Newmarket Eyecatchers: Six to follow from the Guineas meeting

The very first race of the three-day meeting was a valuable fillies’ maiden over 1m2f and, whilst the winner Zgharta looks a smart prospect, having quickened up nicely off a slow early gallop, she was making her second start of the year and third start overall, whereas all five of her rivals on Friday had yet to see a racecourse.

Several showed promise in behind, but it was Charlie Appleby’s filly Silent Love who really caught the eye in third under a gentle introduction from William Buick. She looked outpaced running into the dip but made up ground on the uphill run to the line under hands and heels and was only beaten a length by the winner. She can land a similar contest next time out before going onto bigger things.

This well-bred son of Wootton Bassett ran three times for Joseph O’Brien before transferring to George Boughey’s yard in the Autumn and got off the mark for his new handler at the first attempt at Kempton in November.

Making his first start since that victory and since being gelded in Newmarket’s 1m three-year-old handicap on Friday, he shaped as if he may have needed the run, plugging on into fifth under Billy Loughnane.

A half-brother to 1m4f Group Three winner Pablo Ecobarr and 2m Group Three winner Roberto Escobarr, he could step up slightly in trip before long and his mark is unlikely to be beyond him.

Hardly an obvious selection given he won, but the nature of More Thunder’s second successive victory on the Rowley Mile on Saturday and the fact he should not be treated too harshly by the handicapper means he is very much one to keep on side going forwards, potentially with a view towards Royal Ascot where a stiff 6f in a big-field handicap like the Wokingham Stakes would play right to his strengths.

The four-year-old ran five times for Michael Stoute last year, primarily over 1m2f, but has been a revelation since being stepped down to 6f by William Haggas and showed the same tremendous late burst he displayed at the Craven meeting to win by a short head.

He is now two from two for the yard and, whilst he has clearly done nothing wrong over 6f, a step up to 7f could well be on the agenda at some point this season.

Making his first start of the year, the Richard Fahey-trained was well-backed to make a winning reappearance in the 6f three-year-old handicap on Saturday but it looked at one stage that the son of Oasis Dream would not beat many horses home. 

Nevertheless, Ryan Moore’s mount kept on gamely through beaten horses and ended up finishing fifth in the 12-runner field and was gaining on the leaders as he crossed the line. Despite being a 5f winner, he did well to finish as close as he did over 6f at Redcar last Autumn too, doing well from an unfavourable draw, and a step up in trip may very well be on the cards.

His form from last season reads well and a mark in the mid-90s looks more than reasonable.

Twenty-four hours after training Tornado Alert to finish fourth in the first Betfred British Classic of the season, Saeed bin Suroor repeated that feat by saddling his Dubawi filly Elwateen to fill the same spot in the second.

The Shadwell homebred was making just her second racecourse start having won on debut at Kempton back in August and was only beaten two and a quarter lengths by the vastly more experienced Desert Flower and was just a neck behind the even more experienced Simmering in third.

Between them, the first three home already had 16 runs under their belt and Bin Suroor’s filly looks likely to improve for a step up in trip, being out of Group One Prix Saint-Alary winner Tawkeel. She is entered in the Coronation Stakes, but the Oaks could very well be next, a race her trainer last won with Kazzia 23 years ago.

Adrian Keatley’s veteran Kihavah was the biggest eye-catcher on Sunday’s card, having been beaten two and a half lengths in the 1m6f heritage handicap. P J McDonald’s mount was travelling well against the far-side rail but had nowhere to go and had to switch out wide to get any kind of run.

Once he did get daylight, he powered up the hill and did well to finish fifth, one place lower than he finished in last year’s renewal but a lot closer to winning this time around.

Having won off a mark of 101 at Musselburgh last month, his revised mark for that effort is 2lb lower than the rating of 105 he ran off in Suffolk and he could have a major say at one of the upcoming staying handicaps, with opportunities for him at Royal Ascot and the July meeting, as well as York, where he finished second twice last season, including in the Ebor. A similar campaign is likely to await this ground-versatile eight-year-old, who also finished third in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in November.