Faydhan For Free Handicap At Newmarket

In amongst the current trilogy of Nationals hitting our screens at Fairyhouse, Aintree and Ayr, the Flat season has been quietly going through the gears and moves up another notch on Wednesday via the two-day Newmarket Craven meeting.

Newmarket Is Back!
Always an informative fixture in terms of the big meetings to take place during the coming weeks, punters will need to keep an eye out for those key runners with potential in terms of future profit, as well as looking for those finely tuned and ready to strike this week.

A number of the big names will be present, such as Richard Hughes, Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore, with the latter partnering Aidan O’Brien’s, The Warrior, in the £100k Tattersalls 3-Y-O Sprint on Wednesday (2.55). This colt lines-up having got off the mark at the fifth attempt 17 days ago when taking an average maiden at the Curragh (6f, heavy). If handling the quicker ground here, The Warrior looks set to go well again.

Faydhan For Free Handicap
The Listed European Free Handicap over 7f (3.30) revolves around John Gosden’s, Faydhan, who won his only outing last season in coming 6l clear in a Haydock maiden (6f, good to soft).

To win like that upon debut, while clocking a fast time, augurs well for the future, and he shaped as though this extra furlong would suit.

The Group 3 Nell Gywn (4.05) is a decent 1,000 Guineas trial, where Richard Hannon’s, Osaila, won a valuable sales race over C&D (good to firm), prior to a creditable third in the Breeders’ Cup last time (1m, firm). Godolphin have an interesting sort in the once raced, Beautiful Romance, though, who won a Doncaster maiden (1m, good to soft) by 9l on her debut in October, and could turn out to be decent.

Day Two
The second day of the Craven meeting sees the informative Wood Ditton Stakes, an event for unraced 3yo’s, which can throw up a decent sort – indeed, the last three winners of this race won again during their next two outings, suggesting this year’s winner should be jotted down.

The following Tattersalls 3-Y-O Trophy over 1m2f sees Aidan O’Brien with several entries, including Sir Isaac Newton, who was a close runner-up upon debut in a Leopardstown maiden (7f, yielding). The class act in the field, however, is Godolphin’s, Secret Brief, who won a £500k sales event over 7f here last autumn, and whose dam was a 1m2f-1m6f winner, so this trip should bring improvement.

A cracking Listed sprint comes next at 3.30 courtesy of the Abernant Stakes, where Ballydoyle’s 4yo colt, Due Diligence, makes his reappearance having last been seen finishing just over 1l behind Slade Power in a Group 1 at Ascot in the autumn (6f, good to firm).

Craven No.4 For Hannon?
The Group 3 Craven has produced several 2,000 Guineas contenders down the years, and Richard Hannon’s, Ivawood, who only went down by a nose in the Group 1 Middle Park here in October (6f, soft), has a chance to show what he can do over 1m. Out of a 1m2f-1m4f winner, there is every chance he’ll stay, though with the stable having won this for the last three years, their Moheet, is also worth respect. He won his maiden by 7l over 1m in October, and could be anything.

Recommended Bets
Wednesday’s European Free Handicap sees a potentially smart sort in Faydhan take to the track, and while his odds won’t be massive, he looks the type to go onto big things this year.