Thursday 20th April 2023

Author: Jordan Yates (EvRacing_)

Welcome aboard to the Day 3 blog for the Newmarket Craven Meeting, and for the concluding day I’ve got three selections to share with you all, which will all be in races featured on ITV.

The 1:50 kicks things off again which on this occasion is a ‘Class 2 Handicap’ that’s contested over six furlongs. In this particular affair, I’m taking a chance on Shouldvebeenaring at 8/1 who represents Richard Hannon and Alec Voikhansky who takes off a valuable seven pounds. He comes into the race race-fit having had a productive time on the all-weather throughout the winter, culminating with a second-placed effort on ‘All-Weather Finals Day’ at Newcastle earlier this month. Taking the rider’s claim into consideration here, I think he still could be on a workable mark, he won the valuable ‘Premier Yearling Stakes’ at York last season and he might have not stopped progressing yet.

The 3:00 is the next race that I’ll be taking a look at and this is the ‘Abernant Stakes’ which is a Group 3 contest that’s ridden over six furlongs. I think that this is all about Creative Force at 5/4 who’s my NAP of the day for William Buick and Charlie Appleby. He’s a Group 1 winner who’s this class act in the field and despite not getting his head in front last season, he still placed twice at the top level on his last two starts at Champions Day and the Breeders Cup. He’s got a fair bit in hand on official ratings in this, and if he runs anywhere near his beast he’ll be very tough to beat. More positives for him are that he’s proven in the past that he can go well fresh, and he’ll have no issue at all with the ground.

The feature race of the meeting comes up at 3:35 which is the Group 3 ‘Craven Stakes’ that’s contested over a mile. I think that this year’s renewal can go to Mysterious Night at 7/4 who’s another representative for the boys in blue in William Buick and Charlie Appleby. He progressed nicely into a very useful sort last term, winning a French Group 3 before signing off his campaign with a Group 1 success over in Canada. He was also placed in two Group 2 affairs prior to this in the July Stakes and Vintage Stakes, which is the best form on offer in this race. He looks like another exciting horse for his powerhouse connections, and I think he’s got a major chance in this.