The Future Champions Festival gets under way on the Rowley Mile on Friday, and the opening day at Newmarket is about as strong as the autumn flat season gets. The bet365 Fillies’ Mile at 14:57 is the centrepiece. Musical Times is unbeaten in three starts and heads a field of eight for Charlie Appleby and William Buick.
Before the Group 1, three Group races come in the space of 70 minutes. The card opens with 13 juveniles in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes over 5f. Next, 16 fillies line up for the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes, and then a select field of six contests the Group 2 Challenge Stakes over 7f. The heritage handicap action follows, with 11 three-year-olds in the Old Rowley Cup over 1m4f, while the Group 3 Pride Stakes and Listed Boadicea Stakes keep the quality high later in the afternoon. The ground is good to firm.
GG tipster Joe Napier previews the first five races at HQ and runs through the rest of the card below. Our Fillies’ Mile runners guide has the full field and draw for the day’s feature.
13:15 Newmarket – Cornwallis Stakes (Group 3)
Flann Sunna and In The Black advertise Group 2 form from the St Leger meeting, both of whom finished close to the winner in the Flying Childers Stakes over this trip. Meanwhile, Aidan O’Brien runs Marco Polo, who has flopped in Group company twice, and Carry The Flag, a Group 1 runner-up in name, but perhaps not ability. Nevertheless, Ballydoyle’s contingent has to be recognised.
The Fahey yard do well with sprinters though and Mussab could be well up to striking at this level. He now has Listed honours to his name from his most recent success. That came on soft ground at Ayr, but he has coped with good-to-firm, as demonstrated by his third-placed effort in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. That form has worked out, with winner Orthodox landing the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes last weekend. He looks solid from an each-way perspective as an out-and-out 5f horse.
13:50 Newmarket – Oh So Sharp Stakes (Group 3)
This Group 3 has attracted a substantial field of 16, but though those with an established presence at this level broadly dominate the market, two against them with potential are Golden Ring and Celestia, both of whom are very eyecatching in their own contexts.
The former represents Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. O’Brien has only taken part in this race once since 2019 and landed a 25/1 winner courtesy of Merrily in 2024. Golden Ring has raced three times, winning easily most recently at Dundalk, having run promisingly over this trip in a Cork maiden. The half-sister to Armory may well be one who can continue to progress with it interesting that O’Brien targets this prize while the trainers’ championship is still up for grabs.
Even more interesting though is Celestia. Well held by Fillies’ Mile favourite Musical Times on debut at Newmarket, she nevertheless ran a decent race for a newcomer that day. She subsequently won at Carlisle, and that form could not have worked out better – runner-up Rogue Passion is now a Group 2 winner having defeated Amusingly, the subsequent Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere heroine. Celestia got badly boxed in at Sandown in Listed company last time, but the weight of her collateral form stacks up enormously in this line-up.
14:25 Newmarket – Challenge Stakes (Group 2)
There is no French interest in this race this season after back-to-back winners for the continent. Flora Of Bermuda tends to get the job done when competing against top level opposition, her Group 2 second last time coming up against More Thunder, a Group 1 horse in all but name. Nevertheless, she rarely wins by far, so there is usually value against her.
Pina Sonata‘s only run at this level or above saw her well-beaten in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild in 2025. This season has been a gradual builder for her; she won well at Kempton on the all-weather but was then tailed off in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom in an odd renewal on softer ground than officially stated. A fifth at Ascot preceded a drop back in trip to 7f at Doncaster, where she showed marked improvement to win the Group 3 Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes very likeably. That hinted that more could still be to come, as she is relatively lightly-raced.
14:57 Newmarket – Fillies’ Mile (Group 1)
Rogue Passion’s Group 2 win has been given an enormous boost, but through some mutual opponents, she still has a lot on her plate against Musical Times. The Godolphin filly looked out of the ordinary when scorching clear in Doncaster’s May Hill Stakes by seven-and-a-half lengths. The daughter of Lope De Vega raced professionally and should set up a bid for next season’s 1,000 Guineas in style. Rank outsider Scomessa Sicura may interest those who fancy outsiders as she rarely runs a bad race.
15:30 Newmarket – Old Rowley Cup (Heritage Handicap)
Devil’s Peak and Study Of Words represent the big stables of Gosden and Appleby, but Archers Bay retains Ryan Moore as his rider here and his recent consistency over 1m4f can prove an asset. Marco Botti’s Wootton Bassett colt won by a wide margin under Moore at the Shergar Cup back in August before finishing a close third over the same course and distance next time out when potentially given too much to do.
Moore was off that day, but returned to partner Archers Bay to a close second in Listed company over this track and trip most recently. That suggests he still has more to offer this mark of 100 and Moore would have been under no obligation to maintain this partnership. That he does may speak volumes.
The rest of the Newmarket card
The Listed Boadicea Stakes (4.10) is race six on the card. Previously progressive, Forty Years On steps back in trip, but she may be usurped by a different pretender in Zen Diva for Ralph Beckett. She has won four of her last five and her trainer is in better form than at any point this season.
Race seven is the Group 3 Pride Stakes (4.45). Touleen is the highest-rated and is classy, but both the new trip, and a return to Newmarket where she has thus far been disappointing, may count against her. Instead, the improving Silver Lake could graduate to Group races after a handicap four-timer for William Haggas. In the finale (5.20), a 7f 0-80 handicap, Oisin Murphy gets back aboard Nanoscience, who has a good record on the Rolwey Mile so far and has won off this mark.
Newmarket Preview – Joe Napier’s Horses to follow on Friday
FAQs
When was Joe Napier’s article published?
Joe Napier’s article was published at 2.45pm on Thursday 8 October.
Who is Joe Napier?
Joe Napier is the deputy editor of GG who gives tips and opinion throughout the week. He has been writing for GG for over four years and is hugely passionate about racing.
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