Updated: 30th September 2010 - GG.com

October's Golden Fare

October's dream fixtures become reality on the first of the month when Newmarket stages the Cheveley Park and Middle Park Stakes, two of the more influential juvenile contests in the entire racing calendar and all eyes will be upon the unfolding of both races with regard to next season's Newmarket classics.

The French have dominated the Cheveley Park with two winners in the past three seasons but with Criquette Head-Maarek intending to run her star filly Helleborine in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day, the way may be clear for a domestic challenger such as Brevity to land the spoils while any rain that falls at Newmarket will enhance the prospects of David Simcock's thrilling colt, Dream Ahead, in the Middle Park Stakes. On the same day Newmarket also hosts the Joel and Oh So Sharp Stakes.

Saturday's action on October 2 can mean only one thing and that is the first leg of the autumn double as forty horses thunder down the Rowley Mile for the Totesport Cambridgeshire. John Gosden's Nationalism has been well-backed for this big prize and is deemed a worthy favourite though if the rain stays away then Luca Cumani's improving Start Right is another to enter the equation along with Walter Swinburn's lightly-raced Absinthe.

Spacious
© racing-images.co.uk

On the same Saturday card the Cambridgeshire is augmented by a couple of sales races in the shape of the Timeform Fillies' 800 and the Timeform Million while the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes holds centre sway for the top mile fillies. James Fanshawe's Spacious will be seeking to atone for several near-misses in this big mile race.

The first Sunday in October 2010 is the 3rd of the month and that can only mean Paris in the autumn and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The heady scent of Pinot Noir and the wind whipping up the initial leaves of autumn are but two circumstantial details surrounding a wonderful day's racing. As well as the Arc, there will be five more Group 1 contests on a stupendous day of action.

The starting-point for finding the winner of this year's Arc surely has to be with the French colts with Behkabad and Planteur holding very strong claims after finishing first and second respectively in the Prix Niel over the Arc's course and distance three weeks ago. The French three-year-olds have looked particularly strong all season and the depth of the challenge from Behkabad and Planteur cannot be under-estimated with the former a strong fancy.

Britain and Ireland seems likely to field Fame And Glory and Cape Blanco against the French standard bearers and the former was a flop in last year's race and the latter endured a hard time of it when winning the Champion Stakes at Leopardstown the other day.

Workforce
© www.epsomderby.co.uk

The participation of Workforce in the Arc has still to be decided upon and it is hard to forget what a bitter disappointment the Derby winner was in a chastening defeat in this year's Epsom classic.

Elsewhere on the Arc card Swiss Diva will be bid to justify favouritism in the Prix de l'Abbaye while Moonlight Cloud could prove hard to catch in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere and the same is probably true of Helleborine in the Prix Marcel Boussac and Elle Shadow in the Prix de l'Opera.

It's a quiet weekend after the top-class action of the Arc and Cambridgeshire weekend and Ascot stages the premier day's racing on October 9 with Dinkum Diamond and New Planet set to do battle in the Cornwallis Stakes while over at York Hitchens could be a big player in the Coral Sprint Cup and Easy Ticket looks booked for a pop at the Rockingham Stakes.

It's top drawer action at Newmarket on October 15, with two group 1 contests heading a superb Champions day. France's challenge for the latter contest could well see them successful this year with either Vision D'Etat or Fuisse. In the Dewhurst Stakes all eyes will be upon Godolphin's Saamid who bids to sign off with another pattern success after his scintillating Doncaster victory.

The Rockfel, Challenge and Darley Stakes are stirred into the Champions Day mix for good measure and there is even the second leg of the autumn double in the shape of the Cesarewitch where Ireland's Admiral Barry may well take the big staying handicap back across the water to Ireland.

The chief Flat action switches to Newbury on October 23 for the Radley and St Simon Stakes while at Doncaster the Racing Post Trophy takes centre stage. A week later the curtain comes down on October's excellent fare with the start of a new jumps season drawing ever nearer with the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and the Byrne Group Handicap Chase at Ascot.

Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips

Archive September 2010