Newmarket best bet: Hot-shot Hamish to bounce back to winning ways in Princess of Wales’ Stakes
- John Fearn
- 11 July 2024
As appears to be the growing horse racing trend, the bigger the prize the smaller the field, but the six contenders lining up for the Princess of Wales’ Stakes should still give us a race to savour.
15:35 Newmarket: Princess of Wales’s Stakes (1 mile 4 furlongs)
While the two rank outsiders, Outbox and Maxi King will have respective jockeys Hollie Doyle and David Egan keen to prove they are not just there to make the numbers up, it’s hard to make a case for the chances, given the quality of their four rivals.
The Gosden yard’s Arrest won a couple of Group 3s as a three-year-old and proved he can run shoulders with the best when coming second behind Continuous in last September’s St Leger.
He clearly needed the run on season debut, but looks capable of coming on again from his subsequent runner-up spot in the Ormonde Stakes at Chester last time out nine weeks ago.
Oisin Murphy and Ryan Moore will no doubt also fancy their chances on board Giavellotto and Time Lock respectively, but in truth, it’s difficult to see any of the above finishing ahead of the short-priced favourite, Hamish.
In ten races since May 2022, the William Haggas-trained eight-year-old has finished behind just three of his 66 rivals, with those three runner-up spots punctuating seven impressive victories, including an unbeaten four-race campaign in 2023.
Suggested best bet: Hamish in the 15:35 at Newmarket
This classy and highly likeable type hit the ground running this term, when landing the John Porter Stakes at Newbury in April, but then had to be withdrawn from the Yorkshire Cup because of the unsuitable conditions.
He was last seen six weeks ago in the Coronation Stakes, where he took on Group 1 company for the first time since giving Kyprios a run for his money in the 2022 St Leger, and although having to give second best to Luxembourg, he ran on well to come within a length of the winner, he finished 10 lengths clear of Emily Upjohn, with reopposing Time Lock a further 13 lengths adrift.
His outings tend to be very much dictated by the ground, so if the Haggs team believe Newmarket’s ground is suitable, then Tom Marquand should be able to look forward to steering Hamish back to winning ways, and to another familiar stroll around the winner’s enclosure.
- Tip advised by Seventh Heaven Horse Racing on Tipstrr
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