Friday 5th September 2008
totesport Autumn Double Weights Revealed
totesport CESAREWITCH THE TARGET FOR "IMPROVING" MISSOULA
GIVEN DUO PRIMED FOR totesport.com CAMBRIDGESHIRE
As summer wanes, thoughts turn to Newmarket and the great tradition that is the Autumn Double, comprising the totesport.com Cambridgeshire and totesport Cesarewitch. Weights for the two heritage handicaps, both worth £160,000, are revealed today, Wednesday, September 3, 2008.
The thrilling nine-furlong "cavalry charge" known as the totesport.com Cambridgeshire takes place on Saturday, October 4, and has 134 entries, whilst the epic two and a quarter-mile totesport Cesarewitch on Champions’ Day, Saturday, October 18, has 89 entries.
Lewes trainer Suzy Smith is looking forward to running her Ascot Stakes heroine Missoula in the totesport Cesarewitch. The five-year-old mare took the two and a half-mile Royal Ascot handicap with a thrilling late charge, landing the spoils in a blanket finish from Mamlook and Liberate.
The Kalanisi mare, just over four lengths eighth of 18 in the John Smith’s Northumberland Plate over two miles at Newcastle on June 28, is a 16/1 chance with the sponsor, having been allotted 8st 3lb.
Smith revealed today: "Missoula will have a prep run in a two-mile handicap at Ascot on September 27, and then the plan is to go to the totesport Cesarewitch. She has had a little break, is in good form and the totesport Cesarewitch is the race we are aiming at. The race should be ideal as she will probably get her ground, it’s two and a quarter miles and they will go a good pace.
"I think she’s improving and there’s a lot more to come. Physically, she’s filling out and changing shape, so she’s a lot stronger now.
"Her win in the Ascot Stakes was brilliant as it wasn’t really on the agenda at the time. We’d been told never to run her right-handed, so I’d automatically scrapped all the right-handed races but then thought we may as well go for it and find out.
"She just stays and stays - she actually ran a really good race in the Northumberland Plate over two miles but she only has one long run at the end, so if she gets stopped in her run it’s so difficult for her to pick up again. In the totesport Cesarewitch, over the extra distance and possibly softer ground, I think she has a really good chance.
"Sam Hitchcott will ride her again. Even before the Ascot Stakes, he was saying we were going to win the totesport Cesarewitch. He knows the mare and gets on with her really well.
"She is in really good form so now we just keep our fingers crossed. She’ll go hurdling after Newmarket and then next year we’ll see her back on the Flat."
Totesport’s betting on the totesport Cesarewitch is headed by the Marcus Tregoning-trained Askar Tau (7st 10lb), who completed a four-timer in an extended mile and three quarter Newmarket handicap on August 22.
Sir Mark Prescott may saddle Wicked Daze (8st 11lb & 12/1), winner of the Brown Jack Stakes at Ascot in July, who failed to land a hat-trick when last of 20 to All The Good on good to soft ground at Newbury on August 22. Prescott could also run current 14/1 chance Alleviate (8st 5lb).
Leg Spinner (9st 3lb &12/1) took the spoils in 2007 and has been entered again by Irish trainer Tony Martin, who could also saddle John Smith’s Northumberland Plate victor Arc Bleu (8st 6lb & 14/1), Top The Charts (7st 10b & 20/1) and winning hurdler Stage Manager (7st 2lb & 12/1).
There are a total of eight entries from Ireland including Indian Pace (7st 11lb & 20/1), winner of the Galway Hurdle for trainer John Kiely.
David Pipe could bid to follow his father, Martin Pipe, who won the totesport Cesarewitch in 2000 and 2002, with Heros Fatal and Miss Fara respectively, as he has entered Mamlook (7st 13lb & 12/1), runner-up to Missoula in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal Meeting in June. The Philip Hobbs-trainedLiberate (8st 2lb & 14/1) was third in that contest.
Sanbuch, a 16/1 shot for trainer Luca Cumani, has been allotted top-weight of 9st 10lb. The four-year-old won the 14-furlong Detica Summer Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, while the Ian Williams-trained Baddam (8st 8lb & 16/1) was on the mark at the same meeting in the two miles, five furlongs Invesco Perpetual Goodwood Stakes. Williams could also run Chester Cup hero Bulwark (9st 2lb & 20/1).
Daraahem (8st 3lb & 16/1) may represent Barry Hills, who trained Nomadic Way to success in 1988, while Mark Tompkins could be represented by Four Miracles (8st & 16/1), successful twice at York this season, and Shergar Cup Stayers winner Gee Dee Nen (8st 8lb & 16/1).
GIVEN DUO PRIMED FOR totesport.com CAMBRIDGESHIRE
GIVEN DUO PRIMED FOR totesport.com CAMBRIDGESHIRE
James Given captured the totesport.com Cambridgeshire in 2001 with the 33/1 shot I Cried For You and the Lincolnshire handler is hoping for a repeat of that success as he prepares Indian Days and Dream Lodge for the nine-furlong contest.
Indian Days, successful last time in the prestigious 10-furlong Marjorie And Bernard Benham Emerald Anniversary Handicap at Glorious Goodwood in July, has been allotted 8st 8lb and is available at 20/1 with totesport.
Given revealed this morning: "The totesport.com Cambridgeshire is very much the target for Indian Days. I might have to look at where he is in the weights to determine whether he may need to run again to try and get a penalty in order to ensure he gets in.
"The totesport.com Cambridgeshire has been the target since he won at Goodwood. The ground was a little loose that day but a sound, fast surface would suit him down to the ground."
