Newmarket trainer James Fanshawe is a patient man and he has resisted the temptation to run his stable star KIND OF BLUE since he turned in a disappointing run at Royal Ascot on ground much faster than ideal in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. He finished 11th of the 18 runners that day.
With the sun shining incessantly for most of the summer, Kind of Blue’s target ever since has been the Grade 1 Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes on 5 September in the hope that the rain would finally arrive. The five-year-old has been second for the past two years.
According to my weather forecasts, there is plenty of rain around for the next eight days in the Haydock area and I hope the ground will be properly soft by the off. That would make Kind of Blue a stand-out bet at his current odds of 25-1.
Kind of Blue, who is owned by Wathnan Racing, has only experienced ‘soft’ ground once during his 12-race career and on that occasion he landed the Grade 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes in October 2024.
There is plenty of rain around for the next eight days in the Haydock area
Fanshawe, a talented handler whose string always have an impressive strike rate, reports Kind of Blue to be in fine form and he is convinced the horse is as good today as he has ever been. Back him 1 point each way at 25-1 with bet365 or Coral, both paying three places.
Another talented Newmarket trainer waiting for rain for one of his string is James Tate, who rates CABURN highly when he gets soft ground. Ayr’s big meeting is still three weeks off but it is not unusual for it to be run on soft ground. If that’s the case, Caburn will not be going off at his current huge prices for the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup on 19 September.
Caburn, a four-year-old grey gelding, has some decent runs under his belt on ‘good to soft’ ground, notably a third in listed race at Doncaster in March and a comfortable victory by three lengths in a handicap at Yarmouth in September last year. Back Caburn 1 point each way at 40-1 with William Hill and, even if those odds disappear, there is still plenty of 33-1 to snap up.
In 2000, Peter Harris trained Katy Nowaitee to win the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket. Just over a quarter of a century later, he hopes to win it again but this time as a racehorse owner.
Harris has the majority of his horses with Jane Chapple-Hyam, the straight-talking Australian-born trainer who knows how to target a big race. It was all of 20 years ago that she trained Mudawin to win the Ebor Handicap at York at 100-1. Many big-race winners have come out of her Newmarket yard since then including her first Group 1 winner with Saffron Beach in 2021.
In short, Chapple-Hyam knows her horse flesh and she is targeting the Peter Harris-owned HARD ENDEAVOR at the Cambridgeshire on 26 September. The lightly-raced four-year-old colt ran a mighty race when second to Indalo in a competitive handicap at Sandown in early July in a race over a mile.
Hard Endeavor is sired by New Bay which suggests the longer distance and any cut in the ground will be in his favour. He is likely to have a prep run before the Cambridgeshire since he has been off the track for the best part of two months. Back him 1 point each way at 40-1 with most bookies, including William Hill, Betfred, Paddy Power, Sky Bet, Betfair and Unibet.
I do not have any really strong fancies for this weekend’s racing but I will put up one horse at Windsor tomorrow evening because I am happy to take on the favourite, Ghostwriter, even though he is dropping in class for the listed Weatherbys August Stakes (6.30 p.m.).
I would rather be on WARRANT HOLDER, owned by the King and Queen, trained by father and son team John and Thady Gosden and ridden by Billy ‘the Kid’ Loughnane. Admittedly, the four-year-old gelding disappointed last time out when dropped in trip for the John Smith’s Cup at York.
However, I would rather judge the horse on his previous run when he was second to Opportunity in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot. That’s red-hot form and a repetition of that effort could be good enough to win the Windsor race tomorrow. Back Warrant Holder 1 point each way at 6-1 with bet365, paying three places.
From the comments section last week, it seems a good number of readers were on Daiquiri Bay to land the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York – put up in this column at 16-1 on 17 July. I see that trainer Alan King is now aiming his improving horse at the Group 1 Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot on 17 October and, since the horse likes cut in the ground, he will go there with an outsider’s chance of landing the race.
Pending:
1 point each way Warrant Holder at 6-1 for the Weatherbys August Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Kind of Blue at 25-1 for the Sprint Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Caburn at 40-1 for the Ayr Gold Cup, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Hard Endeavor at 40-1 for the Cambridgeshire, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
Last weekend + 13.2 points.
1 point each way Adaay of Scarlett at 8-1 for the Gimcrack Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Electrifarhh at 10-1 for the EBF Fillies’ Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 5 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Ten Bob Tony at 8-1 for the City of York Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 4 places. 4th. + 0.6 points.
1 point each way Daiquiri Bay at 16-1 for the Ebor Handicap, paying ¼ odds, 4 places. 1st + 20 points.
1 point each way Paddy The Squire at 33-1 for the Ebor Handicap, paying ¼ odds, 4 places. Unplaced – 2 points.
1 point each way Far Above Dream at 8-1 for the Constantine Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 6 places. 2nd + 0.6 points.
1 point each way Diego El Queso at 13-2 for the Dav Reid Finale Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 5 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2026 flat season running total: + 26.225 points.
2025-26 jumps season: – 57.785 points on all tips.
2025 flat season: + 84.12 points on all tips.
2024-5 jumps season: – 47.61 points on all tips.
2024 flat season: + 41.4 points on all tips.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
Total for seven full seasons of tipping: + 68.215 points on all tips.
2026 flat season running total: + 12.225 points.
2025-26 jumps season: – 57.785 points on all tips.
2025 flat season: + 84.12 points on all tips.
2024-5 jumps season: – 47.61 points on all tips.
2024 flat season: + 41.4 points on all tips.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
Total for seven full seasons of tipping: + 68.215 points on all tips.
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