[this month's diary]

Updated: 1st September 2013 - GG.com

September Rolls In

Flat racing's summer roller-coaster edges its way into autumn and pitches camp at Haydock in September for the first serious action of the month with the Betfred Sprint Cup on September 7.

Lethal Force
© Racehorse Photos

For the most part the domestic sprinters have been very much an average bunch and that has left the way clear for Clive Cox's zippy colt, Lethal Force, to land the Diamond Jubilee and July Cup sprints at Ascot and Newmarket respectively and despite a trouncing next time at the hands of Moonlight Cloud, another big run looks on the cards for the home-grown speedster at the Lancashire course.

If the ground does not turn too soft, stable companion Reckless Abandon and Newmarket raider Society Rock could pose the biggest threats to Lethal Force's ambition of capturing a remarkable trio of Pattern race successes over sprint trips. Twelve months ago Society Rock came home a comfortable winner of the Sprint Cup and with his stable in stunning form, he should be a danger to all.

On the same Haydock card watch out for any Luca Cumani-trained runners in the Old Borough Handicap. The Newmarket handler boasts a fine record with his runners at the Lancashire course and fresh from some nice winners of late, Cumani will be looking to land another valuable handicap prize. Over in Ireland, South Dublin's Leopardstown course stages two valuable Group One contests in the shape of the Matron and Champion Stakes on September 7.

Al Kazeem
© Racehorse Photos

Roger Charlton's Al Kazeem fluffed his lines when well beaten in York's Juddmonte International Stakes and it seemed a poor piece of training to get the horse beaten by a rival that he had defeated before in the Eclipse. A re-match with Declaration Of War could be on the cards in the Irish Champion but connections seem confused as to which races to aim Al Kazeem at in the autumn and the Prix Foy at Longchamp on September 15 has also been mentioned as a target for Al Kazeem along with the Arc and the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

September's racing calendar gives pride of place to Doncaster's four-day St Leger meeting and while that number of days is arguably one day too many for a fixture that often features a good deal of filler, racing clicks into gear on the second day, September 12, with the Park Hill Stakes, and Lady Cecil's late-developing filly Wild Coco should be hard to beat after her fine success at Glorious Goodwood the other day.

Friday's Doncaster card is stronger fare and features the Flying Childers Stakes and the Doncaster Cup where the speedsters and the stayers respectively get the chance to strut their stuff. On the same day, Chancery can continue his climb up the handicap ladder by adding the Mallard Handicap to his recent York success if he returns to action at Doncaster.

Excess Knowledge
© Racehorse Photos

Saturday September 14 brings the curtain down on the Classic action and in another poor season for three-year-old talent, John Gosden may well be the man punters turn to in the search for the St Leger winner. Gosden's Excess Knowledge should have won easily at Goodwood last time and looks the stand-out candidate among an uninspiring bunch of three-year-olds.

At the Curragh on the same day, the Irish St Leger seems sure to be just as open a race as its Doncaster equivalent, and it will be interesting to see whether Leger trial flop, Ernest Hemingway, can bounce back to form. The Curragh also stages a meeting on September 15 and Henry Candy's hugely talented Cape Peron has been pencilled in for a pop at the Solonway Stakes.

Afsare
© Racehorse Photos

The following week racing shifts north for three fine days of action at the Ayr Western Meeting that culminates in the Ayr Gold Cup, Europe's richest sprint handicap, on September 21. Dandy Nicholls has been a past master at sending out the winner of this 6f sprint but he lacks the ammunition these days for success in the big sprints and perhaps fellow trainer Richard Fahey can provide the winner with Baccarat, just one of many from his multitude of smart sprinters.

On September 27 Newmarket hosts the Group One Fillies' Mile on a lively card that also contains the Joel Stakes and the Oh So Sharp Stakes. The progressive Amazing Maria may well be the one for the Fillies' Mile while a revitalised Afsare should take the world of beating in the Joel Stakes on the way to a crack at the QE11 next month.

The best, however, is reserved for Saturday September 28 when the Cambridgeshire is augmented by the Group One Sun Chariot and the Cheveley Park Stakes on the Rowley Mile course. In the latter contest, the Newmarket-trained Lucky Kristale catches the eye and she looks a decent bet for the Group 1 fillies' contest.

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

Archive August 2013