The Craven Meeting gets the ball rolling
Welcome to the 2025 Weatherbys Flat Horses To Follow Online Updates!
Since the release of our 2025 Flat Horses To Follow a couple of weeks back, it didn’t take long for us to see some of our prospects step back onto a racecourse. The flat is slowly beginning to kick into full swing, and we have a number of performances to review from the past fortnight.
So how did they run and what can we take from their respective performances?
The very first runner hailed from our older generation, with William Knight’s Story Horse making his comeback at Southwell just over two weeks ago. The five-year-old – who was well beaten in the Cesarewitch when last seen in October – made his return over 1m6f on the tapeta, finishing third to a progressive George Scott stayer who made it four wins on the trot. Always prominent, Story Horse briefly hit the lead when turning for home but just looked to pay for a lack of race fitness after six months off the track, whilst his early keenness can’t have helped matters either, and he faded late on. He was only beaten a length-and-three-quarters, and he is expected to come forward and improve for the run. He remains on an unchanged mark for that third and has been handed an entry in the Betfred Handicap on Guineas Weekend over the same trip. He will need a good few to come out though (currently 43 on the list) and is unlikely to get in, so I would expect to see his sights lowered and an easier handicap at a lower level to be found.
We celebrated the first winner of the publication the following Monday, but it was hardly call for champagne, with Trad Jazz obliging on her return at restrictive odds of 1/7 at Kempton. The mightily impressive debut winner (also at Kempton) was hiked three furlongs in trip for her reappearance and ran out a length-and-a-quarter winner conceding weight to the entire field under a penalty. After eight months off the track, she was a little more workmanlike than her odds suggested but overcame a steady gallop and came clear nicely in the closing stages once pushed out by Hector Crouch. Whilst still holding an entry in the 1000 Guineas, she looked to appreciate the step up in trip on her first three-year-old start and is more than likely one who will be aimed at middle-distances. An Oaks trial must surely be on the agenda next, with the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial appealing as a suitable target. That race will be a good gauge on her ability up in class and allow connections to assess if they truly have a Classic filly on their hands.
Our second winner also came from our Classic generation of horses to follow, but again was not a viable betting proposition as Cosmic Year returned at the (slightly bigger!) odds of 2/9 at Kempton a couple of days later. Harry Charlton’s Kingman colt confirmed the immense promise he displayed on debut at Sandown last term, tanking through the seven-furlong contest before quickening clear in impressive fashion on route to a comfortable five-length victory. Whilst his early head carriage would be a slight concern (especially when it comes to the Guineas), his turn of foot is electric, and he too overcame a slow gallop here. Available as big as 12/1 for the Newmarket Classic upon publication, he is now as short as 6/1 in places for the Guineas and does look pretty special. His lack of experience would be the only thing to hold against him, Camelot (2012) the last horse to win the 2000 Guineas after just 2 starts, but he is an exciting prospect and one who should only go on improving. Whether the Guineas may just prove too big a leap initially, he does look a Group 1 winner ready and waiting in the near future. The trainer has mentioned possibly skipping the Guineas altogether, perhaps partly due to his lack of experience but also due to Juddmonte’s strong hand in the race following Field Of Gold’s wildly impressive Craven Stakes success on Wednesday and Jonquil’s victory in the Greenham. The Heron Stakes and onto the St James Palace Stakes’ at Royal Ascot would be the alternative route for the son of Kingman.
Talking about last week’s Craven Meeting at Newmarket then, and it was Almeric who ruled the day in the Feilden Stakes on his return for the Balding team – who have been in scintillating form of late. Up in grade after winning a York maiden last October, Kirsten Rausing’s colt took another leap forward and appreciated the sterner stamina test a furlong up in trip. He didn’t look to handle the track all that well, hanging badly in the closing stages, but showing a huge engine to win the sustained battle from King Of Cities – the pair soundly clear from what looked a decent field. He will no doubt improve for this experience too and is sure to progress even further up in trip again. Golden Horn won this race in 2015 before Derby glory, but I am too sure the undulations of Epsom would suit, and Balding did mention the Prix du Jockey Club as a potential target instead.
