Newbury Racecourse hosts the Premier Raceday meeting today.
A seven-race programme headed by Gr2 BetVictor Hungerford Stakes (16h35).
Track conditions are posted as good, good to firm in places.
Newbury Racecourse hosts the Premier Raceday meeting today (Pic – Newbury Racecourse)
A competitive field of seven compete over the straight seven-furlong trip and English Oak is selected to capture the £70,888 first prize.
The Wathnan Racing’s four-year-old has been in good form this season winning the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot convincingly, before finishing a fair fourth in the Gr2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood last month.
He finished behind Group 1 winners Audience, Art Power and Kinross on that occasion and meets nothing of that calibre here. Retained rider James Doyle retains the ride.
Frankel’s half-brother Kikkuli looks his main danger in receipt of 5lbs. The three-year-old colt finished four-lengths behind on soft ground in a Deauville Group 1 last month, and now gets his favoured quick ground.
Oisin Murphy rode the Kingman colt on his penultimate start when finishing a short head behind Hateem in the Jersey Stakes and is re-united here.
The Shadwell owned Al Aasy can continue a successful season in the opener, the Gr3 BetVictor Geoffrey Freer Stakes (14h50).
Jim Crowley rides the Sea The Stars gelding for the very much inform William Haggas yard. Runner-up here on his seasonal reappearance in July, he then prevailed by a length at Goodwood in the Gr3 Glorious Stakes.
He now goes up in trip to just over a mile and five furlongs, a distance he has been successful over earlier in his career in the Bahrain Trophy.
He has course form with three wins from five starts, and he gets his favoured quick ground. In a small field of five, which will suit, he is the one to beat.
The John Porter runner-up Al Qareem failed to stay 2 miles in the Goodwood Cup and can bounce back to form. He should complete the exacta.
