Nick Luck’s blog: Picks from Newmarket and York

It’s Newmarket’s Future Champions’ Day and excellent racing from York this Saturday, and with some big priced picks hopefully there’s some upsets on the horizon.

Nick Luck has run his eye over seven races from Newmarket and York

GOLDSPUR is taken to come out best of the Godolphin duo at 4/1 in the Zetland Stakes which kicks off ITV’s coverage of Newmarket’s Future Champions’ Day (1.45). While stablemate Hafit appears to be the choice of William Buick, it should be noted that James Doyle partnered the selection on debut at Sandown, when he produced an extremely impressive staying performance having travelled strongly.

COROEBUS can carry on the good work for Godolphin by taking the Autumn Stakes (2.20) at 8/11. He will be a very short price, and everyone saw a massive chunk of his ability in that much talked about defeat in the Royal Lodge. It will be massively disappointing if he cannot make amends here.

GLOUNTHAUNE can spring a minor upset at 14/1 in the Dewhurst for Aidan O’Brien (2.55). Bringing forward this rather unconventional profile of a win in April and nothing since, he mirrors Tenebrism, who was successful off a similar layoff for the same stable in the Cheveley Park. The form of his Curragh win, however, is excellent: he beat Middle Park second Castle Star, pair clear, suggesting he’s probably up to this level. He was an expensive yearling with a smart pedigree and might represent a little each way value.

BUZZ is a strong fancy at 7/1 to land the Cesarewitch (3.35). The case for this horse is very straightforward: he has made huge progress over hurdles since he was last seen and is surely extremely well handicapped, having been targeted at this race since the spring for a yard with a good record in it. Conditions look just about perfect and it’s really hard not to see him running a huge race. Two outsiders interest me if you’re playing multiple places: they are RESHOUN and NICHOLAS T, neither of whom are straightforward, but both of whom have marquee marathon handicaps to their names this season and are not handicapped out of it.

SANDBECK is a slightly left field suggestion to outrun her odds of 28/1 in the Rockingham at York (2.02). She has a most interesting pedigree to make up into a smart sprinter and looked useful at least when showing a really good attitude to win on her debut at Carlisle, where the ground might well have been as firm as she wanted it judged on the performance of her relatives. It is notable that she has changed ownership to David Armstrong, who has raced many of the family members successfully, and de Sousa’s booking suggests she’s not making up the numbers.

AKMAAM is a similarly speculative big priced pick in the 10 furlong handicap (2.37) at 25/1. He looked a really bright prospect on both his starts as a two-year-old last autumn but has been a complete blowout this season. He has, however, been gelded and if that does the trick, he looks very well handicapped.

JUST FRANK is sightly high risk at 12/1 in the big sprint handicap (3.15), but he has a big race in him if he behaves. He threw away his chance in the Ayr Gold Cup last time by simply being too much of a tearaway, but this easier six on a pretty soft surface will be right up his street and, if in the form that saw him bolt up at Thirsk, he could be mighty hard to peg back.

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