Neil Morrice: UK Racing Best Bets – Saturday 10 October 2020

With Ryan Moore committed to ride Van Gogh, Stoute has reached for champion jockey Murphy for MAXIMAL who is bred to handle the ground and has his tail up after cantering up on his latest start at Sandown. The son of Galileo had earlier run well in a Newbury novice and a Sandown maiden and sparkled in his winding-up gallop for this.

Several unbeaten records go on the line in a race that frequently has a bearing on the following year’s Classic picture. CHINDIT produced a telling turn of foot to complete a hat-trick in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and has already won with cut in the ground. He sets the standard ahead of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Thunder Moon, an impressive winner of his maiden and a Group 1 at the Curragh, and a colt clearly improving at a rate of knots. Alkumait displayed a willing attitude when taking out the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury and carries abundant confidence to post for owner Sheikh Hamdan and trainer Marcus Tregoning. Chindit’s stablemate Etonian looked professional when winning the Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown and at a longer price can’t be ruled out. Aidan O’Brien sends out Wembley and St Mark’s Basilica, with the former looking his main arrow. Ryan Moore takes the irons on the Galileo colt who has something to find with Thunder Moon. Further strength from Ireland is evident through Jessica Harrington’s Cadillac, while Tactical is a Royal Ascot winner with subsequent Group 2-winning form in the July Stakes here, and represents value at a double-figure price.

Prediction
1st CHINDIT
2nd Thunder Moon
3rd Wembley
4th Alkumait
5th Tactical
6th Etonian

The Cesarewitch is a fiendishly difficult puzzle to unravel, with 34 set to go to post making it the biggest field assembled in a handicap all season. COLTRANE is the least experienced horse but that’s one of the reasons for siding with him, as after three straight wins he’s open to further progression for a trainer that excels with this type of individual. His successes at Chepstow, here and at York have all been gained with authority, making him an up and coming stayer with a lot more going for him than the vast majority of his foes.

Key to the chances of HIGHEST GROUND is the decision to bring him back 300 metres on the distance ladder. Beaten by Thunderous when odds-on for the Dante Stakes back in early July, he’s been let down and brought back steadily, with Ryan Moore partnering him in his last piece of stronger work on the Limekilns. That’s thought to have brought the Frankel colt to concert pitch.

It takes the return of a horse as exciting as FIDDLERONTHEROOF to tell jumps aficionados that the proper season is at last upon us. The six-year-old is made for fences, has jumped beautifully on the schooling ground, and on a course that is tailor-made for his free-going racing style can take the scalps of a couple of equally well-regarded rivals in Fusil Raffles and Longhouse Sale.

The Grade 3 Silver Trophy offers KHAGE the chance to take advantage of a dropping mark on debut for his trainer. The mercurial seven-year-old was mainly bang out of form last season but importantly won on both visits to this course as a novice. If a change of stables has helped get his mojo back the gelding can figure at a big price.

Although in the veteran stage, GARDE LA VICTOIRE has few miles on the clock and can still be a force in two and a half mile handicap chases. He showed with a staying on third at Kempton on the Saturday after the Cheltenham Festival that he has retained much of his ability. The former Greatwood Hurdle winner is sufficiently forward for this first run in seven months to be competitive.

A strong vote goes to JUST FINE who set strong fractions when opening his account in a Sandown novice. He put up a dominating display to come home unchallenged and needs to be ridden with similar aggression if he’s to take out this nursery. The son of Sea The Stars has been in very good form at home and gets the vote over top weight Dubai Honour who should also be included in all exotics.

After breaking his maiden in a canter at Bath and following up with similar panache on handicap debut at Yarmouth, CRYSTAL PEGASUS steps into deeper waters in this Class 2. The close relative of Crystal Ocean is getting weight from the majority of his foes and can end the impressive winning sequence of Ilaraab.

BARBILL landed some good bets when winning at Haydock and Chester and although unable to add to those laurels in big fields such as today’s is worth chancing to deliver under a new jockey. He will handle the ground, and looked full of beans in his final stretch for this on the West Ilsley all-weather strip.

Although proving difficult to win with so far, EL KHALDOUN has a good record fresh, gaining his only success on debut. He was a beaten favourite on three of his four outings last season but now goes over fences, and first time back could well be the time to catch him.

A newcomer should take the nightcap, with LELANTOS just preferred to Scardino. The selection shouldn’t run green, having done plenty of work, and can add to the good strike-rate his trainer has clicked up in early season bumpers to make it a good day for the stable.