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The Two-Year-Old Champions Elect on Show at Newmarket this Weekend

It’s Future Champions Weekend at Newmarket this week. But, in truth, a clutch of races on the schedule are about crowning the champions of now and not just the future.

A number of the races at this weekend’s meeting can define this season’s champion juveniles. As the title of the festival suggests, these events will also be featuring possible major contenders for all the Classics next spring and summer.

Those looking simply for an intriguing bet, especially with the jumps season on the horizon will be concentrating on the Cesarewitch. However, the real talent lies within those two-year-old ranks and we’re looking at who they are and what they might become.

Oh So Sharp Stakes, Friday

Oh So Sharp Stakes 2024 Betting

The fillies take centre stage on Friday, beginning with the seven-furlong Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes.

Being over this trip on the Rowley Mile, you’d think this race would be a premium 1000 Guineas trial. In truth however, there hasn’t been a lot of success in that arena for winners of this contest.

Slightly perversely, Dance Sequence won it last time and she stayed the mile and a half really well when finishing runner-up to a very good Oaks winner this year. Incidentally, she returns on Friday’s card as well.

The red-hot Ralph Beckett has Cathedral at the top of the market this time. By Too Darn Hot, she was outstanding on debut but may be pushed by Charlie Appleby’s Blue Point filly Magical Trail. She’s a big improver and will love going back up to this trip.

Fillies’ Mile, Friday

Fillies' Mile 2024 Betting

This race has by far the better record for future success, but it’s a Group 1 in its own right. Many think of future Oaks contenders coming from this race, but this is a course and distance trial for the 1000 Guineas which is where many end up.

Winners include Minding, Laurens and Inspiral which shows you what it takes and what they can become. Dreamy (Aidan O’Brien) is well regarded, though Ryan Moore has chosen to ride the stable’s January.

They will both have to go some to catch Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten May Hill winner Desert Flower though who looks like a proper, strong-staying miler.

Zetland Stakes, Saturday

Zetland Stakes 2024 Betting

Being that this is run over 1¼ miles at Group 3 level, entrants in the Zetland are seen as future stayers. Indeed, this race has been won by Double Trigger and Silver Patriarch.

Middle-distance types have gone well in the Zetland more recently with classy types Hartnell, Coronet, Kew Gardens and Arabian Crown all taking the race. That’s the type we’re looking for here.

Charlie Appleby has an amazing record on this track, and it seems he will be running Watching Stars. He needs to improve, but as a Sea The Stars colt he looks the right type. Aidan O’Brien has entered a battalion once again.

Autumn Stakes, Saturday

Autumn Stakes 2024 Betting

Though a Group 3, this is a very strong one-mile race for the colts. Winners include such stars as Nashwan, Dr Fong, Nayef and 2000 Guineas winner Coroebus. Some may go onto the Derby or onto 1¼ miles, but despite the presence of the Dewhurst on this card the Autumn Stakes is a very strong Guineas trial.

Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix tops the ratings along with stablemate Monumental. Wolf Of Badenoch (Hugo Palmer) and Aftermath are also highly regarded. They have had some experience too but could be vulnerable to an improver.

More lightly-race types include Silver Peak (Charlie Appleby), a Dubawi who was an easy winner at Haydock recently, and Dunamase (John & Thady Gosden). The latter is a Wathnan Racing runner by Kingman.

Sir Michael Stoute’s Nightwalker (Frankel) is also of interest with Oisin Murphy booked early, along with the once-raced Yabher (William Haggas), a son of Sea The Stars who won on debut.

Dewhurst Stakes, Saturday

Dewhurst Stakes 2024 Betting

This is the biggie. A Group 1 over seven furlongs, this is the number one race for two-year-olds in Europe.

The honour roll for the Dewhurst is a who’s who. Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Grundy, The Minstrel, El Gran Senor, Generous, Dr Devious, and Zafonic all won it. More recently, Teofilo, New Approach, Frankel, Churchill, Too Darn Hot and City Of Troy were all successful.

This is a bona fide champions race, as young as they are, so even though two-year-olds haven’t become household names yet you can rest assured that whoever wins this is a real top-notcher. The victor in fact will go into the winter as the 2000 Guineas and, depending on pedigree, the Derby favourite.

Only Three Trainers Represented

Hugo Palmer has Seagulls Eleven entered in the Dewhurst but he’s rather crashing the Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Appleby party. The former handler has five engaged at the five-day stage, while Appleby has two of his own for Godolphin who have had a great time at the sales this week buying more future talent.

The Lion In Winter, the Acomb Stakes winner who is unbeaten in two, is the short-priced favourite here but the talking horse is the one who has been supplemented at a cost, Appleby’s Shadow Of Light.

The colt was most impressive indeed when streaking away at this course a fortnight ago to land the Middle Park Stakes (Group 1) and now he steps up in trip. It’s not as though he won’t handle it either, being a son of Lope De Vega out of a New Approach mare.

He’s impeccably bred and looks a real specimen, though at the time of writing William Buick hasn’t committed to him. The team also have Ancient Truth who is unbeaten and overdue a trip back to the racecourse having last been seen when winning the Superlative Stakes in good style back in July.

It might not be the biggest field of the weekend, but the Dewhurst is undoubtedly one of the races of the season and very much the one to note the result of going into the winter with the Classics in mind.