A day later on the Rowley Mile, The Watcher found the rise in grade all too much in the Craven Stakes as he finished a well beaten last of nine. The unbeaten Karl Burke colt was far too keen off a steady gallop and proving extremely green and untidy when asked to pick up out of the dip. He looked vastly inexperienced here at this stage of his career, but he looked a fine psychical and can bounce back in calmer waters next time. A drop back in trip would be more suitable on this evidence I would have thought, also.
Elsewhere at Beverley, Moon Flight lost his race at the start as he reared leaving the stalls and could never get involved thereafter. He wasn’t given too hard a time of it by Daniel Muscutt once the race was gone and a line can be drawn through that effort, also looking in need of the run of slightly. Nigel Tinkler’s Duran on the other hand ran an excellent race when second on the same card, perhaps just hitting the front a tad early and collared late on by one played later. It was a fine return after six months off the track and should put him spot on for a possible return to York in May – a track at which he has won two of his three starts.
The final day of the Craven Meeting on Thursday also came alongside another win for our Horses To Follow, with Bullet Point scoring incredibly impressively in the one-mile handicap on his return for William Haggas. The four-year-old signed off the last campaign with back-to-back victories (latterly on the Rowley Mile) and readily defied a 6lb rise when duly bolting up by over three lengths from a mark of 89 last week – bringing up the hattrick. Under an enterprising Tom Marquand ride, the Advertise gelding raced alone on the far side of the track, which proved a wise move on the fastest part of the ground as he quickened clear from the field in real smart fashion. The handicapper didn’t miss the performance, handing him a further 8lb rise for the victory, but he looks destined for top-level handicaps this season – with the Suffolk Stakes again here on the Rowley Mile a potential stepping stone to Royal Ascot, where the Royal Hunt Cup would look right up his street.
Half an hour earlier, Byblos proved disappointing on his return for the Gosden team as he weakened away rather tamely to finish a well beaten fifth. Well supported in the market throughout the day, he was sent off a 2/1 favourite but did shape as if in need of the run after six months off the track and I wouldn’t be quick to rule out a bounce back next time. The well-bred three-year-old remains a maiden, but still appeals as well-handicapped if he can improve for the outing. Treble Tee was another who was extremely disappointing, and any potential Guineas ambitions surely took a hefty dent as he finished fourth in a rather muddling novice event on his return. The Crisford’s Persian King colt had looked so impressive on debut last term but couldn’t build on that here. There were excuses, not suited by a steady gallop and proving incredibly keen in the early stages of the race – he was unable to quicken as a result. He was a drifter in the market, so perhaps he just needed the run, but it wouldn’t be an ideal Classic prep and perhaps his sights will be lowered for the time being. Smart Hero was smacked with a 9lb rise for his victory at Wolverhampton back in February, but his winning run came to an end in a whimper, never able to get involved. I am not sure the track at Newcastle suited and he did hang badly - he is still relatively lightly raced, and I would be willing to forgive this run next time.
Looking ahead to the upcoming week and there are a couple of interesting entries for us at Sandown on Friday. The Gosden’s Star Of Light looks set to make her return in the 1m2f Novice, a race the yard have won the last two renewals of. The 2022 winner of the race was superstar mare Emily Upjohn, prior to her unfortunate runner-up finish in the Oaks, and hopefully this Frankel filly can kickstart a Classic campaign here. Still available at 33/1 for the Oaks, I wouldn’t put you off a speculative punt in the hope we see something special on her return. Ed Walker’s Alamaqam also makes his return in the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes, a race we pinpointed as a nice starting point for the four-year-old. A wildly winner of the Heron Stakes at Sandown last term, I would expect him to take a fair bit of beating if fully tuned up for his reappearance.
(c) WEATHERBYS LIMITED 2025 All rights reserved. No part of this update may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying and recording without the written permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be addressed to the publishers. Such written permission must also be obtained before any part of this update is stored in a retrieval system of any nature. While the publishers believe the information contained in this update to be correct they cannot guarantee its accuracy, in particular where it is dependent on information supplied to them, and cannot accept liability for any loss resulting from any errors that may arise.