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Newbury Races Preview for 20 September – World Trophy, Mill Reef Stakes & Autumn Cup on Saturday Card

18 September 2025
Michael Lee
Michael Lee
Michael Lee
Betting Expert
Michael has worked in the sports betting industry for many years. Following football, horse racing and track and field athletics, he has covered the last three Olympic Games, World Cups and other major sporting events.
All posts by Michael Lee
Betting Expert

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Newbury races preview for Mill Reef Stakes card

Dubai Duty Free Weekend at Newbury races reaches its climax on Saturday, 20 September with the Mill Reef Stakes card. This feature Group 2 contest over 6f for juveniles is the main event from the Berkshire track each and every autumn.

Supporting races include the Group 3 World Trophy for sprinters and a mile-and-a-quarter handicap. There’s also the Autumn Cup over the Geoffrey Freer course and distance of an extended mile-and-five, which often takes some getting in muddy conditions. More rain will make the going softer and even more testing, but that’s in the lap of the weather gods.

This deep into the Flat season, neither trainers, owners, jockeys nor bettors can expect good ground at Newbury races for the Mill Reef. What punters probably need are horses that act best with a bit of cut underfoot. That is where our experts come in. From studying past performances to checking pedigrees, they research the kind of runners who could prove useful.

Combining this information with the best prices offered by online horse racing bookies in the UK helps them track down value for you. As with any big Saturday fixture, there are some fancies here in Berkshire. See the reasons why certain runners make our experts’ shortlists with the case made for selections in the best contests from the card below…

Newbury Races Preview for Mill Reef Stakes Card on Saturday, 20 September

1:30 – 5f Group 3 World Trophy

Rumstar silks A typical nightmarish sprint for tipsters and punters to start with. A lot depends on how fit William Haggas has Montassib on his home work. He came good this time last season landing the Haydock Sprint Cup, but a racecourse absence of almost a year is a worry. With a mixed record fresh and stable companion First Instinct only dead-heating for fourth with Kerdos in the Beverley Bullet won by Shagraan three weeks ago, it’s a tricky puzzle.

What’s not in doubt is Nunthorpe fifth RUMSTAR has less on his plate here than at York and he could cash in on an ease in grade. Jonathan Portman’s five-year-old is a useful operator at this level with two victories in Group 3s earlier in the campaign under his belt. Rumstar doesn’t mind soft going either, so may prove himself capable of giving weight and a beating to his rivals as he did at Sandown over the summer.

With so the gap between top sprinters and handicappers so small, it wouldn’t be a huge shock in the conditions if Cover Up ran well for Simon & Ed Crisford. They book William Buick for the ride. Rage Of Bamby is the only course winner in the line-up, meanwhile, and Eve Johnson Houghton saw rain hit Berkshire when her mare landed the Hackwood in this grade over further. It’s whether she has the speed for the flying five furlongs.

Ed Walker filly Balmoral Lady has handled cut in the ground in the past, but trailed in last on a recent run across the Channel. She needs to bounce back, then, and the others make little appeal either on recent form or ratings. Montassib may be using this as a stepping stone to the Champions Sprint at Ascot next month, so punters should beware.

2:05 – 1m 5f 61y Class 2 Autumn Cup Handicap (0-105)

Stressfree silks An obvious recent form line that could provide the answer to this at Newbury races is the Old Borough Cup from Haydock a fortnight ago. Runner-up Dramatic Star is 2lb worse off with STRESSFREE from that Merseyside encounter with just a length and a tail between them. The latter, trained by David O’Meara doesn’t mind soft ground at all and probably prefers it.

Stressfree was also fourth in the Ebor, finishing ahead of James Tate’s re-opposing seventh Majestic Warrior. He could still have more improvement in him after an injury interrupted career. Castle Cove looks like one who could benefit from taking a marked step up in trip and, alongside Dramatic Star, gives Haggas a strong hand.

Mallard Handicap runner-up Beylerbeyi is the pick of Ian Williams’ pair in the line-up, but dropping a furlong or so down in trip may not be ideal. King Power Racing runner Lieber Power was only sixth in this 12 months ago, but is 3lb lower in the weights now. Jack Channon’s Majestic is something of an ante post gamble as he could unlock further progress for tackling a longer distance.

