Friday’s ITV Racing action comes from Chepstow, Newmarket and York as Matty Sutcliffe heads to all three meetings for his value punts on the day. He has six selections in all for you to follow.
1:30 York – William Hill Autumn Mile Handicap (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-105) – Ice Max 10/1 1pt EW 5 places
Karl Burke has developed a habit of winning some valuable handicaps with classy horses off topweight, as demonstrated by the 109 rated Boiling Point landing the bet365 Cambridgeshire at Newmarket last month, and ICE MAX can follow suit for connections.
The Dark Angel gelding has plied his trade in pattern company since bolting up five lengths off top-weight in a Musselburgh handicap last April, though has only managed to find the winners enclosure on the one occasions when taking the G2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood last August, comfortably dispatching 5/4F Poker Face with the pair pulling 12 lengths clear of the third.
He failed to fire in three starts later, though he returned to form in the G3 Diomed Stakes at Epsom in June when a 3/4L second to Persica, hitting the front two out before being collared late on by the favourite. Docklands was back in third there and subsequently landed the G1 Queen Anne, and the seven-length fifth is unbeaten in two starts for Owen Burrows having landed the Listed Steventon Stakes and the G3 Rose Of Lancaster Stakes.
Ice Max is once more 0-3, but he wasn’t disgraced in G3 company at Chantilly and he seriously caught the eye in his bid to retain the Celebration Mile having been caught in a pocket on the rail and shuffled back to rear once the pace lifted, staying on down the outside all too late.
He wasn’t the only one to be put in his place by stable mate Zeus Olympios in the Superior Mile, and I think this angle of dropping back into handicap company will suit. His form in handicaps reads 1511 including off top-weight posting an RPR of 111, and this big field scenario with a strong pace will suit this strong travelling gelding who generally fails to settle in better company off a slower gallop.
He’s drawn wide, but they can come down this near-side at York towards the end of the season as Empirestateofmind did when landing the race for the column this season and this classy son of Dark Angel can return to winning ways now against inferior opposition.
1:50 Newmarket – Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies) (Class 1) (2yo) – Classic Cuvee 11/4 1pt WIN
I was impressed with the attitude displayed by CLASSIC CUVEE when landing the 21K Fillies Maiden at Doncaster last month previously won by Whirl when fending off 2/1F Amelia Earhart, who failed to out battle the Varian filly despite Soumillon leaning into her late on.
The third has since landed a 14K Fillies Novice at Newcastle to frank the form, and the form from her Newmarket debut has also worked out nicely too. She was three lengths in second behind the winner who made all under the stands rail, but she’s since won the G2 Rockfel Stakes in good style and the fourth there was a comfortable two length winner in a 20k Fillies Maiden at Sandown next time out, beating Esna who franked that form healthily when a two length fourth (100 RPR) in the Prix Marcel Boussac.
Varian and Buick teamed up to win this 2018 and this promising daughter of Siyouni can give Buick a fourth win in the race in the last ten years.
2:25 Newmarket – Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3yo+) – Audience 6/1 1pt WIN
AUDIENCE is about as trustworthy as a group of kids playing football in a greenhouse, but the innate talent is there and I’d expect this to be a point and shoot job against horses who would generally prefer further ease in the going.
The enigmatic son of Iffraaj hasn’t been entirely disgraced in group company his season bar when unfavourably pitched in midfield at Haydock. He was a five length third in the Lennox on easing ground when hanging left toward the grandstand rail with both Witness Stand and Lake Forest franking that form, and he ran creditably once more when beaten for lengths in the G1 City Of York Stakes when again just hanging late on once the pace lifted.
The ground was soft enough when third in the G2 Park Stakes, and with the ground expected to dry out further by Friday he looks to be better suited by conditions here. He was drawn in stall one last season toward the far-side rail and Matilda Picotte stole the race early on, I’m, envisaging a similar performance from Audience in that respect as now drawn in stall four with the stalls in the centre, Havlin has to track across early to the near-side rail as he similarly did in the Lockinge and the Criterion Stakes given his preference to edge left under pressure.
2:57 Newmarket – bet365 Fillies’ Mile (Group 1) (Class 1) (2yo) – Composing 12/1 1pt EW 3 places
I had nearly deleted this selection after watching the 33/1 disappear from the screen into 12/1 midway through typing, but this is arguably her correct price and she’s worth persevering with.
Three of the last ten winners of the Fillies Mile were previously beaten in the G1 Moyglare over seven furlongs including two from the Aidan O’Brien yard in Ylang Ylang and Rhododendron, and COMPOSING can follow suit. The £300,000 daughter of Wootton Bassett is out of an Australia mare who won four times over this trip, and she can reverse the form with stablemate Precise, who beat her two lengths in the Moyglare at the Curragh.
Soumillon has jumped ship to that one, but I thought she still shaped impressively there and just looked a touch outpaced two out,. Her best effort came when coming from behind the leader in the G2 Alpha Centauri Stakes, striding away late on in the manner of one who will surely improve for this trip. Better could’ve been expected in the Goffs Million when a 5/6F, but she was only beaten a length in that big field there and the return to a smaller field against her own sex should see her in a better light, and I’d expect her stablemate Sugar Island to give her a good toe into the race from next door in stall ten.
3:12 Chepstow – Dragonbet Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Leg 6 Of The Stayers’ Veterans’ Chase Series) (Class 2) (10yo+ 0-150) – Lord Accord 6/1 1pt WIN
LORD ACCORD put behind him two poor efforts at Uttoxeter when a six length second to Oliver’s Travel at Cartmel in August under a prominent ride, splitting two horses who were ridden in rear throughout with the well backed winner following up off a 6lbs higher mark, now rated 15lbs higher than when winning at Cartmel.
With that run signalling a return to form, this step into Veteran’s company can further enhance his solid record in October, with his form in this month reading 1114PU1. The two defeats came over a then inadequate distance and softer going, so these conditions can suit better.
He was a sixteen length winner off this mark at Wincanton last October when making all under Richie McLernon, I’d expect similar tactics to be enforced here and he could take some beating off bottom weight if building on the latest effort.
3:43 Chepstow – Dragonbet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Kilwaughter 20/1 1pt EW 3 places
Phillip Hobbs has won the Persian War six times since 1987 including twice since 2019 and twice with hurdles debutants, thus Milan gelding KILWAUGHTER looks a tempting price to chance on hurdles debut.
He was bought for £120,000 by Tom Malone at the Tatts Cheltenham January sale earlier this year after landing a Down Royal bumper for Stuart Crawford, always travelling strongly throughout and pulling fourteen lengths clear with the 6/5F Gordon Elliott trained Theflyingking, who backed up that effort when winning a Wexford bumper in March. The distant third that day has subsequent form figures of 21112 with the latter trio coming over hurdles now rated 131, so the initial form stacks up strongly.
His first run for Hobbs/White came in the Aintree bumper in April when an eye-catching sixth having suffered for room in running off the turn. That effort was backed up when a seven length third in the Punchestown bumper that’s been won by the likes of Wingmen, Ballyburn, Dysart Dynamo and Yorkhill in recent years, posting an RPR of only a pound lower than when Queensbury Boy was second in the race last season. The front pair already had form in some strong bumpers, notably El Cairos who was fifth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, so that form rates highly too.
We obviously have to take his jumping on trust and that will be factored into the pricing, but he’s from the family of several winning hurdlers and given the yards record with debutants in this race, I’m happy to chance that if translating his bumper form to obstacles he can outrun his odds and extend the yards excellent record in this race.
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