NIGHTIME DANCER

1.50 - Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Geoffrey Freer Stakes (Group 3) (1m 5½f)

The Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes looks set to be a decent renewal and It’s a really competitive way to start the day at Newbury. Three-year-olds have done well in the race over the years but last season the race was won by the then seven-year-old Al Aasy for William Haggas, who has Candleford lining up. He’s also seven now and ran a good third behind last year’s winner of the race at Goodwood a couple of weeks ago. He was asked to make all and put in a game performance. 

Pinhole got his season back on track in first time cheekpieces, he’s still a work in progress and he’s every chance going back up in trip again. Though I think Nightime Dancer represents the best value to get involved with, his second to Scandinavia, albeit a distant one, is still good form and with Scandinavia coming out again and winning the Goodwood Cup. I think he’s worth playing here, having been highly tried in his career.

ROACH POWER

2.25 - D&H, Excellence In Nutrition Handicap (5f)

The second race on the card is a sprint with plenty of in-form horses and Roach Power looks attractive as an each-way play. Roach Power ran a good race at Chepstow last week in a typically competitive Racing League contest. He had been on a real roll coming into the race after successes at Ffos Las and on his previous visit to Chepstow. He was just a bit too keen here in an apprentice race in early July so hopefully there’s more to come back here again. Whilst Sugar Hill Babe also looks interesting here at an each-way price.

CLASSIC

3.00 - TPT Fire Handicap (7f)

In the class 2 handicap,  Classic is my main focus. I love that he’s had a mid-season revival with a switch of tactics at Sandown and then again ridden positively in going forward at Ascot in the International Handicap. Unfortunately, that meant he was a sitting target for leading in to the race, the eventual winner Two Tribes who has since gone on to win the Stewards' Cup. Classic also ran two good races at Newbury at the start of the season, with winners of both those races going on to be highly progressive this season, Ebt’s Guard who won again at the Shergar Cup and Royal Ascot winner My Cloud.

KING’S GAMBLE

3:35 - Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes (Group 2) (7f)

The Group 2 Hungerford Stakes has been a good race over the years for trainer William Haggas, who has the intriguing More Thunder in the line-up. More Thunder moves in to Group company for the first time and is contending seven furlongs once again after landing the Bunbury Cup. My main interest though will be King’s Gamble. He looked like he would physically come on a lot on his last visit to the track after a layoff, where he ran a very good second in the Hackwood Stakes behind Rage Of Bamby. It was also a positive how well he ran at the course which was his first Newbury visit, and that could prove key. 

SLIGHT OF FOOT

4.10 - Tattersalls 40,000 EBF Novice Stakes (7f)

There is an intriguing and valuable seven-furlong novice event on the card at 4.10. There are lots of really nicely bred individuals in the line-up, and I am most drawn to Slight Of Foot for Harry Charlton. The stable have trained a lot of his siblings, including the likes of Thesis and Quadrilateral for Juddmonte. His brother Pinhole runs in our first race on the card too so hopefully it’ll be a good day for the family.