Nick Luck’s blog: Eyed one up in the Classic

The first Classic of the year is upon us, and it doesn’t get more special than this, with a stellar undercard to match the main event we look set for a real treat, and that’s before you even consider the races going on elsewhere.

Read on for Nick’s thoughts on six Saturday races.

Newmarket

JUMBY looks a solid choice to get us off to a winning start at 17/2 on ITV at Newmarket on Saturday (1.50pm). He has loads of good course and distance form, and he ran quite well in a better race on his comeback, particularly given his rather slow start. If a bit sharper here, he should be right on the premises for a yard going very well.

DHAHABI might just be a very well handicapped horse and can win the Suffolk handicap (2.25pm) at 10/3 despite his long layoff. He showed really smart form as a 2yo, particularly here in the autumn stakes on unsuitably soft ground, when he had proven pattern class rivals behind him. As a Frankel half-brother to Golden Horn, he should have a deal more to offer.

TWILIGHT CALLS is a bit of a mug selection at 5/2 in the Palace House (3.00pm), as the second lowest rated horse in the race at a prohibitive price, but there are reasons to think that he is a genuine top-notcher on the strength of his performances on the Rowley Mile. His trainer is brilliant at developing this type of horse, and the suspicion is that this strong traveller will keep improving granted a searching pace at five furlongs.

EYDON looks the value play at big odds of 22/1 in the 2,000 Guineas (3.40pm). This is a tremendous renewal of the colts’ classic, and regular readers will know of my obsession with Coroebus, in particular. But there is every chance that the vagaries of the Rowley Mile and a big field splitting into two groups could play against him out in stall one. As I read it, the field is likelier to be towed deeper into the race by the higher drawn horses – Dubawi Legend and Point Lonsdale in particular – and there must be every chance that this develops into a real war at the trip. I like the potential race fitness edge of my selection, but more that he glided to victory over a smart performer in Masakela (form with the very best juveniles, including Native Trail, last year) over nine furlongs. Roger Varian prefers to run him over another solid form horse, Bayside Boy, and I am sure that Eydon can grab at least a slice of the money here.

Thirsk

JEAN BAPTISTE might be worth a small interest at 14/1 in the Thirsk Hunt Cup (2.05pm). I think he might have conned his previous connections into believing that he wanted a trip by winning over ten at Newmarket last year, but that was a small field affair that he dominated from the front. To my reading, he wants a strongly run race at this trip, and he ran very well when fifth in this last year off a higher mark. He should get a bit more cover from his draw this time and his new stable is among the winners.

Goodwood

PRIMO BACIO is hard to get away from at 2/1 in the feature at Goodwood (2.40pm). Her best form towers over these and, although she lost the plot at the end of last season, she has the perfect race to get her career back on track here.