Early May means the Guineas Festival at Newmarket races begins with the three-day fixture starting on Friday. Headquarters has the Grade 2 Jockey Club Stakes acting as its feature contest on the opening day.
Supporting that on the Rowley Mile are a couple of Listed races in the King Charles II and Newmarket Stakes, plus lots of handicaps. With both the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas to follow over the weekend, this is a gentler start to the meeting.
Although only attracting a small field of just four runners, the Jockey Club Stakes includes Ambiente Friendly, placed in both the Epsom and Irish Derbies last season. Globetrotting pair Bellum Justum and Silver Knott bring international form lines into it, while Divina Grace won her recent Newbury outing.
It makes for an absorbing contest that traders on horse racing betting sites and punters alike can take a view on. When it’s selection time here, we look to our experts for their Friday fancies from the Rowley Mile runners on show.
Newmarket Races Preview for Friday, 2 May – Guineas Festival 2025 Day 1
1:45 – Listed 1m 2f Newmarket Stakes (Colts & Geldings)
Charlie Appleby’s made all nicely at Yarmouth and remains unbeaten. Alpine Trail should have no problem with this trip on a stiffer and straight course. Ernst Blofeld is an eye-catching name after the iconic James Bond villain, yet he hung disturbingly left when scoring around Kempton.
Something similar at Newmarket races will not help his cause, so the pick of the Gosden trio could be Nebras. As a course maiden winner over a mile, he also shaped as though this longer trip should suit when runner-up around Southwell on reappearance. Aurel and Harvey haven’t run for around 180 days, meanwhile, so may need it.
2:20 – Listed 7f King Charles II Stakes
Field Of Gold is favourite for Saturday’s Guineas, but Cosmic Year looks just as competitive for @JuddmonteFarms if he takes his chances
⏱️His Top Speed of 42.3 mph, winning at Kempton 3 weeks ago, is higher than any other horse entered in the Guineas has reached
🚀29% of… pic.twitter.com/eYcewvqzvt
— RaceiQ (@Race_iQ) April 29, 2025
Another Listed race for three-year-olds now, and course and distance Group 3 scorer The Waco Kid meets old rivals Diego Ventura and Symbol Of Honour on 5lb worse terms from the autumn. The latter ran well in his Middle East campaign over the winter, but Meydan racing is all around a bend.
This could instead go to something less exposed, and two to note are COSMIC YEAR, who had a 2000 Guineas entry, and La Botte. Juddmonte’s undefeated Kingman colt added to Sandown success with an All-Weather win on reappearance around Kempton. Ryan Moore now takes the ride on Cosmic Year.
La Botte, meanwhile, only landed a Newcastle maiden last time, but in such style that stepping up in grade looks logical. Pellitory is a likeable sort trying to progress out of handicaps, and scored over course and distance at Newmarket races during the Craven Meeting. Chancellor disappointed in the Greenham last time out over this trip, but does drop down a level.
2:55 – 1m Class 3 Handicap (0-90)
Competitive, but DANTE’S LAD is 2lb better off with subsequent Kempton winner Wild Nature from their nursery encounter around the same venue. He made a winning debut for George Boughey on that occasion and should confirm the form off the revised, favourable terms.
Godolphin also run Spectacular View, as well as Wild Nature, and he looks a threat to Dante’s Lad. Topweight Brave Mission also has claims, especially on his second to Chancellor at Doncaster last summer. He should be more comfortable running right-handed at Newmarket races for Ralph Beckett and Juddmonte.
Richard Hannon’s Best Rate should fine a more testing mile than Kempton suitable after a reappearance third. As for the others, there’s less to recommend them with Fort George best of them, according to the early market.
3:30 – 7f Class 2 Handicap (0-105)
One for older horses now, and course and distance second FIFTY NIFTY looks an obvious and worthy favourite. Tom Clover’s four-year-old has a 2lb nudge for an unlucky runner-up effort here the last day. Fifty Nifty has a July Course win at Newmarket races before, so he likes Headquarters well enough.
Miss Information looks about right with the handicapper, meanwhile, and could come on for her reappearance fifth in the same event that the selection contested here. Jennie Candlish and Pam Sly have race-fit hopes too in Alzahir and Physique respectively.
Local Hero was nearest at the finish last time and only beaten by a head, so should go well again for Hannon. It’s the top two weights who appeal least, meanwhile, with questions over the quicker ground for Jamie Osborne new recruit Tarkhan to answer. Jumby looks very exposed and hasn’t won for a long while now.
4:05 – 1m 4f Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes
Silver Knott‘s international exploits mean he commands respect, but he hasn’t raced in the UK for two years. On his American and Middle East adventures, the Godolphin runner has raced around multiple bends. There’s just one to take at Newmarket races in this, so that’s a concern.
Bellum Justum didn’t stay this far either in the Epsom Derby or when beaten in Group 3 action by Divina Grace around Newbury last time. It could be the latter, getting a 3lb sex allowance all-round who emerges as the biggest threat to Ambiente Friendlyy here/
4:45 – 6f Class 3 Fillies’ Handicap (0-88)
Finally, CIRCE could reinvent herself as a sprinting type in the concluding race. Hannon’s daughter of Kodiac stays a mile, but this is a stiff 6f and she’s not short on speed. If not Circe, then topweight Rosy Affair ran a string of fine races on the July Course here last summer.
It’s more difficult quantifying the three-year-olds against their elders here. Searchingtheblues has the most encouraging form figures, yet flopped when switched a straight course up at Newcastle, raising doubts about her suitability for Newmarket races now.
Pearl Of Windsor is 1lb out of the weights, but now goes handicapping after four consecutive goes in Listed company. She could have something to offer in this sphere, especially with the eye-catching jockey booking of Billy Loughnane.
