Cambridgeshire aim for Balmacara
We target the Cambridgeshire, one of the most difficult flat handicaps of the year today.
A field of 33 runners race over 1m1f on the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket.
As you can imagine lots of luck in running is required to land this premium prize.
Balmacara has been in good form, running consistently well all season. I’ve been waiting for him to get proper soft ground as he has a pronounced knee action. He has proven course form having finished off his race strongly over 7f on heavy ground last November. He won twice at Doncaster over 7f on soft ground at the start of this season. We can forgive him his below par run at Epsom which is a specialist course.
I like that Balmacara bounced back to form when upped in trip to 1m2f on soft at Sandown in July. The winner Persica and Balmacara were well clear of the rest that day. The handicapper upped him 6lbs to a mark of 100. Once again Balmacara ran at Sandown over 1m2f and got caught near the line to finish a neck second on good ground. I am certain he will improve for soft going here and the 1m1f trip in a truly run heritage handicap looks the right job.
Navagio is a horse who I have been watching since he finished third in the Lincoln at the start of the season. He met some trouble in running that day before staying on again at the finish off a rating of 96. He flopped next time out in the spring mile at Newbury and hasn’t shown much in his three subsequent runs.
As a result, the handicapper has dropped Navagio five lbs to a mark of 91 which leaves him dangerously well handicapped in my opinion. He will love going out in trip again having won nicely over 1m1.5f on soft ground at Gowran Park in July 2023. Kieran Shoemark rides off a nice weight of 8-12 for local based trainer James Norton.
Navagio has been declared a non runner this morning. He goes to Haydock for their first race instead. Of the rest I like the inform Toimy Son who won the Golden Mile at Goodwood and stayed on nicely there to place third last time out.
Newmarket 3:40
1 point each way Balmacara 14/1 Boylesports, William Hill & Bet365, all paying 6 places.
0.5 point each way Navagio 66/1 Bet365 else 40/1 generally, 6 places.
Compare Odds at https://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing
Best of Luck,
Nicky
Past Results
Click to see past Big Saturday Race Preview Tips results
The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September.
History
The event was established in 1839, and the inaugural running was won by Lanercost. It was founded in the same year as another major handicap at Newmarket, the Cesarewitch. The two races came to be known as the Autumn Double.
The Cesarewitch initially took place before the Cambridgeshire, but the schedule was later reversed and the Cambridgeshire now precedes the other race by two weeks. Three horses completed the double in the 19th century — Rosebery (1876), Foxhall (1881) and Plaisanterie (1885) — but the feat has been rarely attempted since then.
The Cambridgeshire Handicap is currently held on the final day of Newmarket's three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting.
bet365 Cambridgeshire Heritage Handicap Winners Over The Past 10 years
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer | SP | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Astro King | 6 | 9-12 | Richard Kingscote | Daniel & Claire Kubler | 20/1 | 1:49.76 |
| 2022 | Majestic | 4 | 7-11 | Aidan Keeley | Mick Channon | 25/1 | 1:50.31 |
| 2021 | Bedouin's Story | 6 | 9-05 | Jamie Spencer | Saeed bin Suroor | 40/1 | 1:49.57 |
| 2020 | Majestic Dawn | 4 | 8-08 | Paul Hanagan | Paul & Oliver Cole | 40/1 | 1:46.94 |
| 2019 | Lord North | 3 | 8-10 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | 9/2 F | 1:46.99 |
| 2018 | Wissahickon | 3 | 9-05 | Frankie Dettori | John Gosden | 11/1 | 1:48.01 |
| 2017 | Dolphin Vista | 4 | 8-10 | George Wood | Martyn Meade | 50/1 | 1:51.24 |
| 2016 | Spark Plug | 5 | 9-04 | Jimmy Fortune | Brian Meehan | 12/1 | 1:48.99 |
| 2015 | Third Time Lucky | 3 | 8-04 | Adam Beschizza | Richard Fahey | 14/1 | 1:50.11 |
| 2014 | Bronze Angel | 5 | 8-08 | Louis Steward | Marcus Tregoning | 14/1 | 1:48.68 |
Best of Luck,
Nicky