2023 Sunday Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tips – DS
2023 Sunday Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tips
A deluge of rain on Saturday morning/afternoon changed the going at Newmarket. Unfortunately for us, that put paid to the chances of Princess Shabnam and Equiano Springs. Devilwala was out for a spin, probably to ready him for Chester. Heavy ground at Goodwood proved too taxing for Sweet Reward. Dubai Mile ran well in the Guineas, he’ll be worth keeping onside in the Derby. The fillies take centre stage at HQ tomorrow, check out our 2023 Sunday Newmarket Guineas meeting tips below.
1.50 Newmarket – Howden Handicap (Heritage)
Unlike yesterday, we at least have some certainty regarding ground conditions. It rained all day on Saturday and it is going to be soft today. This 14f trip will take plenty of getting and stamina will be at a premium. One horse who won’t have any issues with the trip or ground is Torcello. As an added bonus, he loves it at Newmarket too.
Shaun Lycett’s 9yo son of Born To Sea was sent off at just 9/2 on his comeback at Doncaster (12f sft). Claimer ridden, he didn’t run well but given his age, you’d imagine he might have needed the run badly. It was a bit of a Mickey Mouse race too, worth just £5k to the winner, and given this horse’s Newmarket form, Lycett may have just been using the race as a pipe opener.
Torcello’s form figures at Newmarket (Rowley and July) on ground with soft in the description read 111, including a win on soft over 12f back in May 2021. That win came off 85, he won on his last visit off 83 and he is in off 87 here today. Joe Fanning, on board for that win in May 21, is back in the saddle and the rain has come at the perfect time. At odds of 25/1, Torcello is the e/w selection.
2023 Sunday Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Torcello e/w @ 25/1 (6 places) NAP
2.25 Newmarket – Pretty Polly Stakes (Listed)
A listed heat restricted to fillies that have yet to win a G1 or G2. Ten run and seven of them are untested on easy ground. The only trio with experience in similar conditions are the three outsiders, Cloudbreaker, Crackovia and Fantizzy. The former horse was a winner on the July course over 7f here on fast ground last season. By Sea The Stars, she was beat 6L in a handicap off 83 on her first soft ground start. The vast majority of her relatives liked quick ground and she’d probably have preferred the rain to stay away.
Fantizzy is rated 74 which would give her zero chance. However, unlike the majority of these she has run really well on both starts on rain softened ground. On her seasonal return she ran on well for 2nd over 10f in a Nottingham handicap but that was off a mark of 72. She could outrun her odds of 100/1 but a good run for her would be beating two of her rivals home.
Mercurial Barzalona
That leaves Crackovia. She’ll be ridden by the mercurial Mickael Barzalona and Charlie Johnston trains. Rated 92, she has run well on easy ground the last twice. She was beat less than a length on good to soft in a Listed contest at Dusseldorf and she was then 4th of 16 in a Listed race at Longchamp on her last start of the season.
The form isn’t super strong but at least it is on the soft ground and it is better form on paper than the all weather novices most of her rivals have been running in. Chances are, at least a couple of the horses at the head of the market will relish the conditions but in the hope that a few of them falter, Crackovia is the e/w selection at odds of 25/1.
2023 Sunday Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Crackovia e/w @ 25/1 NB
3.00 Newmarket – Howden Dahlia Stakes (Group 2)
Hopefully Mickael Barzalona will be bidding for a double on the day aboard Life In Motion. From the yard of master trainer Andre Fabre, this 4yo daughter of Sea The Stars has won her last three in Listed company She has scored on easy ground at Saint Cloud (8f), Chantilly (9f) and then she won another Listed heat on her seasonal comeback at Longchamp (9f sft) just over two weeks ago. She’s the 10/3 favourite and she looks to hold every chance.
Fabre also runs Hidden Dimples, the mount of Ryan Moore. She was 3rd in that Longchamp race that was won by her stablemate. Just a couple of lengths separated them at the finish and Hidden Dimples was slightly hampered by the runner up in the home straight.
This filly is already a Listed winner, over 11f on good to soft, and she was only beat 1.25L in a Deauville G3 last August by subsequent G2 winner Trevaunance. She stays at least 11f and stamina will be a big asset in these conditions. If they go a decent clip early it will suit and she should be staying on at the finish. If she gets a clear passage this time, she could get a lot closer to Life In Motion. At 22/1, Hidden Dimples is the e/w selection.
2023 Sunday Newmarket Guineas Meeting Tip: Hidden Dimples e/w @ 22/1
3.35 Newmarket – 1000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1)
A huge field for this year’s 1000 Guineas with 20 horses declared. It is the biggest turnout since 2005 and the fact that so many fillies are being allowed to take their chances suggests it is a pretty open affair. We have already backed Matilda Picotte e/w at 50/1. You can read why here. She’ll be fine on soft ground but for me, at a mile good to soft would have been perfect. It’ll do her chances no harm if it does dry a bit, hopefully she can run a similar sort of race to Hi Royal in the 2000.
With so many runners and extra places on offer, it makes sense to back another one at big odds. Queen Me was seriously considered but the trip on soft ground must rate as a big concern for her. Instead, Embrace is put up as an e/w alternative.
Lope De Vega
By Lope De Vega, this lightly raced filly shaped very well under tender handling behind Remarquee in the Fred Darling at Newbury. Jim Crowley was at pains to drop her out and she was a bit keen, but once she found some daylight she stayed on very nicely to finish 4th, shaping like a mile would be perfect.
She wears a hood but that has been the case for all three of her starts. Her sole win came on her second outing in a 7f Novice at Wolves, ordinary form but she did it very nicely. Daniel Muscutt takes over from Jim Crowley in the saddle and he very nearly got us place money on Dubai Mile on Saturday. Hopefully he can go a place or two better on Embrace at odds of 40/1.
