Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Stakes

Heritage Handicap,
Newmarket 15:40
£175,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus,
2m 2f, Class 2   
Saturday 11th October 2025

FormRatings

1 Beylerbeyi 7/1
2 Dawn Rising 15/2
3 Bunting 5/1
4 Divine Comedy 28/1
19 ran NR: Manxman, Surrey Bell
Distances: 1¼l, 2¼l, 1¾l Time: 3m 47.95s (fast by 0.55s)

It was a ride that had class written all over it — the sort that makes you understand exactly why Billy Loughnane is tipped by so many to be a future champion. From stone last to first in one of the trickiest staying handicaps of them all, the young rider conjured a sparkling success from Beylerbeyi.

For trainer Ian Williams, it was the culmination of a fine piece of horsemanship. The five-year-old, picked up for relative peanuts from France, has blossomed under his care — this was his eighth victory for the yard, the latest chapter in a remarkable story of steady progress.

Sent off at 7-1, Beylerbeyi came here having improved nearly 20lb this season, but there was still a question mark hanging over him: could he see out the stamina-sapping two miles and two furlongs on the Rowley Mile? His runner-up finish in the Mallard at Doncaster over a mile and three-quarters had offered hope — and from halfway here, that hope was swelling into confidence.

Loughnane had him anchored at the back early, biding his time, the rhythm smooth and unhurried. Turning for home, the pair began to creep into contention, still travelling with the sort of composure that tells its own story. The only doubt now was whether the gaps would appear — and when Dawn Rising rolled off a straight line inside the final furlong, Loughnane didn’t need a second invitation. Through he came, quickening past to win decisively by a length and a quarter, with Dawn Rising sticking on for second, Bunting and Divine Comedy filling the places.

“He’s obviously a horse who is improving and my hardest part was getting him down to the start and switching him off,” said Loughnane afterwards. “He bit his tongue on the way down and he was a ball of sweat, but it definitely didn’t stop him. All he’s done is improve all year.

“Once he found a nice rhythm, he picked up and extended well. I knew he would always finish off but didn’t know how far he would stay and I was just trying to nurse him into it and in the last furlong he kept on really well.”

He smiled, the sense of disbelief still fresh. “I’m in dreamland this season and very lucky to be riding for such good people. Winning big handicaps is always good and it’s great to give Ian a big winner.”

For Williams, there was both relief and admiration — particularly for the ride.

“Don’t underestimate the ride the kid has given him there,” he said. “It was a huge performance with a horse who is mad keen and never run over this trip before.

“The furthest he had run over is one-mile-six and we had to run him over a mile this time last year as he was so keen and wouldn’t settle.

“There’s a reason I booked Billy and he showed why there. It was a huge performance from the jockey and maybe not so much from the trainer, but I’m happy to be a part of it.

“I said to the owners after his run at Newbury (when third), this could actually be all the difference to winning the Cesarewitch as he won’t have a penalty and we’ll roll the dice. It’s great to finally win this race and we’ve been placed in it so many times.”

Looking ahead, Williams allowed himself a moment to dream wider.

“There’s the temptation to campaign him as a Cup horse now, but he could still be rated under 100 after this so he could still have a way to go before he is really a Cup horse.

“He could be a horse who takes in the Red Sea Turf (in Saudi Arabia) and there’s lots of options with him but we’ve only had the staying option to go with him this season and we’ve rolled the dice to see if he could stay the two-miles-two-furlongs.

“It opens up more options now as he has the pace for shorter and if only he could settle you could run him at any distance you wanted, but before you can do anything you need him to settle so it can be hard work.”

On an afternoon when experience met youthful instinct, Beylerbeyi proved his stamina — and Billy Loughnane proved, yet again, that his star continues to rise.

SureWIn

Cesarewitch Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
£175,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 2m 2f, Class 2
19 ran
Going: Good to Firm, Good in places

POS. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (5)    Beylerbeyi 5 8-11 Ian Williams Billy Loughnane 7/1
2 (12) 1¼ Dawn Rising 8 9-3 Joseph O'Brien Oisin Murphy 15/2
3 (9) 2¼ Bunting 5 9-1 W P Mullins William Buick 5/1
4 (4) 1¾ Divine Comedy 7 9-5 Harry Eustace Kaiya Fraser 28/1
5 (21) 1 Reverend Hubert 7 8-3 4ex C Byrnes Silvestre De Sousa 7/2F
6 (8) 1 Ndaawi 5 8-9 Gordon Elliott Cieren Fallon 10/1
7 (7) 1 Belgravian 3 8-2 4ex Andrew Balding Nicola Currie 11/1
8 (15) 2 Alphonse Le Grande 6 8-13 A J Martin Seamie Heffernan 12/1
9 (11) ½ Winter Fog 11 8-5 W P Mullins Sean D Bowen 22/1
10 (13) ½ The Shunter 12 9-3 Emmet Mullins James Doyle 40/1
11 (1) ¾ Bashful Boy 9 8-2 David Pipe Amie Waugh 80/1
12 (6) 4 Hipop De Loire 8 9-12 W P Mullins Clifford Lee 14/1
13 (16) 1½ Pole Star 3 8-2 Charlie Johnston Joe Fanning 10/1
14 (20) 2 Mordor 5 8-8 Gordon Elliott Jamie Spencer 18/1
15 (18) 23 Vaguely Royal 5 8-4 Syd Hosie Andrew Breslin 200/1
16 (10) 6½ Caprelo 4 8-2 4ex Hughie Morrison Tyler Heard 33/1
17 (3) 1½  Fireblade 4 8-10 Dylan Cunha Sean Levey 18/1
18 (14) 8 Barnso 4 9-4 Alan King Rossa Ryan 28/1
19 (17) ½ Seddon 12 8-7 John C McConnell Patrick McGettigan 66/1
NR 7 (2) Manxman 5 9-0 Simon & Ed Crisford NON RUNNER
NR 17 (19) Surrey Belle 5 8-2 4ex Adrian Paul Keatley NON RUNNER