Newmarket Tips: Balding gelding can get in the mix on Saturday

Day two of Newmarket’s Future Champions Day meeting is held on Saturday and it includes a fascinating renewal of the big staying handicap of the season. The Cesarewitch has been dominated by Irish raiders in recent years and they hold the majority of the runners again but there’s one domestic option with an intriguing profile to focus on.

My Newmarket tips for Saturday include a hat-trick seeker attempting to continue a fine run of form.

13:15 - Lead Artist @ 9/4

First up, LEAD ARTIST appears to have strong claims of landing another Group 3 in the Darley Stakes.

He was a winner over a mile at the Glorious Goodwood festival and ran a massive race in defeat over an insufficient seven furlongs in Group 2 company at Doncaster last month.

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That was behind Kinross who did that form no harm with a narrow defeat on Arc weekend at Longchamp last week and both a step back up in trip and a drop back in class could be the key to him going in again here, even with a Group 3 penalty for his Goodwood success earlier in the year.

Betfred are offering your stake back (up to £10) as a free bet if your selection in the 13:15 Newmarket finishes 2nd.

15:40 - Spirit Mixer @ 12/1

The prize money for the Cesarewitch isn’t what it once was but the race is still one of the trickiest puzzles to solve in the calendar.

This year, 25 runners have declared, including 13 from Ireland, and it is a race that the Irish have dominated in recent times, winning five of the last six renewals with the only success for the home team coming with Buzz in 2021 for jumps trainer Nicky Henderson.

While Britain are short on numbers this time around, there’s one hat-trick seeker that might be worth taking a chance on at a double-figure price.

SPIRIT MIXER went on a bit of a losing streak after back-to-back wins in 2022 but he’s returned to form of late, winning two handicaps at Chester in the last six weeks. The latest is a run worth upgrading given that he beat a very well-handicapped rival and the pair pulled a whopping six lengths clear of the remainder of the field.

A 4lb rise for that success is a let-off from the assessor and this son of Frankel is still feasibly treated on old form.

His latest Chester win came on soft but his best form previously was on a quicker surface and he looks overpriced in his bid to continue his good run.,

This is an Super Extra Place Race, so Betfred will be paying 6 Places (1/5 Odds) instead of 4.

16:50 - Alfa Kellenic @ 6/5

In a remarkable bid for a seven-timer, ALFA KELLENIC could take some stopping in the Listed race that closes the card.

A poor draw didn’t stop her in the Ayr Silver Cup when last seen and she’s remarkably impressive, improving a whopping 31lb since her reappearance run in June on the handicapper’s figures.

She looks well worth her place at pattern level and can gain some black type in this contest.

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