Saturday’s Key Races at Newbury

This Group 3 contest, run over 1m4f, has long been a strong test for experienced middle-distance performers, and this year’s renewal features a competitive field of 20 runners.

Kalpana arrives with the strongest profile in the race. The five-year-old filly, trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Colin Keane, boasts the top official rating in the field and already has elite-level form over the distance. Her standout performance came in a Group 1 victory at Ascot in 2024, where she comfortably defeated Estrange over the same trip.

With nine of the last 11 winners aged four or five, Kalpana matches the ideal age trend. If she settles well in the early stages, her proven class and stamina could make her the headline story in Saturday’s Aston Park Stakes.

Damysus brings the most obvious momentum into the race. He won the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse in April 2026 on his reappearance and is now stepping up to Group 1 company for the first time, which is exactly the sort of test that can reveal whether a rising miler is ready for elite level.

Zeus Olympios is the interesting “could be anything” runner. He was unbeaten in four starts at three and had already landed the Group 2 Joel Stakes before finishing third on his return in the Sandown Mile, a race that his trainer suggested he needed for fitness. His raw ability makes him a major player, especially because Newbury’s mile can reward horses with a sharp turn of foot as much as pure stamina.

Another major contender in the Lockinge field is Notable Speech, a horse who has already built a remarkable reputation in a short career. The Godolphin homebred, by Dubawi out of Swift Rose, made racing history when winning the 2000 Guineas on his first attempt on turf, becoming the first horse since 1938 to land the Classic without racing as a two-year-old. He has since confirmed his elite status with further Group 1 success in the Sussex Stakes and an international victory in the Woodbine Mile in 2025.

My Love Is King is a Kingman colt out of Fallen In Love, trained by John and Thady Gosden, and his profile shows that he has already won once from just two starts, which makes him the sort of progressive type these handicaps can throw up. However, as he is the least experienced of the first trio of potential winners, the interesting question is whether his lack of experience becomes a problem in a race that often rewards horses with several flat runs under their belt.

Lost Boys also has a live profile, and perhaps the most important thing about him is that he already looks battle-hardened for this level. He is by Night Of Thunder, trained by David Menuisier, and his record shows two wins and two placings from four starts, which is exactly the kind of consistency you want in a competitive handicap. He has also been shaping well in recent runs, so he looks like one of the more reliable runners in the field.

Port Of Spain brings a stronger pedigree than his bare form might suggest. He is by St Mark’s Basilica out of Alive Alive Oh, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and he has already won once from five starts, with the sort of profile that suggests he could be more effective once he fully settles into longer middle distances. In a race like the London Gold Cup, that makes him interesting because lightly raced O’Brien horses can improve quickly, especially when asked to step into a handicap from stronger company.