By Tony Calvin - 11 August 2025
It’s the second week of racing’s dead summer fortnight, but at least we have the Ebor meeting on the horizon.
Check out all the going and watering details below, by the way.
See the going stick changes after the heavy watering.
Just the seven five-day entries for the 90k Geoffrey Freer Stakes but at least none have alternative engagements this week, though Epic Poet and Furthur (the latter always seems to be spelled wrong to me) are in at York next week.
It’s not a bad gathering for this grade, I suppose (Group 3), though it is a touch uninspiring and more than a shade underwhelming, betting-wise.
Pinhole is the [2/1] favourite after finally getting it altogether in first-time cheekpieces off a mark of 98 at Ascot last month and I’d have no massive issues with that, especially as he (along with fellow 3yos Furthur and Nightime Dancer) are getting 9lb from their elders here.
Aah, if that’s time of the year when we have the Grey Horse handicap.
I’d hold fire on backing Belgrave if I were you, as he is set to run at Lingfield on Tuesday.
Actually, that is superfluous as I can’t see any ante-post betting on this race.
Let’s move on.
We are already two shy of the maximum field of 20 in this 5f handicap.
Three of these are set to run in the Racing League at Windsor on Thursday, so I’d personally steer clear of Blue Day (5s and 6s), Moulin Booj (6s and 7s) and Rocking Ends (20s) for ante-post betting purposes.
In fact, you’d be silly to back them ante-post.
I bet some of the bookmakers don’t even know they are set to run on Thursday, as Blue Day and Moulin Booj are still priced, as above, on Wednesday morning.
I get that they could be NRs on Thursday or double up, but even so.
Only four firms (effectively two outfits) have priced this up as I publish this (and that is still the case when I did a little update on Wednesday morning), with Getreadytorumble the 4s favourite.
I can see that.
He has no other options this week, he comes here in good nick and hails from the Jack Channon stable, whose yard has struck form again after a very quiet spell.
As with all of these races though, I imagine bookmakers will hardly be taking a bean on these midweek ante-post races.
No-one has priced this 0-80 6f handicap up, as yet.
Actually, three firms just have (one of those the sponsors, so they are duty-bound to price it up), and Another Baar, last year’s runner-up, is the early favourite at between 6s and 8s.
I can see the case for him at 8s, but he has been giving an entry at Catterick on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, 13 of the 29 were double-entered
There is little wonder midweek ante-post betting (and maybe ante-post betting, full stop) is dying on its arse.
We have 22 five-day entries for a possible maximum of 20 on the day (see double entries below) in this 7f handicap, so a reasonably decent midweek betting heat, you’d have thought.
But some of the books – those who have bothered to price it up, at this stage (effectively five) – do not help themselves.
One has EIGHT horses priced between 4s and 8s.
I don’t think we are far off bookmakers not bothering with midweek ante-post prices on low-key weekends.
Classic is the early favourite at [7/2] and 4s, for what it is worth.
Probably the biggest betting race of the weekend, but a five-day entry of 24 suggests we may not get a full field of 20 on the day, as did the fact that 10 of these had other entries this week, as of first thing on Tuesday morning.
Seven of these are in the 6f handicap 2.45pm at Ripon, so possibly not great planning by all concerned.
One of those race is going to suffer pretty badly, you’d have thought.
Rousing Encore and Annaf (in at York next week) are vying for favouritism around the 7s and 8s mark.
This looks a race to wait for the draw on Thursday, and to see what horses rock up.
We had 42 in this 150k race on Monday morning and we are now down to 12.
None of the dozen have alternative engagements this week, but Alyanaabi, More Thunder, Notable Speech, Shadow Of Light and Spy Chief are in at York next week (The City Of York Stakes is worth a colossal 600K).
And I think I read the Marois was the next target for Notable Speech, who is the current [5/2] favourite (though Spy Chief ranges from 4s to [9/4]).
It’s probably best to see what Thursday brings, as the betting is predictably all around the place for this at the moment.
Godolphin have three in here, with Notable Speech, Spy Chief and Shadow Of Light, who was a late NR in France on Sunday because of the ground (presumably that will still be the case here).
You’d have thought Spy Chief is the most likely runner, as they will be keen to get more Group 1 victories into the other pair.
This is one occasion in which I wouldn’t blame bookmakers in betting very defensively.
GOING: Good to firm. good in places
Soil moisture average = 41.5%
Going Stick : 5.7 Thursday, 6am (was 6.1 Wednesday 6am; 6.6 on Mon 7:00am)
Thursday morning course update: We lost 2.6mm in evaporation (ET) yesterday. Forecast: Cloudy start, sunny spells later (26C). Warmer tomorrow (28C).
Rails: Back straight now full width, providing fresh ground. 7f & 5f bends are on line 1
Stalls:1m2f & 1m4f – Inside Remainder (straight) – centre
Watering: 15mm cycle applied Thursday 7th/ Friday 8th. 6mm applied Monday. 15mm applied Tuesday/ yesterday. 6-10mm being applied today.
Weather: Dry, sunny and very warm
GOING: Good, good to firm in places
Going stick: 7.6, Thursday 7.15am (was 8.0, Wednesday 1.30pm)
Rails: Rail from back straight to home straight dolled out by 2 yards adding 4 yards to races on the round course.
Stalls: Straight Course – Stand side Round Course – Inside rail 1 mile 4 furlongs – Centre
Thursday morning course update: Dry for the past week. Thursday – Sunny intervals, moderate breeze, 26’c. Friday – Sunny intervals, gentle breeze, 27’c. Saturday – Light cloud, gentle breeze, 23’c.
Weather: Dry, sunny and very warm (maybe light shower Thursday)
Watering: 6mm applied Thursday night. 2mm applied on Sunday night, continuing with 4-6mm per night from Monday night.
GOING: Good to firm, good in places
Going Stick: 6.9, Thursday 7am (was 7.9, Tuesday 3pm)
Rails: Far Side Course in use
Stalls: 6f, 7f and 1m – Centre. 1m 2f and 1m6f – Inside
Thursday morning course update: Forecast: Dry and warm week with daytime highs of 28c.
Weather: Dry, sunny and very warm all week
Watering: 25mm applied in total since Monday. 5mm being applied to the final 1m on Thursday.
1.50pm Newbury: NONE (Epic Poet and Furthur are in at York next week)
2.05pm Newmarket: Belgrave (finished 11th of 12 at Lingfield on Tuesday), Cayman Tai, Lady Wingalong, Miss Show Off
2.25pm Newbury: Blue Day (due to run at Windsor on Thursday), Cayman Tai, Grandlad, King Of Stars, Miss Show Off, Moulin Booj (due to run at Windsor on Thursday), Rocking Ends (due to run at Windsor on Thursday), Topwarrior
2.45pm Ripon: Abduction, Bay Breeze, Beyond Borders, Bona Fortuna, Brazilian Rose, Fortamour, Green Pursuit, Kisskodi, Mister Sox, Northcliff, Rock Opera, Supreme King, Wreck It Ryley (Another Baar is entered at Catterick on Monday).
3pm Newbury: City Walk, Consolidation (Classic, Leadman, Montpelier and The Fingal Raven are in at York next week)
3.20pm Ripon: Abduction, Beyond Borders, City Walk, Dark Thirty, Fivethousandtoone, Fortamour, Mister Sox, Northcliff, Rock Opera, Supreme King (Annaf is in at York next week)
3.35pm Newbury: NONE (Alyanaabi, More Thunder, Notable Speech, Shadow Of Light, Spy Chief are in at York next week)
1.25pm Newbury – 13/2 West Wind Blows too big here I’d say Newbury were relieved…
2.2opm York – A tough punting Mission to undertake Now, this is exactly the kind…
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