3.40pm Newmarket Tips & Betting Preview 24/09/2015

Race Time: 3.40pm Meeting: Newmarket Day: Thursday 24th September Distance: 7f
Full Race Name:  Somerville Tattersalls Stakes (Group Three) Class One

Some high class colts have been declared for this well known Group Three event headed perhaps by Tasleet (4/1), the William Haggas trained son of Showcasing who looks to have the best form in the book of the home contingent at least. Wins at Chester, Newbury, and York sandwich his best effort to date when beaten two and three quarter lengths by the potentially top class Shalaa which is rock solid form with Steady Pace (down to re oppose here) behind in third. As we think the winner is as good a two year old as we have seen so far this season, a viewpoint franked by the winner’s victory in the Group One Prix Morny when last seen at Deauville, that makes him way above average and decent race as this is, it is “only” a Group Three and ought to be well within his compass. Naturally, the boys in blue aka Godolphin seem sure to be involved once again as they invariably are with these top juvenile events, with Rouleau (14/1) looking like their prime contender to us. He is well raced for a youngster with six runs already starting in mid June so he may well be coming toward the end of his season, yet he has taken three of those six including a Group Three on the all-weather at Kempton when last seen in action which at least suggests he is punching at his weight this afternoon. Yet to race on anything worse than good, connections will presumably be keeping a watchful eye on the weather between now and Thursday, though we are hoping the predicted good ground will be the case by race time so we get a far and worthwhile result.

Looking through the other contenders and Steady Pace (14/1) sports a first time hood for trainer Saeed Bin Suroor which may, or may not bring about the necessary improvement. He has consistent if not winning form with pretty much all the best two year olds of 2015, finishing behind the likes of King Of Rooks, Washington DC, Shalaa (twice), and Ajaya, and in theory he really ought to find this considerably easier to handle, though word in Newmarket is that he is not expected to finish in front of Rouleau this afternoon regardless, but will still run a big race.  Lawmaking (7/2) has the distinction of being the only maiden in the field, even at the early declaration stage, but if Andre Fabre thinks he is good enough to take his place, then he is! After finishing third to Omar Bradley in a Deauville maiden on soft ground over six furlongs, he stepped up in trip and in class at Longchamp in the Prix La Rochette (Group Three) when going under by a head, running on strongly and showing his obvious  improvement with his Deauville conqueror back in third. Sure to come on again for that run, he may not be the no hoper the majority of punters will assume and is near the top of our each way list while we sit and wait the final field and prices. To round things off, Roger Varian can do little wrong in recent weeks and he has an interesting dark horse in the shape of Haalick (7/1), a twice raced colt who own his maiden first time out at Haydock before finishing one and a half lengths second to Tashweeq at Doncaster in a Listed race. The winner is well regarded in the Gosden yard and holds all the major Autumn Group One entries, so that defeat may not be as bad as it looks at first glance, and if he can get away on level terms this time (dwelt at the start at Haydock), he is another who could get in to the mix in a fascinating renewal.