Huge field for Group One Lockinge Stakes

A very busy Saturday with lots of runners and big fields eveywhere. However with the ground firming up all over, there will also be quite a few non-runners and punters are advised to check before making their bets.

The top race of the day is the Group One Lockinge Stakes over a mile at Newbury at 16.45 CET and with 17 runners this has attracted its biggest field ever. The logical selection here is Night of Thunder (Richard Hannon/ James Doyle) who won last season´s 2,000 Guineas - a very strong renewal- and was at the end of the season runner-up in the Queen Elzabeth II Stakes at Ascot with stable companion Toormore (Richard Hughes) third, Tullius (Andrew Balding/ Jimmy Fortune) - also runner-up here last year- fourth, Captain Cat (Roger Charlton/ George Baker) fifth, Integral (Sir Michael Stoute/ Ryan Moore) seventh and Custom Cut (David O´Meara/ Danny Tudhope) eighth. In theory he should beat all these again, but there seems to be a lot of confidence behind the hugely-improved Custom Cut and the mare Integral on this much faster ground. Custom Cut beat Balding´s otjer runner Here VComes When (Jim Crowley) at Sandown last time and the runner-up, who won at Baden-Baden last year, could also finish in the frame here. Night of Thunder and Integral, whose ttrainer has won this 7 times, are making their seasonal debut here which may be a disadvantage, especially as there are plenty of big races to come for them, so it may pay to be cautious.

This Group One Event is backed up by 3 competitive listed races on a high-class at Newbury, and the 1 1/2 mile race at 15.00 is as strong as many group races and with many of the same trainers involved. Telescope (Stoute/ Moore) is the clear form choice here, having won the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot last year and finjished runner-up in the King George; he has already had a race this season and looks hard to beat, but we shall take a chance on German-bred Scotland (Balding/ Crowley) each-way, a horse we have always liked.

The listed races for 3yo´s - over 6 furlongs at 15.35 and for fillies over 10 furlongs at 17.20- both look very tricky, but John Gosden has a strong hand here and can possily win with Waady (Paul Hanagan) in the former and with Oaks hopeful Martlet (Frankie Dettori) in the latter.Finally we would like to mention German-bred Norab (Marco Botti/ Daniel Muscutt), who runs in the 1 3/4 miles handicap at 15.15 at Newmarket. This Galileo half-brother to Night Magic found 2 miles too far last time, but this trip looks ideal.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Harvard Man - Shalaa - Birchwood
2. Race: Elite Army - Gatewood - Scotland
3. Race: Waady - Salt Island - Adaay
4. Race: Time Test - Dissolution - Gibeon
5. Race: Night Of Thunder - Integral - Toormore
6. Race: Pamona - Martlet - Crystal Zvezda
7. Race: Gm Hopkins - Munaaser - Spark Plug