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Juveniles Take Centre Stage At Newmarket's Cambridgeshire Meeting 26/09/13

Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire meeting may get off to a rather slumberous start with only a solitary Group Three contest taking place on Thursday, but the three-day festivities will hot up on Friday afternoon as the juveniles propel on to the scene and there’s a mouth-watering clash between Clive Brittain’s Rizeena and Saeed Bin Suroor’s Ihtimal in the Shadwell Fillies’ Mile.

Novellist
© Racehorse Photos

A race that often throws up a potential 1000 Guineas contender for the following year, the 2013 running should be no different and the bookmakers have been quick to install Queen Mary winner, Rizeena, as a hot favourite for the eight-furlong event, as she built on her Royal Ascot win with a fine display in Ireland when landing the Moyglare Stud Stakes earlier this month.

However, she will step up in trip for Friday’s Group One event and at 6/4 could be vulnerable to the flourishing Ihtimal, who showed a magnificent turn of foot when romping to victory in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster’s a couple of weeks back and the Godolphin runner can notch her maiden Group One contest here.

Currently a 5/2 shot with various bookmakers, the Shamardal filly may have a fair bit to find on official ratings but she travelled like a dream on Town Moor last time out and duly picked up with aplomb when looking to have her work cut out, and with stamina issues not a problem, it could be the boys in blue that are celebrating at the end of an intriguing contest and the 16/1 currently available for next year's 1000 Guineas could be long gone.

Berkshire
© Caroline Norris

Saturday will kick off in superb fashion with the classy Chesham Stakes winner, Berkshire, looking to emulate the mighty Frankel by landing the Royal Lodge Stakes and Paul Cole’s juvenile showed when storming to victory at the Royal meeting in June that he could be another propelling on to the Classic scene and being regarded as a genuine 2000 Guineas contender, for which he too is a best price 16/1 chance.

A two-and-a-half length winner of the Chesham, Berkshire trounced the abovementioned Ihtimal in that contest and so the form has been franked as the season has progressed and even though he will have to deal with a near 100-day absence, the son of Mount Nelson looks the one to beat, but Aidan O’Brien’s Kingfisher will prove to be popular in the Group Two heat, whilst Richard Hannon’s Washaar will go in search of his third win on the spin.

The fillies launch back into the limelight after the Royal Lodge and French Raider, Vorda, will make her British debut for Philippe Sogorb and she was a gallant second to the top class No Nay Never in the Prix Morny in August and if she can replicate that effort will be a tough nut to crack for the home contingent.

Albany Stakes winner Kiyoshi was instantly labelled as a potential Classic filly, but she was comfortably beaten by Rizeena in that Moyglare Stud Stakes win at the Curragh, so will be hoping to return to form here, whilst Lady Cecil’s Joyeuse and David Wachman’s unbeaten Come To The Heel will just be another brace of major players in another hot juvenile event on the three-day meeting.

The Cambridgeshire may be the highlight of the meeting, for which Brian Ellison's Top Notch Tonto, Hugo palmer's Ascription and the William Haggas trained Graphic are fighting out favouritism in the hugely competitive handicap over nine furlongs but it is the two year olds who should be added to the note book during this meeting with a view to any other engagements ahead of the flat season's conclusion and looking ahead to 2014.