Bank on Babouche for Cheveley prize

Babouche is expected to put the seal on her unbeaten campaign with victory in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Ger Lyons-trained filly has carried the Juddmonte silks to a hat-trick of wins so far, adding to her wide-margin debut success at Cork with back-to-back triumphs at the Curragh.

Having displayed a good attitude to go with her undoubted talent when seeing off the more experienced Camille Pissarro in the Group Three Anglesey Stakes in July, Babouche was pitched in against the boys at Group One level in last month's Phoenix Stakes and it was impossible to be anything but impressed by the way she readily dispatched of the subsequent Prix Morny hero Whistlejacket.

Aidan O'Brien's Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine of two weeks ago Lake Victoria is clearly a major threat, but this is a fairly quick turnaround and Babouche might be the fresher of the pair, while there is also a question mark over whether Lake Victoria will be as effective dropping back to 1200m.

Whistlejacket undoubtedly sets the standard in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes, but it may pay to take a chance on the less exposed Shadow Of Light.

While Whistlejacket is a hardened juvenile at this stage, having won three of his six starts since making his debut in April, Shadow Of Light did not run until July and has more scope for improvement.

Charlie Appleby's juvenile won on his introduction at Yarmouth and followed up on Newmarket's July Course without much fuss, and there was not much wrong with his latest effort when runner-up to Cool Hoof Luke in the Gimcrack at York.

That form looks pretty sound, with the third-placed Symbol Of Strength winning a Group Three since, so connections of Shadow Of Light will be optimistic ahead of his bid to provide Appleby with a first win in this Group One contest since Charming Thought struck gold a decade ago.

The Charlie Fellowes-trained Luther will take some stopping in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes.

The Bedford House handler has made no secret of the regard in which he holds this son of Frankel and he has done nothing wrong in three starts so far, with wins at Salisbury and Haydock sandwiching a narrow defeat to New Century in a slowly-run Stonehenge Stakes at the former venue.

New Century certainly had the run of the race in front that day and in any case gave the form a major boost by landing a valuable Grade One event in Canada a couple of weeks ago.

Luther was seen in his true light when dominating his rivals in the Ascendant Stakes last time out and he more than merits this shot at Group Two honours on the Rowley Mile.

Roi De France catches the eye as a likely improver in the bet365 Cambridgeshire.

Joint-trainer John Gosden has saddled a record five winners of this prestigious handicap, with the top-class Lord North his most recent victor in 2019.

It might be fanciful to suggest Roi De France can go on to scale those heights, but he has yet to finish out of the first two in four starts to date, with a clear-cut win on his penultimate start at Windsor followed by a slightly luckless run on his handicap debut at Yarmouth last week.

He travelled like the best horse in the race that day, but was unable to pick up sufficiently when the gap eventually came and was beaten three-quarters of a length.

With a stronger gallop assured in this more competitive and bigger field, expect an improved performance from a horse who is almost certainly better than his current rating of 95.

The William Haggas-trained Wiltshire is rated the best bet at Haydock as he bids to defy top-weight in the My Pension Expert Handicap, while Michael Dods' veteran sprinter Dakota Gold has dropped to an enticing mark as he bids to seal a 17th career win in Ripon's Cathedral City Of The Dales Handicap. - Press Association 

SELECTIONS:

CHELMSFORD: Race 1 - 17.10 Star Of St James; Race 2 - 17.50 Me Tarzan; Race 3 - 18.25 Hyperchromatic; Race 4 - 19.00 Shamador; Race 5 - 19.30 Tiana Rose; Race 6 - 20.00 Happy Tears; Race 7 - 20.30 Gatwick Kitten; Race 8 - 21.00 Edergole's Gift; Race 9 - 21.30 Kinematica.

CURRAGH: Race 1 - 14.25 Aston Value; Race 2 - 15.00 Mollie Foster; Race 3 - 15.35 Tennessee Stud; Race 4 - 16.10 Ostraka; Race 5 - 16.45 Apples And Bananas; Race 6 - 17.20 Pansy Poe; Race 7 - 17.55 Chicago Storm; Race 8 - 18.30 Imperial Dream.

HAYDOCK: Race 1 - 14.30 Skipper; Race 2 - 15.05 Mersea Island; Race 3 - 15.40 Knebworth; Race 4 - 16.15 Wiltshire; Race 5 - 16.50 Consent; Race 6 - 17.25 Impartiality; Race 7 - 18.00 Free Speech.

LISTOWEL: Race 1 - 15.15 Edge Of Darkness; Race 2 - 15.50 Where's My Jet; Race 3 - 16.25 Barry Lyndon; Race 4 - 16.55 Cosmic Rock; Race 5 - 17.30 Flanking Maneuver; Race 6 - 18.05 Decimation; Race 7 - 18.40 Addragoole.

MARKET RASEN: Race 1 - 15.53 Listentoyourheart; Race 2 - 16.30 Malinka; Race 3 - 17.05 Ginger Pointe; Race 4 - 17.35 Pisgah Pike; Race 5 - 18.10 Envious Editor; Race 6 - 18.45 United Front; Race 7 - 19.15 Garitsa Bay.

NEWMARKET: Race 1 - 14.15 Naina; Race 2 - 14.50 Luther; Race 3 - 15.25 BABOUCHE (NAP); Race 4 - 16.00 Shadow Of Light; Race 5 - 16.40 Roi De France; Race 6 - 17.15 Digub; Race 7 - 17.45 Fifty Nifty.

RIPON: Race 1 - 14.35 Leblon Girl; Race 2 - 15.10 Blessed Star; Race 3 - 15.45 High Opinion; Race 4 - 16.20 Dakota Gold; Race 5 - 17.00 Run This Way; Race 6 - 17.40 Obligatory; Race 7 - 18.15 Al Ameed; Race 8 - 18.50 Merrijig.