement to win.

Trends

• Favourites have a strong record in the race.
• Experience counts: City Of Troy was the first twice-raced winner since Shamardal in 2004. That’s a mark against Desert Castle.
• Shadow Of Light was only the second winner since Mujahid in 1998 to come into the race off a 5f or 6f run, which counts against Great Barrier Reef.

Club Godolphin Cesarewitch (Heritage Handicap, 2m2f), 3.40pm

Twenty-nine runners line up for £175,000, the year’s biggest Flat staying handicap. Beylerbeyi, last year’s winner, heads the market. Irish raiders and hurdlers with a light Flat profile have a strong record in the race.

Early-week prices ranged from 9/2 (Beylerbeyi) to 16/1 (Cock And Bull, Dawn Rising, Reverend Hubert). Check the final market on the day.

The contenders

Beylerbeyi won this race last year. He comes in off a second in the Doncaster Cup, but he’s still a maiden for 2026 and has a lot more weight this time. He’s the one to beat, but the price is short in a 29-runner handicap.

Sea Lantern is the unexposed one. He has run only four times and won emphatically on his handicap debut at Pontefract last month. The 4lb penalty keeps him well treated, and the only real doubt is how much he’s learned from so few runs.

Mountain Road finished second over two miles at York. He steps up in trip with Paul Mulrennan in the saddle and has a solid staying profile.

Cock And Bull won at Galway for Emmet Mullins, who won this race in 2023 with The Shunter. He’s rated 99 over hurdles, and Mullins says there are no trip concerns. He’s gone up 10lb, but James Doyle’s booking stands out. Stablemate Dream On Baby, a Listed hurdle winner, is unexposed on the Flat and runs in her first handicap.

Reverend Hubert has won three hurdles this year and comes with a typical Charles Byrnes preparation. He also has course form.

Kirchner was second in the Northumberland Plate but disappointed at York last time. Manxman finished second in this race in 2024, but he’s much better on softer ground. Dawn Rising was second last year and has been well backed despite modest 2026 form.

Trends

• Only 2 of the last 10 favourites have won.
• Three of the last 10 winners started at 14/1 or bigger, and winners have gone off as big as 33/1.
• Lower weights have dominated: nine of the last 10 winners carried 9st 2lb or less (before this year’s weights were raised).
• Willie Mullins won three in a row from 2018 to 2020, and Emmet Mullins won in 2023.

Steve Chambers’ Best Bets

Dewhurst Stakes Pick

We may only have five going to post for the Dewhurst Stakes, but there’s a quality quintet bidding for glory. Desert Castle is the one to beat having bounded to a three-length success in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. However, Aidan O’Brien’s Darkness Falls romped to Group 1 glory in emphatic style last month and the Ballydoyle raider can strike gold again here.

Cesarewitch Handicap Pick

Third in a listed event at Chester, Andrew Balding’s Tactician has been given a notable hike in the handicap and will carry top weight here. That came off a two year break, so if he can kick on from that then he looks tailor-made for this. He was sixth in the Cesarewitch Trial back in 2024, so has shown he can produce the goods at the track and trip. Charlie Tucker will take a vital 7lbs off his back and with the yard in such great form he’s the standout each-way play.

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