Wentworth Falls to Make a Great Day Out of Newmarket’s Grey Day?
Newmarket hosts one of the most popular races of the year on Saturday. The Grey Horse Handicap may not be the highest quality race staged at the home of flat racing but, as the name suggests, it is open to greys only.
First staged in 2003, the Grey Horse Handicap is a popular annual spectacle at Newmarket. ©GettyImages
First staged in 2003 – and raced over the last six furlongs of the Bunbury Mile on Newmarket’s July Course – it is the only race of its kind in the UK. Always an amazing spectacle, good-to-firm going has resulted in a smaller field size than normal. Just seven grey horses will go to post for this 3.18 pm contest.
Admirable veteran, Wentworth Falls could go one better than he did in this race 12 months ago. Beaten by just a head on that occasion, his handicap mark has since dropped by three pounds. A horse that appears to show his best form in late summer and early autumn, the ten-year-old should give a good account of himself.
Banking On Blackrod in the Great St Wilfrid
The six-furlong William Hill sponsored Great St Wilfrid is a race that is more popular with form students. A class-2 contest due off at 2.50 pm, professional punters and their bookmaker adversaries enjoy the challenge this big-field Ripon handicap presents.
Blackrod’s form has been on an upward trajectory since he scored at Newmarket in July 2021. Raced just twice this campaign – winning a 19-runner handicap at Newmarket in late April – he looks primed to take his fifth race victory from 11 career starts.
Drawn in stall one – a low draw is historically advantageous at Ripon on firm ground – Blackrod has the services of Ben Curtis in the saddle. On Wednesday, the jockey enjoyed a four-timer from his four rides at Beverley.
Zechariah Is a Fast Ground Fancy
BetVictor sponsors two Group contests at Newbury on Saturday afternoon. The 2.30 pm, the Geoffrey Freer Stakes, can fall to Zechariah. The firm ground has seen just five runners declared for this valuable contest. As a three-year-old, our selection is two years younger than any of his four rivals.
Resultantly, he will carry at least seven pounds less than the opposition. When beaten by just a nose in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, Zechariah showed rattling fast ground is no inconvenience to him. Tom Marquand takes the ride on Zechariah at the weekend. The young jockey has previously scored on this son of Nathanial here at Newbury.
Pogo Jumps Out in the Hungerford
Given the stature of the race, the BetVictor Hungerford Stakes, due off at 3.35 pm, has attracted an underwhelming field. The standout is Pogo. Twice a Group-3 winner this season, the six-year-old colt was only beaten by half-a-length in the Group-2 Lennox Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on his most recent outing.
A wonderfully consistent front-runner, Charlie Hills’ six-year-old colt can give his younger rivals plenty to think about. The best horse racing betting sites have Kieran Shoemark’s regular mount quoted at 4/1. The price makes him a viable each-way betting proposition.
Saturday’s Best Bets
| Wentworth Falls | 3.18 pm Newmarket |
| Blackrod | 2.50 pm Ripon |
| Zechariah | 2.30 pm Newbury |
| Pogo | 3.35 pm Newbury |
