The Dubai Future Champions Festival kicks off at Newmarket on Friday, 11 October with Group 1 action courtesy of the Fillies’ Mile. As this two-day meeting’s name suggests, it is largely centred on horses with their careers in front of them.
That makes it tricky for punters when placing wagers on horse racing betting sites, because they must weigh up juvenile form against potential future progress. Supporting races include the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes for young sprinters and Oh So Sharp Stakes restricted to two-year-old fillies.
There are events for older horses at the Dubai Future Champions Festival too. Day one has the Group 2 Challenge Stakes, Group 3 Pride Stakes for fillies and mares, and a three-year-olds only Heritage Handicap in the Old Rowley Cup. All of these races are worth closer inspection.
Newmarket Dubai Future Champions Festival Friday Preview
1:47 – 5f Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes
The Strikin Viking might be difficult to catch and we know he acts with cut in the ground. He has 5lb and upwards in hand on the field. There are plenty of credible challengers, however, with Godolphin’s progressive Midnight Thunder chief among them.
He handled soft ground when landing a Windsor novice and has since followed-up under a penalty at Yarmouth. As with The Strikin Viking, dropping back in trip doesn’t look an issue for Midnight Thunder on paper with Oisin Murphy again taking the ride.
There’s a good Irish contingent coming over too with Ballydoyle inmate Treasure Isle a player. After landing the Listed Juvenile Sprint at the Curragh, he wasn’t disgraced when third to subsequent Group 2 winner Aesterius in this grade at Longchamp last time out.
Of the five fillies entered against the boys here, meanwhile, there isn’t much between the Crisfords’ Coto De Caza and Fozzy Stack raider Grand Marques on ratings. John Ryan turns out La Bellota just five days after taking on his elders in the Abbaye at Longchamp, so this could come too soon after travelling to Paris and back in the last week.
2:25 – 7f Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes
There are lots of unexposed dangers in the line-up, meanwhile. Ralph Beckett and Amo Racing team up with impressive once-raced Lingfield maiden winner Cathedral, who could be anything. Dual 6f scorer First Instinct has needed almost every yard of that trip to get up, so it’s no surprise that William Haggas steps her up in trip and class.
Magical Trail is another unbeaten filly following wins on the July Course here and Kempton for Godolphin. Of those with more experience, Miss Fascinator has progressed from handicaps and chased home Tabiti in the Dick Poole at Salisbury in this grade last time.
Aidan O’Brien runs two with Ryan Moore sticking with May Hill fifth Ecstatic over stable companion Merrily. The former didn’t get a good start at Doncaster and weakened gradually in the closing stages, so a furlong less distance may help her cause.
3:00 – 7f Group 2 Challenge Stakes
Prolific Newmarket winner Noble Dynasty heads the betting, meanwhile, but the ratings topper also faces the slowest ground of his career. Most of the six-year-old’s successes have come in handicaps at Headquarters, but Charlie Appleby saddled him to Group 3 victory in the Criterion Stakes over the summer.
Royal Scotsman has two placed efforts at the highest level on the Rowley Mile. Paul & Oliver Cole’s four-year-old Gleneagles colt went down by a head in the 2022 Dewhurst over course and distance. He then ran third in last year’s 2000 Guineas. Royal Scotsman has often been seen to good effect with cut in the ground, so may be better value than the market leader.
If the handicapper is right, then Tom Clover’s Witness Stand has improved more than a stone-and-a-half (22lb) since the beginning of August. He is rather forced into Group company off the back of a taking enough three-length Listed success at Newbury last month.
Prix du Pin 1-2 Topgear and Ten Bob Tony look closely matched on that Longchamp run, but there must be some doubt as to whether the in-form Quinault will get this extra furlong on a softer surface despite notching a recent hat-trick. Even Shouldvebeenaring, who has so often been highly tried, isn’t out of it on the pick of his form.
3:35 – Group 1 Fillies’ Mile
It’s hard to get away from the unbeaten Desert Flower in the big race on day one of the Dubai Future Champions Festival. A dual winner on the July Course, she now tackles the Rowley Mile for Appleby and William Buick off the back of a comfortable Group 2 May Hill success at Doncaster. Desert Flower has a favourite’s chance and she’s the one to beat.
O’Brien runs three in a bid to thwart Godolphin with re-opposing Town Moor second January the clear pick of those. She has just a length-and-a-half to find with Desert Flower on May Hill form after landing a Listed race around Tipperary. Ryan Moore is now back on board.
Of the other Ballydoyle inmates, Group 3 winner Dreamy has done nothing wrong in winning both her career starts. She doesn’t have an Irish jockey in the plate here, however, with Tom Marquand taking the ride and Wayne Lordan on Ascot soft ground novice scorer Ballet Slippers.
Beckett got away with dropping Juddmonte filly Tabiti back in trip for the Dick Poole at Salisbury last time out, but it’s no surprise she has a greater stamina test after previously making all over 7f here on the July Course. The fourth unbeaten horse in the contest, Anna Swan, is in much deeper waters than her 2/11 Newbury novice success for Sir Michael Stoute, Richard Kingscote and Cheveley Park Stud.
4:10 – 1m 4f Old Rowley Cup Heritage Handicap
Kildare Legend has since followed-up over this distance at Doncaster. The sixth home from Town Moor has also won since and has a 93 rating, adding further evidence that Daniel Muscutt’s mount must be well-treated here.
Leading form claims go to Mount Atlas for the Andrew Balding stable, however. His Ascot success on King George Weekend off 7lb lower has clearly worked out well with the second and third both landing their next starts. Tabletalk took the Melrose Handicap during the Ebor Festival.
Away from the market principals who also include Brioni for Alan King, it’s interesting that connections of Goodwood Odyssey leave the headgear off. He ran too free when sent off favourite in a Heritage Handicap at Ascot last month. David Menuisier’s charge has won twice with cut in the ground this season, however, and scored in ready fashion around Goodwood off 5lb lower on his penultimate outing.
Imperial Sovereign has been highly tried this term, meanwhile, and finished ahead of Goodwood Odyssey in a first-time visor the last day. Karl Burke has had an excellent season and the jockey booking of James Doyle catches the eye here. It wouldn’t be the biggest surprise with the yard landing the Cambridgeshire with a horse carrying a welter burden here if Imperial Sovereign outran his odds.
4:45 – 1m 2f Group 3 Pride Stakes
If not Novus, then last season’s Oh So Sharp heroine Dance Sequence takes a major drop in grade on her return after having the second half of the summer off. The Godolphin three-year-old was highly-tried for the first part of the campaign.
Dance Sequence ran in the 1000 Guineas, The Oaks and Prix de Diane, finishing second to the retired Ezeliya at Epsom. The fourth home came out and landed the Irish Oaks. Dance Sequence didn’t stay a mile-and-a-half and then give her true running in France.
With the Oh So Sharp form advertised by the runner-up, Skellet, landing a Listed race last month, she’s interesting back from a break. The other seem much of a muchness, but Beckett duo Lady Boba and Verbier have bits and pieces to recommend them. Yarmouth Listed winner Sound Angela is prominent in the betting for Roger Varian too.
