Key race at Newbury this Saturday: Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes
Ahead of the Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes, here’s a closer look at three of the most interesting contenders for the seven-furlong Group 2: Never So Brave, Coppull and Symbol Of Honour. Ahead of the meeting’s key race, CopyBet reminds horse racing followers that its Overnight Best Odds Guaranteed offer is available on this race throughout the card.
Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes – Newbury
One of Newbury’s most prestigious summer features, the Hungerford Stakes is a Group 2 contest over seven furlongs that has evolved from a modest post-war race into an important late-season target for high-class milers and sprinters.
Never So BraveNever So Brave brings proven seven-furlong form to Newbury. Trained by Andrew Balding, the five-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 campaign after moving from Sir Michael Stoute’s stable and being gelded.
He won the Buckingham Palace Stakes and Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot before completing three consecutive victories in the City of York Stakes. That Group 1 success over seven furlongs, in which he beat Lake Forest by half a length, established his credentials for Saturday’s distance.
His 2026 results have been less impressive, with fifth-place finishes at Sandown and Epsom, but a return to seven furlongs brought improvement when he finished second to Qirat in the Criterion Stakes. The Hungerford therefore represents a great opportunity for Never So Brave to build on his Group 1 breakthrough.
CoppullThree-year-old Coppull, trained by Clive Cox, takes a different route into the Hungerford. All his victories since debut have come over six furlongs, making Saturday his first attempt at seven.
He progressed quickly as a juvenile, winning on debut at Leicester before finishing third in the Coventry Stakes. He then won the Richmond Stakes (Group 2) at Goodwood and later finished third in the Middle Park Stakes (Group 1) at Newmarket.
Coppull returned in 2026 by winning the six-furlong Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot. His ability to settle and finish strongly offers some encouragement for the longer distance, although it does not establish that seven furlongs will suit.
Symbol Of HonourSymbol Of Honour brings something neither of the other two can match: recent winning form at Newbury.
The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old developed into a Group-class sprinter in 2025, winning the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury before taking the Sandy Lane Stakes (Group 2) at Haydock just seven days later.
He returned to Newbury in July 2026 and won the Hackwood Stakes (Group 3) over six furlongs, giving him significant victories at the course in consecutive summers.
The track therefore appears less of a question than the distance. Symbol Of Honour’s victories have been concentrated over six furlongs, and the Hungerford asks him to extend that form over another furlong.