There are some lively outsiders to consider as well here, however. Hughie Morrison won this race in each of the last two seasons with Not So Sleepy and the mantle is now taken up by mare Azahara Palace sporting first-time blinkers off bottom weight. Miller Spirit could also be well-treated for Gary & Josh Moore off 1lb lower than his last winning Flat mark and his Yarmouth second in July.

2:40 – 1m 2f Class 2 Dubai Duty Free Handicap (0-105)

Paul Clare Rooney silks Dante's Lad silks Tricky, because the market principals haven’t run on softer surfaces, so that element is an unknown for punters using the best betting sites going into Newbury races. Defiance and Almosh’her look as though they want further than a mile-and-a-quarter. Three-year-olds have won three of the last five renewals, so it might be smart focusing on them. Both DANTE’S LAD and bottom weight NIGHT STEP could have further improvement in them.

George Boughey books 5lb claimer Jack Callan for the ride on the former. Taking that extra weight reduction into account, Dante’s Lad should confirm York form with John & Thady Gosden’s Theory Of Tides. Night Step represents useful trainer Owen Burrows, meanwhile, and placed over course and distance when denied a clear run two furlongs out on his latest start.

Johnson Houghton pair Forest Gate and Due To Henry have both gone well here in the past, so can’t be entirely ruled out. Last year’s winner Mustazeed is back to defend his crown for Harry Eustace. Even James Horton’s Serenity Blue isn’t out of this after just four career starts. It might come down to who handles conditions the best with Alan King mare Wisper looking very exposed and Tom Ward filly Our Golden One not firing on this card 12 months ago.

3:15 – 6f Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid silks Ante post fancy Wise Approach doesn’t return to Newbury races following an impressive course and distance victory earlier in the campaign, so Godolphin rely on Words Of Truth for this. He seeks a hat-trick for Charlie Appleby with the Lope De Vega gelding a seemingly strong stayer over this distance on pedigree. Words Of Truth comfortably beat Watcha Snoop, who has gone one better since and re-opposes, under a penalty at Newmarket.

As the third from his Ascot maiden has subsequently scored and the fifth home finished runner-up to Into The Sky here, the form has been franked. Speaking of that one, he struck over an extended 6f at this venue in impressive fashion. The concern with Jim Boyle’s once-raced charge is he struck at 80/1. Even young horses who win at big prices can end up disappointing next time and Into The Sky isn’t missed in the market.

Kevin Ryan’s ROCK ON THUNDER is well clear of those in the field with an official rating, however, and could go one better than his Gimcrack second. He chased home Wise Approach over course and distance before only going at York by a length to the well-regarded Lifeplan. Rock On Thunder may be just fine with cut in the ground as well and Kevin Stott is again on board.

Of the others, all need improvement. Flying Comet only did just enough to land a Windsor nursery last time and this demands more. Sands Of Spain and Gold Queen Kindly have the lowest ratings in the line-up, while Rydale Frosty hasn’t kicked on. It leaves the market principals, either because they’re unexposed or bring the best form into the race, who have it between them.

4:25 – 7f Class 3 Handicap (0-95)

Akkadian Thunder silks Little to no depth in the last of the Newbury races from the Mill Reef card our experts covered. There’s only consistent type in the field and that’s AKKADIAN THUNDER for O’Meara. He ran a close third at Doncaster over an extended 6f on Sunday. Akkadian Thunder went down by half-a-length and gaining with every stride. Against a field of largely out of form horses, he really should be winning this.

There is a danger in the shape of Dominic Ffrench Davis’ Mirabeau, however. As a three-year-old colt, he receives 3lb weight for age from his elders. Mirabeau is also 2lb for an eye-catching third to Native Warrior at Ascot earlier this month. Akkadian Thunder was behind in seventh that day, but now meets his old rival off 5lb better terms which may be enough to turn the tables.

A lot depends on whether the battle-hardened O’Meara runner is vulnerable to a younger foe with further improvement in them. Mirabeau may be capable of that, so those are the pick of this field. If Linwood could reproduce his course and distance win, then he has claims for Richard Hannon. Jumby, a standing dish in 7f handicaps, looks as though age has finally caught up with him.

Michael Lee
Michael Lee
Betting Expert
Michael Lee
Betting Expert

Michael has worked in the sports betting industry for many years. Following football, horse racing and track and field athletics, he has covered the last three Olympic Games, World Cups and other major sporting events.

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