Last year’s Dewhurst Stakes was a real thriller, even though the form didn’t work out very well in 2016. This year’s renewal takes place on Saturday 8th October, at Newmarket Racecourse. Let’s take a look at the horses that are attracting the most bets in our ante-post market.
Churchill
It’s no surprise to see an Aidan O’Brien inmate heading the betting. The Galileo colt has certainly been Ireland’s standout juvenile of the year, winning the G3 Tyros Stakes, the G2 Futurity Stakes and the G1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.
The very-handy Mehmas was beaten by over 4 lengths, in the last of those encounters and there’s more bad news for connections of Churchill’s rivals. He has already raced on English soil, winning the Listed Chesham Stakes at Ascot in June!
Blue Point
Sired by Shamardal and out of Scarlett Rose, he put in a superb display at York to beat Mokarris by 3 lengths in August (G2 Gimcrack Stakes). Charlie Appleby said, after the race, that he was not surprised to see his charge progressing so quickly.
“He was beaten through greenness in the Richmond, but he came out of that race very well and he could not have been more impressive in the Gimcrack.”
Caravaggio
If the performances of Churchill weren’t enough to send a shiver up the spines of other trainers, Aidan O’Brien has another ace up his sleeve. The Scat Daddy grey is unbeaten in 4 starts and already has the Listed Marble Hill Stakes, the G2 Coventry Stakes and the G1 Phoenix Stakes (Curragh) under his belt.
The Coventry Stakes victory is arguably the most impressive. Few who witnessed that performance will soon forget the turn of foot showed by Caravaggio.
Additional Horses That Have Strong Claims
Others are attracting significant support, including South Seas, War Decree, Seven Heavens and Boynton (winner of the G2 Superlative Stakes).
Each-way backers have been tempted with long odds available on Psychedelic Funk, Lancaster Bomber, D’Bai, Capri, Douglas Macarthur, Akhlaaq, Radio Silence and Finn McCool.
Bet On The Dewhurst Stakes Now
Why Newmarket Is The Home Of British Flat Racing
No town in Great Britain is more associated with horse racing than Newmarket. A huge percentage of the local population work in the horseracing industry. You will see horses everywhere – in fields, on the roads and in trailers. Anyone who moves to Newmarket and isn’t familiar with horses is going to be considered rather odd! Quite simply, there is no region of Great Britain that is more associated with horses and horse racing than Newmarket.
There are thirty-two group 1 races held in the UK each year. Nine of those take place at Newmarket Racecourse. The National Stud is based here, as well as the National Horseracing Museum and Tattersalls. Newmarket is in the county of Suffolk, which is in the East of England.
While the majority of British racecourses have an interesting history, Newmarket Racecourse can be traced back to the reign of King James I. Races were regularly attended by King Charles II, when he sat on the throne. Up until the middle part of the Eighteenth Century, the two most important Newmarket races were the Town Plate and the King’s Plate. However, there were only two meetings taking place each year, at this point.
More plate events were added, along with some other races and (by the 1840s) there were seven meetings taking place each year at Newmarket Racecourse. These were the Craven Meeting, the 1st Spring Meeting, the 2nd Spring Meeting, the July Meeting, the two October Meetings and the Houghton Meeting.
Newmarket is made up of two distinct tracks – the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. National Hunt racing does not take place on either course. They are strictly used for flat racing. The Rowley Mile Course is one mile and two furlongs in length. They pass the famous Newmarket ‘Bushes’ on this track. The July Course is a one mile straight and is often referred to as the Bunbury Mile. The runners first descend, before climbing again over the final two furlongs. There is one more course (the Round Course), although this is only used for the Town Plate.
Other famous encounters at Newmarket include the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, the Sun Chariot Stakes,, the Middle Park Stakes, the Fillies’ Mile and the Cheveley Park Stakes. Two other big races are the the Falmouth Stakes and the July Cup.
A trip to ‘Headquarters’ is always a terrific day out. Racing is in the blood, in this fascinating and unique English town. Newmarket is a superb racecourse and a visit should be on the to-do list of every racing fan.
You can bet on every single Newmarket race, when you create an account with us at RaceBets.com!
