It is the last Saturday of the Turf season this weekend and the Jumps game starts to take over for the winter months with meetings at Cheltenham Saturday and Aintree on Sunday where they have the G.2 Old Roan Chase.
Over at Newbury on Saturday Frontiersman goes in the Group Three Worthington's 'Indigo Leisure' Stakes due off at 2.15. The Godolphin colt trained by Charlie Appleby got back to winning ways last time in a Listed heat at HQ, tipped on here, and he is fancied to follow up in this at 4-1. He disappointed in this race last year when jolly but looked bang in form at Newmarket. Appleby reports the four-year-old to be in fine shape, but is just hoping the ground can dry out to aid his cause. "His work was good on Wednesday and it was just a case of keeping an eye on the ground. Although he won on good to soft at Newmarket, he has been beaten on soft ground twice at Newbury," said the Newmarket handler. "He has come out of his last race well. We pitched him in this race last year, but it was probably at that stage of his career where it was a bit too soon. If he puts a performance in like he did on his last start at Newmarket he will be bang up there." The weather forecast is in his favour and hopefully it will dry out enough. The biggest dangers in the race, especially if it remains soft, is probably the other Godolphin colt, in the hands of Saeed bin Suroor, Best Solution or Danehill Kodiac who likes ot get his toe-in.
Despite British Champions Day being last weekend The Racing Post Trophy at 3.25 is the last Group One race of the Turf season and regularly attracts the best two years olds in the country, a number of whom arrive heading the betting for next years Epsom Derby. Whichever beast wins today will almost certainly go into the winter as jolly for the big one next June. Heading up the home team is John Gosden's unbeaten Roaring Lion who arrives top rated on 112. Just too good for Nelson in the G.2 Royal Lodge he has a chance. Charlie Appleby supplemented the once-raced winner Loxley earlier in the week but this is a huge step-up in class. Aidan O'Brien is of course seeking a record-breaking 26th Group One winner of the year and he has sent a decent line-up across the Irish Sea. The master of Ballydoyle will field four of the 12 runners with The Pentagon, Saxon Warrior, Seahenge and Coat Of Arms. Jim Bolger's G.1 National Stakes winner Verbal Dexterity also makes the trip across from Ireland and arguably has the best form on show with that win. Coat Of Arms over 11 lengths back in fourth that day and a line through Delano Roosevelt, a head to good for Coat Of Arms in a maiden back in the summer, who was second to Saxon Warrior in the G.2 Beresford Stakes last month by 2½ lengths suggests Bolger’s charge is the best of the Irish raiders. At the prices the 4-1 about the Vocalised colt looks the bet.
As mentioned above they also race at Cheltenham as the Jumps season begins to warm-up but I am leaving it alone this weekend.