Dream Lodge is currently 33/1 with the sponsor but Given believes the four-year-old is far from a forlorn hope despite coming home last of 14 at Chester on August 30. The Grand Lodge colt, who has been allotted 9st, claimed the runner-up berth in a Pontefract Listed event in July and previously belied odds of 20/1 to take a mile conditions event at Doncaster by six lengths from Army Of Angels, with Dubai’s Touch third and Jack Junior fourth.
Given continued: "Dream Lodge can be a very in and out horse. When he’s good, he’s very good and when he’s bad, he’s annoying. The draw was awful at Chester last time, so you can’t blame the horse for that, but his two runs before then would put him in the totesport.com Cambridgeshire with a chance.
"Dream Lodge is capable - he was only a second off the track record at Doncaster - but things just have to fall right for him. When they do, he has a lot of talent.
"Indian Days is the one with the greatest hope. I think he’s very much an improving horse and I think he won a shade cosily at Goodwood. Alan (Munro) was the last one to go for his stick and timed it perfectly to go and win the race a little cheekily, so I’m really looking forward to going to Newmarket and watching him run."
Ask The Butler, trained by Luca Cumani, is the current 10/1 joint market leader with the sponsor for the totesport.com Cambridgeshire, having been allotted 9st 4lb in the handicap. The four-year-old is bidding for a hat-trick after defeating the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Lang Shining (9st 4lb) over 10 furlongs at Sandown on August 30.
Sir Mark Prescott is no stranger to totesport.com Cambridgeshire success and he has the other joint-favourite Master Of Arts (9st & 10/1). The three-year-old has rattled up a six-timer this summer, with his latest success at Great Leighs on July 22, coming off a 37lb higher mark than his first at Wolverhampton on May 19.
The Heath House handler, previously successful in 1988 (Quinlan Terry), 1997 (Pasternak) and 2003 (Chivalry), has also engaged Caravel (8st 5lb & 25/1), who landed a five-timer last season and has had only two outings this term, both over 10 furlongs.
Swop (8st 12lb), a well-fancied 11/1 shot, was third to his stablemate Ask The Butler at Sandown and is also among nine entries from Cumani’s Bedford Lodge Stables.
Trainer Roger Charlton took the prize in 1995 with Cap Juluca and in 2005 with Blue Bajan and he could rely on Fifteen Love (9st 3lb & 14/1), who already has two major handicaps in the bag this year and may bid for another. The Point Given three-year-old took the Britannia Handicap from Masaalek at Royal Ascot in June and saw off the same horse and third-placed Dubai’s Touch (9st 4lb) to take the totesport Mile at Glorious Goodwood on August 1.
The Jamie Osborne-trained Docofthebay (9st 7lb & 16/1) filled the runner-up spot behind Pipedreamer in the 2007 totesport.com Cambridgeshire and the four-year-old could bid to go one place better, while North Yorkshire trainer Alan Swinbank could bid to follow Formal Decree’s 2006 triumph with Full Speed (7st 7lb) and Prince Kalamoun (8st 6lb), who won well over 10 furlongs at Chester on August 29.
Smokey Oakey (25/1)has been shouldered with top-weight of 9st 10lb. The four-year-old gave trainer Mark Tompkins and owners Dame Judi Dench and Bryan Agar a taste of the big-time with wins in the Lincoln at Doncaster,and the Group Three Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. The Newmarket handler could also run Babodana (9st), Kinsya (8st 3lb) and Alan Devonshire (8st 10lb).
The John Hills-trained Military Power (8st 3lb & 25/1) was runner-up to Indian Days at Glorious Goodwood.
Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor has entered four horses - Craigstown (8st 1lb & 25/1), Gold Sovereign (8st 13lb & 25/1), Greek Well (8st 5lb) and recent Salisbury winner Stalking Shadow (8st & 25/1).
Bookmakers invariably run scared of contenders trained by Tony Martin and the Irishman, who saddled She’s Our Mare to victory at 11/1 in 1999, has engaged two-mile hurdle winner Charminamix (8st 2lb & 25/1).
French-based trainer John Hammond provides the cross-channel challenge with two entries. Estrela Brage (8st 11lb) was runner-up in a mile Listed race at Saint-Cloud in March, while Mesa Marauder (8st 9lb) landed a nine-furlong Longchamp handicap in June.
John Jenkins has entered Bunbury Cup hero Little White Lie (9st 4lb), while Gerard Butler, successful with Beauchamp Pilot in 2002, has engaged Beauchamp Viceroy (8st 1lb), Beauchamp Wizard (6st 12lb) and Mount Hadley (8st 2lb).
Bushman (9st 5lb & 16/1) could bid to give trainer David Simcock the biggest win of his career, while the John Dunlop-trained Perks (8st 12lb & 14/1) could line up, having defeated the Mark Johnston-trained Drill Sergeant in the totescoop6 Stakes at Haydock on August 9.
The David Barron-trained Zero Tolerance (8st 6lb) was third in the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh on August 31.
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Paul Petrie, totesport spokesman, commented: "Since we opened betting, we now have two new market leaders for the totesport.com Cambridgeshire and totesport Cesarewitch.
"In the Cambridgeshire, Ask the Butler is 10/1 from 14/1 after his win at the weekend and, in the Cesarewitch, Askar Tau, who will be going for a five timer, is 8/1 from 14/1.
"With the extra place terms that we have been offering, business has been good, but now that the weights are published we expect it to get extremely busy over the next few weeks."
