Saturday 25th April 2021

Newmarket Cambridgeshire Day 2021

Author: Jordan Yates

“Welcome to this week’s preview where it’s the day of the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket. I’m going to be honest with you all, I have an absolutely dreadful record at these autumn meetings on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, as was showcased on Friday’s Punts where I came absolutely nowhere with 5 darts. 

However, I’m hoping to at least do a bit better than that on Saturday, I can’t do any worse anyway. As ever though, I hope you thoroughly enjoy the preview.”

– Jordan

The first race I’ll be taking a look at this week is the 1:50 which is the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes over a mile. I find it hard to get away from Masekela here for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy, he was last seen when winning a hard fought battle against Bayside Boy at Newbury in the Listed Denford Stakes, where he got up on the line. That rival has since gone on to frank the form in pretty taking style when he lowered the colours of the very highly thought of Reach For The Moon at Doncaster in the Champagne Stakes. That’s the best form on offer in this race and if that run at Newbury hasn’t left it’s mark he should prove a tough nut to crack. Coroebus is the one with the most unknown potential in the line-up whereas Royal Patronage is the most battle hardened rival, as you’d typically expect from a Mark Johnston rival.

It’s Group 1 action up next at 2:25 where the Cheveley Park Stakes takes centre stage. A race that’s contested over a distance of six furlongs I find it hard to get away from the market leader again, who this time comes in the form of Irish raider Sacred Bridge for Ger Lyons and Colin Keane. She arrives here boasting a perfect record of four wins from four runs, with the latest of these victories being an effortless success within Group 3 company at the Curragh last month. She’s looked every part a Group 1 filly in the making so far and if taking to this unique track her rivals will face a tough task trying to get her beat. The stand out dangers look to come in the form of Sandrine and Zain Claudette, who did battle in the Lowther Stakes at York last time when finishing second and first.

Moving onto the 3:00 and it’s more Group 1 action in the form of the Middle Park Stakes, this time for the colts but once again over six furlongs. Perfect Power will be a warm favourite here on the back of his exploits in France where he won the Group 1 Prix Morny, and if running to that sort of level again he’s going to be tough to beat here. I have tried to take him on though with one at a bigger price and I’ve done that with Dr Zempf, who’s another Irish raider that’s representing Ger Lyons and rode by Colin Keane. He was last seen when finishing under a length behind Ebro River in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in early August, he’s been making considerable progress with each run and still looks to have bags of potential which he could well showcase against more exposed rivals here. A notable mention also has to go to Richmond Stakes winner Asymmetric, who has a very solid each-way chance.

The feature of the meeting comes up at 3:40 which is the Cambridgeshire Handicap, a race ridden over a mile and a furlongs. A massively competitive heritage handicap which is often a minefield for punters with this year’s renewal being no different.  I aren’t going to bore you all going through all the horses who have a chance as most of them have every chance of getting involved. So, jumping into who I’ve sided with and it’s the Owen Burrows trained Anmaat who’s currently around an 11/1 shot under Jim Crowley. Three-year-olds don’t have the best record in the race but he does tick a lot of the other boxes trends- wise, and arrives here off the back of an impressive winner at Doncaster’s St Leger Meeting where he lowered the colours of the smart and well fancied Faisal. He certainly doesn’t look to have reached the ceiling of his potential yet and if getting some luck in the run here I think he holds a strong chance of being involved.