Bill Esdaile

THERE is a feast of action to get stuck into from Newmarket this week, with two Group One contests and the deeply competitive Cambridgeshire Handicap (3.40pm) headlining the bill on Saturday afternoon.The Cambridgeshire boasts the largest maximum field size of any Flat race in the UK with 35 slots up for grabs, which is the [...]

ARGUABLY the showpiece of the European Flat season takes place on Sunday, in the form of the Group One Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (3.05pm).Ground conditions tend to be testing at Longchamp at the beginning of October, as they were last year when current favourite Daryz motored home to land the prize.However, the rain has [...]

THERE is a feast of top-class racing this weekend in the UK and across the channel, with Sunday bringing the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from Longchamp.On home soil, Saturday also brings Group One action with the Sun Chariot Stakes (1.35pm) from Newmarket, which looks to be at the mercy of favourite Blue Bolt.However, the [...]

AWAY from the action at HQ, there’s a typically competitive card at York alongside the first Premier Saturday meeting over the sticks at Chepstow.Looking at the racing on the Knavesmire, the most competitive race of the day is the Sky Bet Sprint Trophy Handicap (3.17pm).Specialist sprint trainer Mick Appleby has a strong hand here with [...]

THERE are two days of high-class racing from Newmarket to look forward to this week, with Future Champions Festival beginning on Friday.The feature on day one is the Group One Fillies’ Mile (2.57pm), where unbeaten Godolphin filly Musical Times is likely to go off a very short price and take plenty of beating.Saturday’s card appeals [...]

ASCOT’s British Champions Day this Saturday provides a final chance for some of the stars of the Flat season to strut their stuff before the campaign winds down.On a star-studded card, the aim is to hunt out a bit of ante-post value and take on the many short-priced favourites set to line up.There are races [...]

THERE looks to be ante-post value to be had in two other British Champions Day contests, the QEII and the Balmoral Handicap.Starting with the competitive Group One mile contest (3.20pm), current favourite TALK OF NEW YORK looks the bet at this stage.As is often the case at this point in the season, some runners may [...]

DONCASTER on Saturday plays host to the final Group One contest of the flat season, the William Hill Futurity Trophy (1.30pm).Unsurprisingly, Aidan O’Brien currently has an embarrassment of riches in the contest, with 11 of the 17 entries being Ballydoyle representatives.Noble Exhibit is the current ante-post favourite, but with rain forecast towards the back of [...]

WITH the domestic jumps action difficult to weigh up this weekend, I’m looking across the pond to hunt out a few ante-post picks from the Breeders’ Cup.The two-day extravaganza from Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky kicks off on Friday evening with a card for the juveniles before Saturday night’s action sees the older champions crowned.Charlie Appleby [...]

AHEAD of the nine Grade One contests at Keeneland on Saturday, Friday’s card features five juvenile Grade Ones, with a couple of ante-post opportunities worth considering.In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf (8.15pm), Sun Goddess looks sure to start a short-priced favourite.Aside from her defeat at Royal Ascot, she has carried all before her this [...]