Friday tips: Beat The Bank with Balding's hero at Newmarket
By Tom Stanley
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
I'm at Newmarket for Racing UK on Friday and the second day of the Cambridgeshire meeting takes centre stage on an excellent day's racing.
Court Of Justice was to be the big fancy of the day for me but as has been the case for the past few weeks I am plagued by non-runners! Marvellous.
Keep David Simcock’s colt in your Racing UK tracker so you can be notified when he runs next – he is entered in the Racing Post Trophy on October 28, as he is a winner I waiting, in my view.
I’m a big fan of this son of Paco Boy.
Beat The Bank was a winner at Headquarters on his debut for the Andrew Balding yard, having come over from Ireland.
I interviewed Andrew Balding after the race and, admitting he hadn’t had him very long, it was clear he thought plenty of the horse.
Ascot was disappointing but he bounced back in style in the Henry Cecil Stakes in July, when stepping up to a mile.
He proved he handled soft ground at Goodwood last time and, for all runner-up Make Time has disappointed since, I think Make Time is a pretty good horse. Beat The Bank steps up in class here but deserves to after his Goodwood win and I fancy he’s a Group One horse in the making.
For all I think Frontiersman is the most likely winner of the Mukhadram Godolphin Stakes, he is not a difficult horse to oppose at 5/4.
Step forward Best Of Days, who boasts the best two year old form of these and who has cheekpieces on for the first time.
He has been disappointing this season but it’s too soon to give up on him just yet. He made his reappearance over a mile and half at Ascot but perhaps needed that and the ground was on the slow side in terrible conditions at Newbury subsequently.
He ran better at Windsor last time where I’m not sure the track or race really suited him. He was short of room when making his challenge and got unbalanced before being looked after. I really think there’s a big race in him.
Fire Brigade and Afaak are a couple of three-year-olds that make plenty of appeal for the Silver Cambridgeshire.
The latter has been a touch disappointing (I backed him last time out) but we know he handles soft ground and this extra furlong should really suit.
A horse I have a little more faith in, however, is Michael Bell’s Fire Brigade. A course winner at the start of the year, he has proved he needs rain-softened ground and gets that here.
beverley
19:00 Beverley - Friday July 5
He is a hold-up type and there is not much pace on (See the Racing UK pacemaps on the racecard), so that has to be a concern, but I expect another furlong to bring out the best in him.
He challenged away from the winner initially last time when second at Ascot but was reeling him in at the finish and he probably bumped into a very good horse in the form of Cape Byron.
The two pulled miles clear and he looks a fairly treated horse back in handicap company.
Tom Stanley's Friday tips: (prices correct at 9am)
3.35 Newmarket: Beat The Bank at a generally available 9-4
4.45 Newmarket: Best Of Days at a generally available 7-1
5.20 Newmarket: Fire Brigade at 3-1 with bet 365, BetVictor and William Hill
Related posts
Sunday tips from Katie Midwinter: "She is the one to beat"
Dante Stakes: runner-by-runner guide and 12-1 tip
‘He is possibly the best ever’: Five talking points from Dan Skelton’s season
Watch: Aidan O’Brien impressed by Constitution River
Aidan O'Brien: the inside track on two exciting youngsters for Royal Ascot
Featured offers
Bet £10 get £40 in free bets with Kwiff
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets with Betano
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 & Get £30 in free bets with bet365
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets + Money back 2nd to SP fav with BOYLE Sports
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets in Multis with Betfair
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Copyright 2026 Racing TV - All Rights Reserved.
Please bet responsibly
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved