By Tony Calvin - 5 October 2026
As of early on Monday morning, there were 30 in the Dewhurst (Aidan O’Brien has 13 of them), and 74 in the Cesarewitch (maximum field of 32).
There are only seven in the Dewhurst now though, and 42 in the Ces.
The seven in the Dewhurst are Darkness Falls, Desert Castle, Gentle Hurricane, Great Barrier Reef, Jassas, Raging Bull and Rock Montreal.
Desert Castle is 8/11 and Darkness Falls 5/2, Great Barrier Reef at 4s and 25s bar.
Beylerbeyi is 5s best in the 2m2f handicap.
Given I’ll have a Friday ITV column starting on Wednesday, in addition to the current 18mm forecast for midweek at Newmarket (now back to just 7.3mm at 9.50am ffs!), I’d be tempted to fight shy of an ante-post column but we shall see.
That, and less than tempting, if standard, each-way terms on the Ces.
Crucially, all firms are currently betting 1/4 the odds 1,2,3,4 on the Cesarewitch too, which could be a maximum field of 32, so it is hardly an ante-post betting proposition each-way.
Yes, I appreciate those are traditional, standard terms.
But if the books want ante-post trade, they have to be more inviting or else punters will simply wait until the final fields.
Which, of course, is what the layers may prefer.
Because we all know most will offer five places at the weekend, and others more , though of course you will be paying for it in price terms.
The double entries are below – a lot of the Irish are still in an early-closer on Sunday at the moment.
Newmarket’s big 2yo races on Saturday may make for great viewing on the day – let’s hope that potential 18mm on Wednesday doesn’t deter some – but they are dead ducks from an ante-post point of view.
Of course, the Desert Castle versus Darkness Falls clash in the Dewhurst will be required viewing if it takes place, but seven five-day entries for a 500k Group 1 (with only four trainers involved) is pitiful, let’s be honest.
And it is okay having three big juvenile races on the same day, but the amount of double entries in the 7f-1m2f races make them hard to warm to at this stage (see below for details).
As I said above, I think it is a win-only race at this stage with only four places available for ante-post punters (there could be a maximum field of 32 runners at the weekend, with 42 still in the race) – unless you have latched on to a shortener.
I am not sure I have.
I certainly don’t have any issue with last year’s winner Beylerbeyi being the 5/1 favourite here, with champion jockey-elect Billy Loughnane getting the chance to atone for his ride on the horse at Newmarket in July. He was beaten 2 lengths into fourth there but Loughnane should have been winning that all right, for all some claim he didn’t have time to switch the horse to the outside and, indeed, was blocked from doing so.
Since then, he did very well to finish fifth in the Ebor given the ground he was asked to make up from the rear and the handicapper had him running a career best when second to the weekend’s Cadran winner Caballo De Mar in the Doncaster Cup last time, for which he is 2lb well-in here.
He is 5/1 in two places but I imagine he will be that price on the weekend (especially if you have the facility to shop around) with extra places attached.
As you can see below , most of the Irish horses are still in the 100k 2m handicap at Naas on Sunday, and we will have confirmations for that on Tuesday afternoon.
I’d personally hold fire until we see those.
Last year’s runner-up Dawn Rising (12lb better off for 1 1/4 lengths with Beylerbeyi) ranges from 7s to 10s here and he is one of those currently with the Naas option.
I’ll update this section later.
And now I have.
The following have been left in the Naas race on Sunday: Comfort Zone, Zanndabad, Highwind, Royal Saxo and Eben Zaabeel.
The following were not confirmed, so presumably Newmarket bound if fit and well (and are going anywhere): A Piece Of Heaven, Dawn Rising, Alphonse Le Grande
I see Brian Ellison was all over the Racing Post this morning saying his Sea Lantern “will win.”
He seemed to qualify that with a comment along the lines of “if he runs” though, which is rather a big red flag to ante-post punters thinking about backing the general 10s poke before NRNB kicks in at 10am on Thursday.
Ellison said: “He needs some rain. “He just needs nice, safe ground. They say there’s some around on Wednesday and Thursday.
“This has always been the aim. If he can’t run, it will probably be the November Handicap.”
Timeform have him two from two on good to soft ground, with his defeats coming on good.
But this horse is all about the future and not the past.
Leaving aside the safe ground bollocks, Ellison will not have been pleased to see the forecast rain at Newmarket on Wednesday (none is forecast for Thursday and 2mm for Friday) downgraded from 18mm to 7mm earlier today, though the amounts have been going up and down like a wh…well, you know.
But it is very easy to see the case for Sea Lantern, 4lb well-in after his wide-margin win over 1m4f at Pontefract last month, and you suspect double figures won’t see out the afternoon.
He has had just the four runs and he has looked a dour stayer in his run-style over 1m2f and 1m4f (and his pedigree lends itself to this increased stamina test too), but maybe it wouldn’t be too blase about that given he would be going up 6f in distance here.
And Ellison is hardly in great form at the moment.
Indeed, he is only operating a six per cent strike rate in 2026.
Sea Lantern is 4lb well-in then but he isn’t officially the best handicapped horse in the race.
That is Gooloogong, who will be running off a 6lb higher mark in the future.
But that was on account of his 11-length win at Goodwood on soft ground (Timeform called it heavy) two starts ago and he was beaten a country mile in the Ces Trial here last month.
Beylerbeyi is 2lb well-in, as mentioned above, as is High Fibre, and Berkshire Sundance, Valedictory, Manxman and Premiere Ligne apparently have 1lb up their sleeves.
GOING : Good to firm
GOING STICK : 7.3, Saturday
TUESDAY COURSE UPDATE: Tue – Dry and cloudy with daytime temps of 20c. Wed – Spells of rain (5mm). Thu – Dry with sunny spells but feeling cooler. Fri – Cloudy with threat of showers (2mm). Sat – Dry with the odd sunny spell.
Weather (9.51am Tuesday): 7.2mm Wednesday (has been changing wildly though); 4mm Friday
Watering: N/A
GOING : Good, good to firm in places
GOING STICK : 6.4, Monday 12.30am
TUESDAY COURSE UPDATE: Met Office forecast; Cooler and remaining cloudy on Tuesday with rain overnight, clearing Wednesday morning and becoming brighter. Dry with good sunny spells on Thursday. Chance of light rain overnight then mainly dry with sunny intervals on Friday and Saturday. Live links to our weather station and the Met Office forecast may be viewed on our website at www.yorkracecourse.co.uk and clicking through on the Home page to Going Report details.
Weather (9.51am Tuesday ): 3.1mm Tuesday; 7mm Wednesday; 2.3mm Thursday; 2.7mm Friday
Watering: Irrigation plans suspended due to increased forecast of rain for Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Will continue to monitor going conditions and weather forecast.
1.15 Newmarket: Pathein, Portcullis, Shaihaan (won at Killarney on Monday), Song Of The Clouds
NB: Nahraan is in an early-closer on Oct 17
1.30 York: Divine Whisper, Glamorize, Lake Muritz, Lola De Valence, Sharadd, This Moment, Topaz
1.50 Newmarket: Albany County, Capability Brown, Drumbeat, Hmas Perth, Wall Street
2.05 York: Pathein, Almekarem, Balmacara, Per Contra, Prosperity, St Anton
NB: Night Breeze and River Card are in early closer on Oct 17
2.25 Newmarket: Albany County, Capability Brown, Drumbeat, Hmas Perth, Wall Street, Clash Of Hearts, Undiscovered
NB: Breacher, Grove Street and Sergei Diaghilev are in early closer on Oct 24
3.00 Newmarket: Raging Bull, Rock Montreal
NB: Darkness Falls, Raging Bull and Rock Montreal are in Futurity on Oct 24
3.17 York: Alfa Kellenic, Bone Marra, City Captain, Crestofdictinction, Deep Havana, Eye Of Dubai (due to run at Ayr on Thursday), Fortification, Gold Queen Kindly (finished 6th at Pontefract on Monday), Lakers, Manila Scouse (due to run at Ayr on Thursday), Sovereign Spell, Stormy Impact (finished a punted (13-2 to 7-2 on show) fourth at Pontefract on Monday), Toyotomi, We Never Stop
NB: Binhareer is in early closer on Oct 17
3.40 Newmarket: Comfort Zone, Moon Over Miami, Zanndabad, Maxident, Highwind, Letsbefrank, Royal Saxo, Eben Zaabeel
MONDAY MORNING As of early on Monday morning, there were 30 in the Dewhurst (Aidan…
STATS/INFO SECTION 1. COURSE DETAILS NEWMARKET (Fri-Sat meeting) GOING : Good to firm GOING…
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