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Final declarations have been made today for the £160,000 Betfred Cambridgeshire at Newmarket's Rowley Mile on Saturday, September 24. Ante-post punters will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief as the Jeremy Noseda-trained Dare To Dance, the 7/1 favourite with Betfred, has made the cut for the historic nine-furlong handicap.
Among Dare To Dance's 34 opponents on Saturday is Albaqaa (25/1 with Betfred), who is trained very close to the Rowley Mile by P J O'Gorman. The six-year-old was in good form over the summer, defying odds of 50/1 to win a mile handicap at Newmarket's Piper Heidsieck July Festival and following up with success in a nine-furlong apprentices' handicap at Glorious Goodwood on July 30. Kieran O'Neill, who won on Albaqaa at Goodwood, retains the ride and reduces Albaqaa's weight of 9st by 3lb because of his claim.
O'Gorman said today: “We had to make a decision after Albaqaa won at Goodwood whether to keep him ticking over or give him a rest and go for the Betfred Cambridgeshire. It's such a big pot that we opted to rest him for a couple of weeks and bring him back at his peak for Newmarket.
“He won off a mark of 95 for Richard Fahey at Pontefract last year, but the time of the race wasn't very good and it wasn't a tremendous run so I think it looks like the handicapper has got him about right with a rating of 93.
“I am hoping that, with it being such a big handicap, they might go off a bit too fast like they do in the apprentice handicaps and give a late-finishing horse like ours more of a chance.
“Kieran O'Neill has got a 100% strike for me having won on Albaqaa at Goodwood and Lord Of The Reins at Folkestone on Tuesday. The horse is very well and I couldn't be happier with him - all the boxes are ticked and I am just hoping that everything falls right for him.”
Other leading contenders for the Betfred Cambridgeshire include the Roger Charlton-trained duo of Cry Fury (10/1) and Proponent (20/1), while John Gosden, who has landed the Betfred Cambridgeshire on three previous occasions, is represented by Questioning (9/1).
Heading the weights on 9st 10lb is the James Bethell-trained Arlequin (16/1), who was successful in a valuable handicap at Glorious Goodwood. The Betfred Cambridgeshire is one of the few races to have eluded the Maktoum family's Godolphin operation but it has two runners this year with the smart Man Of Action (12/1), an impressive winner at Doncaster earlier this month, as well as Roayh (50/1).
Last year's winner Credit Swap (25/1) lines up again. The six-year-old is now trained by Venetia Williams, having been with Michael Wigham when successful last year.
Tony Martin, successful in the 1999 Cambridgeshire with She's Our Mare, supplies the one Irish-trained runner this year with Pires (33/1), who was third in the race 12 months ago. There are also two runners from the German stable of Mario Hofer, Combat Zone (40/1) and Ideology (50/1).
Betfred Cambridgeshire - Betfred Bet: 7/1 Dare To Dance; 9/1 Questioning; 10/1 Cry Fury; 12/1 Man Of Action; 14/1 Sagramor; 16/1 Arlequin, Maraheb, Red Gulch; 20/1 Maqaraat, Markazzi, Proponent; 25/1 Albaqaa, Credit Swap, Pendragon, Pintura; 33/1 Brick Red, Circumvent, Pires, Constant Contact, Riggins, Stevie Thunder; 40/1 Combat Zone, Harrison George, Nanton, Prince Of Johanne, Shavansky, Tinkertown; 50/1 Crown Counsel, Desert Romance, Ideology, Jutland, Maali, Nice Style, Roayh, First Post
“Ante-post punters will be breathing a sigh of relief after the well-backed Cambridgeshire favourite Dare To Dance scraped into the field though there is a chance he may not go off as jolly as there has been plenty of support for Questioning over the past few days,” said Betfred spokesman George Primarolo.
Horses that failed to make the final 35 for the Betfred Cambridgeshire were eligible for tomorrow's consolation race at Newmarket, the £30,000 Standing For Success Handicap (Silver Cambridgeshire), which also has a maximum field of 35 runners.
Betfred Cambridgeshire Day, the third and final day of the Cambridgeshire Meeting, also features two Group One contests - the £174,400 Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes (3.10pm) and the £163,500 Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes (2.35pm).
Eight fillies and mares go to post in the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes including French raider Sahpresa, who is attempting to become the first three-time winner of the mile contest. Sir Henry Cecil is doubly represented with Timepiece, who got the better of Sahpresa in the Group One Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes at the Piper Heidsieck July Festival and Chachamaidee. The two Irish raiders are the John Oxx-trained Alanza, who was supplemented for the race at the six-day stage following her victory in the Group Three Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster, while Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien is represented by Together .
Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes - Betfred Bet: 2/1 Sahpresa; 11/4 Alanza; 5/1 Timepiece; 8/1 Together; 9/1 Chachamaidee; 11/1 I'm A Dreamer; 20/1 Music Show; 25/1 Strawberrydaiquiri.
The nine runners for the Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes include the unbeaten Best Terms, successful in both the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group Two Jaguar Cars Lowther Stakes at York, while Ireland is represented by the supplementary entry Lightening Pearl, an impressive winner last time out in Group Three company.
Betfred Cambridgeshire Day opens with the £100,000 Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (2.05pm), which has attracted seven starters.
