Newmarket's three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting comes to an end on Saturday afternoon with another excellent seven-race card.
The Cambridgeshire Handicap is sure to be ultra-competitive and goes off at 3.40, while before that a pair of Group 1s take place via the Cheveley Park Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes - two key end of season contests for juveniles.
We are looking ahead to the Cambridgeshire itself as well as some of the supporting races on Saturday afternoon at Headquarters.
3.40 Newmarket - Cambridgeshire Handicap
The first of the big Newmarket 'autumn double' of handicaps takes centre stage on Saturday afternoon, with a field of 35 runners set to line-up for the Cambridgeshire over nine furlongs.
It is, as ever, a wide open event and a really challenging assignment for punters, but as such there is plenty of value around and places to be played for.
The big market mover this week has been This Songisforyou for Irish trainer Emmet Mullins. He's no stranger to a gamble and has already won Newmarket's other end of season prize, the Cesarewitch, with The Shunter.
This six-year-old gelding is low-mileage, with this set to be his seventh start on the Flat, while he comes here off the back of winning the Northfields Handicap at the Curragh over a furlong more during Irish Champions Weekend this month.
He's only 4lb higher now, has Irish champion jockey Colin Keane for company again and is a key threat to all - though his price is starting to look a shade skinny.
The fairytale story would undoubtedly be a win for Ron O, representing 80-year-old trainer Ray Craggs, who trains just a handful of runners at his base in Durham and concedes this to be 'the biggest race I’ve ever been involved in'.
Ron O won back-to-back races at Redcar (1m, good to firm) and York (1m2½f, good to soft) earlier this season and has held his form in three starts since.
He was aimed at last month's Finale Handicap at York, a long-time target, but he got a poor draw there in a race his trainer 'expected him to win'.
He's 1lb lower here and Craggs is thrilled to have got Rossa Ryan on board. They are lively contenders for a place.
Roi De France for the Gosden yard and Oisin Murphy will look to follow Wissahickon (2018) and Lord North (2019) as smart three-year-olds to come from the Clarehaven team and win this contest.
The Sea The Stars colt runs in the Stradivarius silks and has figures of 2212 so far, learning on the job in his recent handicap bow at Yarmouth as he finished well behind another progressive type.
The vote goes to another of the Irish raiders in Jessica Harrington's NORWALK HAVOC, the mount of Jim Crowley.
He won at Leopardstown and Galway in the spring over 7f/1m on testing ground and connections won't mind the rain that has been falling in Newmarket.
He took in a trio of Listed/Group 3 events at the Curragh in May/June and was last spotted finishing second - denied by a neck - in a big handicap at the Galway Festival over an extended mile in late July as the application of cheekpieces and a tongue tie (retained here) brought further progress.
He was giving plenty of weight to Joseph O'Brien's winner Mexicali Rose - a year older and with much more experience - and had This Songisforyou behind in third spot. He's only 1lb worse off with the favourite here and should run a big race.
SELECTION: NORWALK HAVOC
NEXT BEST: ROI DE FRANCE
1.50 Newmarket - Royal Lodge Stakes
The first of the Group-races on the card is the Royal Lodge and last month's Acomb Stakes runner-up Wimbledon Hawkeye is sure to be popular for the James Owen team.
The Kameko colt is raising his game every time he appears and that York silver medal was shown in a good light when fourth home The Waco Kid won the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes here on Thursday.
His claims are eclipsed. though. by LUTHER for trainer Charlie Fellows. The Frankel colt has won two of his three starts so far, including an easy success in the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock (1m, good) at the start of this month.
He travelled ever-so willingly in behind horses that day and, while it appeared he might need a slice of luck to get out, once he saw some daylight he sliced through the field and won in eye-catching style.
He was previously beaten a half-length in the Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury by New Century and the Andrew Balding inmate has since won a Grade 1 in the United States in fine style.
Kieran Shoemark rides and Luther looks to have all the attributes to solve this Royal Lodge case.
SELECTION: LUTHER
NEXT BEST: WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE
2.25 Newmarket - Cheveley Park Stakes
Group 1 action here over six furlongs and the unbeaten Irish duo of BABOUCHE for Ger Lyons and Lake Victoria for Aidan O'Brien are big players. They've both notched three wins on home soil and come here off the back of Group 1 successes last time out.
Kodiac filly Babouche got hers in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh (6f, good to firm) seven weeks ago, dismissing O'Brien's Whistlejacket readily, with that rival since winning the Group 1 Prix Morny in France.
Frankel filly Lake Victoria, meanwhile, bagged the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh (7f, good) less than a fortnight ago, taking over late on after market principles Bedtime Story and Red Letter began toiling.
They are both rated 112 coming here but Colin Keane's filly may have the edge.
Leovanni was conceding a penalty when she finished third in the Lowther at York over this trip last month after a two-month break.
Karl Burke's Queen Mary winner was finishing off well on that first go at this trip and, while she lost her unbeaten record, she offered something to work with and is one of the more appealing each-way prospects against the big two.
SELECTION: BABOUCHE
NEXT BEST: LEOVANNI
3.00 Newmarket - Middle Park Stakes
Group 1 fare for the colts this time over the same six furlong test and, if Babouche has tasted victory in the preceding race, the case for Phoenix Stakes runner-up Whistlejacket will be strong.
The No Nay Never colt has outstanding claims in any case given he flanked that silver medal with a Group 2 win on the July Course here in the Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes and then bagged his Deauville Group 1 last time.
He handles all ground and is upwards of 7lb clear of the field on ratings, ensuring he looks to be the leading hope for O'Brien and Ryan Moore on the day, with the rider boasting a stunning 27 per cent strike-rate across recent weeks.
Charlie Appleby's Shadow Of Light is 2-3 so far and only found Cool Hoof Luke too strong in the Gimcrack at York over this trip last month as he stepped up in grade.
There should be more in his locker and he is a solid contender to give the market leader some food for thought.
SELECTION: WHISTLEJACKET
NEXT BEST: SYMBOL OF LIGHT
