Newbury. Hungerford Stakes Meeting – Copybet
Newbury hosts the sole Premier Raceday fixture on Saturday, a high quality seven-race card coming from the Berkshire track, in which the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes over 7f is the feature.
The action gets underway at 13.50 with the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes over an extended 1m5f - last season’s Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly looking to get his career back on track - and concludes with a fascinating three-year-old handicap at 17.20.
Jumby – Newbury
Eve Johnson Houghton’s JUMBY hasn’t won in over two years, but he’s posted a series of good efforts in defeat this season and makes plenty of appeal at a track where he’s often excelled in the past.
The seven-year-old, a winner of six of his 41 starts, landed the biggest success of his career in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes on this card in 2022 and he went close in that same race last season, beaten a short-neck into third behind Tiber Flow.
That form makes him a real standout in this event and, whilst he’s not at that level currently, his much reduced mark of 94 more than reflects that.
Newbury is clearly a track that he enjoys, the son of New Bay recording Racing Post Ratings ranging from 94 to 116 on his seven previous visits. Even a reproduction of that lowest figure would put him firmly in this mix and the likelihood of quick ground further enhances his claims.
Pinhole – Newbury
The last 10 runnings of the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes have been shared equally between the three-year-olds and the older horses, but Ralph Beckett’s PINHOLE can tip those scales in favour of the Classic generation by securing victory under Colin Keane.
The son of Frankel has shown improvement every time he’s stepped onto a racecourse and took his form to a whole new level with a runaway win in first-time cheekpieces over 1m4f at Ascot last month.
A solid fourth in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase over 1m6f at Royal Ascot previously, he won’t be inconvenienced by a return to this longer trip and the 8lb weight-for-age allowance he receives should give him the edge.
David O’Meara’s Epic Poet didn’t fire in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot, but he’s usually very consistent and likely represents the biggest danger.
Witness Stand – Newbury
William Haggas’ More Thunder this season has got more improvement to find if he’s to make the jump from handicap to Group 2 winner in the feature Hungerford Stakes and there’s a suspicion he’ll be vulnerable on this track.
Dr Richard Richard Newland’s and Jame Insole’s WITNESS STAND has a 3lb penalty to overcome for last month’s Lennox Stakes success, but he’s the clear standout on ratings (118) and is the only course and distance winner in the field.
Billy Loughnane, fresh from his first Group 1 success aboard Rebel’s Romance in Germany last weekend, takes the ride and at his current odds of 7-1, he represents excellent value.