Newmarket: final meeting of 2012

the only racing on the flat in the U.K. today is at Newmarket and is the final fixture of 2012 at racing´s HQ. No group races but a strong card with 3 listed races and some tough handicaps. Two who will be hoping for a win are trainer John Dunlop and jockey Michael Hills, both heading for retirement.
Dunlop has runners in both divisions of the 2yo maiden that open the card, Endura (Ted Durcan) at 13.15 CET and Omoor (Paul Hanagan) half an hour later. Impossible to say what their chances are in races with several well-bred debutants, but he is probably not running them for sentimental reasons only.
Michael Hills has several rides for his brother Charlie, including those two maidens, but his best chance is probably Desert Image in the listed race for 3yo fillies at 14.55. This one was a very easy winner here over 7 furlongs10 days ago and the extra furlong now should be no problem; however this is a much tougher event.
The Hills brothers also have a chance in the mile listed race at 6.40 with Red Clubs, who has some smart performances to his credit. However this trip is possibly a furlong too far, and his penalty makes life difficult. The three Godolphin runners all look dangerous, but we shall take a chance on Swedish-trained Entangle (Rune Haugen/ Eddie Ahern), one of the best racehorses in Scandinavia.
The third listed race is over 10 furlongs here at 16.05. Mull of Killough (Jane Chapple-Hyam/ George Baker) has to give weight away all round, but runs his best races here, and was a group winner here last month following an excellent second place in the Cambridgeshire under a big weight.
The mile handicap at 15.30 is wide open, but we like the look of Credit Swap (Michael Wigham/ Jim Crowley), who won the Cambridgeshire here in 2010. He failed to make much impression over hurdles for Venetia Williams, but is now back with his old trainer, is now well handicapped and loves this ground.
Finally, for the masochists amongst us, we have a 19-runner handicap over 7 furlongs to end the season at 17.10. Almost anything is possible here, but our selection is Mia´s Boy (Chris Dwyer/ Andrea Atzeni), who has been dropped to his lowest rating for years and is ridden by a jockey who has impressed us greatly in recent weeks.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Sillabub - Oilinda - Buona Fortuna
2. Race: Za`hara - Beautiful View - Society Pearl
3. Race: Cap O`rushes - Restraint Of Trade - Linguine
4. Race: Power Of Light - Pure Excellence - Becky Lou
5. Race: Classic Colori - Boots And Spurs - Jake`s Destiny
6. Race: Mull Of Killough - Primevere - Hajras
7. Race: Red Jazz - Trade Commissioner - Dance And Dance
8. Race: Bond Fastrac - Rustic Deacon - Comrade Bond

6 meetings today

Lots of racing today with four tracks in the U.K. and two in Ireland, but obviously the opening day of the Breeders Cup meeting in Santa Anita is the main event of the day. We shall deal with that later. Newmarket´s main event is the listed race for 2yo fillies over 6 furlongs at 14.40 CET. A huge field of 17 runners here in search of black type, with City Image, one of 4 Richard Hannon entries and the mount of Tom Queally, and Jillnextdoor (Mick Channon/ Martin Harley) the top-rated. Both are useful enough, but we are not really convinced and prefer the lightly-raced Hoodna (Saeed bin Suroor/ Mikael Barzalona).

There is jumps racing this afternoon at Uttoexeter and Wetherby and Down Royal in N. Ireland. which features the Grade Two WKD hurdle at 15.05. Despite the small field, this looks a good race, but the 5yo Monksland (Noel Meade/ Paul Carberry) is easily the most likely winner. After winning his bumper here, he won two races over hurdles in good style and was fancied for ther Cheltenham Festival, where he was badly hampered by a riderless horse but still finished third to Simonsig. That was excellent form, and although he has to concede weight to some useful performers here - and has not run since Cheltenham in March, we expect him to score. The Grade Three mares novice hurdle half an hour earlier should go to Missunited (M. Winters/ Bryan Cooper) who has won 7 of her 12 starts and was recently runner-up in the Irish Cesarewitch on the flat.

The Uttoxeter card is mainly low-grade, but Wetherby stages two listed races: a handicap chase over 2 1/2 miles at 15.00 and a 3yo hurdle at 15.35. Gansey (Sue Smith/ Ryan Mania) is our choice for the former race, which looks very open, but the latter event could lie between between Hilal (G Brown/ Tony McCoy) and Indepub (Donald McCain/ Harry Brooke); Richard Fahey is best known as a flat trainer, and his Flashman (Brian Hughes) faces a very tough task on his hurdles debut, but Sametegal (Paul Nicholls/ Ruby Walsh) is a definite threat. He won at Enghien in the spring for Guillaume Macaire and now makes his Brtish debut.

The evening racing on the all-weather at Wolverhampton and Dundalk pales into insignificance cpmpared to the Breeders Cup card at Santa Anita, and our preview of this meeting will appear here this afternoon.

Newmarket - betting forecast:
1. Race: Shore Step - Forbidden Fruit - Smokethatthunders
2. Race: Amralah - Hasaad - Cousin Melchior
3. Race: City Image - Pearl Sea - Hoodna
4. Race: Require - Bridle Belle - Abundantly
5. Race: Boonga Roogeta - Mr Spiggott - Swing Alone
6. Race: Ninjago - Miliika - Love Island
7. Race: Ardlui - Lieutenant Miller - Kleitomachos

2 listed races at Lingfield

The new Polytrack at Lingfield seems to have settled in well, although jockeys report that it is still on the slow side. Today on thursday Lingfield stages the first of its big all-weather meetings of the winter, with two listed races for fillies and mares as the main features. There are always plenty of runners looking for black type at the end of the season, and both races look very competitive.

They go over a mile at 15.50 CET, where Moone´s My name (Ralph Beckett/ Paul Hanagan) and the 3yo Sentari (William Haggas/ Graham Lee) are top-rated, but both are running for the first time on the all-weather. Sentari was runner-up in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, which is good form, but we prefer the CD specialist Night Lily (Paul d´Arcy/ Silvestre de Sousa); although her recent form is not so exciting, her second place to Chachamaideee in a similar race here in May reads extremely well in the context of this race. The other listed race is over 1 mile 5 furlongs half an hour later and stamina will be required here. Both top-weight Polygon (John Gosden/ Rab Havlin) and the Queen´s Momenntary (Michael Bll/ Hayley Turner) are moving up in distance, while Godolphin´s unbeaten Surprise Moment (Saeed bin Suroor/ Mikael Barzalona) is moving up in grade. We prefer stable companion, German-bred Rumh (de Sousa), a daughter of Monsun, who has won over 2 miles and also goes well on the all-weather. Albamara (Sir Mark Prescott/ Luke Morris) has a great pedigree, by Galileo out of multiple Group One winner Albanova, and is an obvious danger. Godolphin could start off a good afternoon by winning the 7 furlongs handicap at 15.20 with top-weight Gold City (bin Suroor/ Barzalona), also making his all-weather debut, but also have some fancied runners in the 2yo maidens earlier.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Mrs Bannock - First Secretary - Hekaayaat
2. Race: Thakana - Hidden Belief - Tomintoul Magic
3. Race: Emperical - Future Reference - Price Is Truth
4. Race: Roninski - Elusive Flame - Johnny Castle
5. Race: Moone`S My Name - Sentaril - Baheeja
6. Race: Surprise Moment - Albamara - Momentary
7. Race: Layali Dubai - Semeen - Significant Move
8. Race: Jackie Love - Mary`S Pet - Darnathean