Betfair Official Blog

Cambridgeshire meeting betting

The three days of Newmarket's Cambridgeshire meeting in early October offer top class racing that attracts significant betting interest and serious bets on and off-course as many established and up-and-coming racing stars strut their stuff at the home of Flat racing.

The Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and Middle Park Stakes see the best of the juvenile crop racing over six furlongs on the Rowley Mile course, with the outcome often prompting major betting changes to ante-post odds list for the following season's 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas.

The Cheveley Park Stakes has failed to prove a reliable guide to the Classics in recent years, but trainers Mick Channon and Brian Meehan both have won the race twice in the last eight years and have proved profitable to follow for the betting public. Surprisingly, neither Aidan O'Brien nor Godolphin have ever won the race, so those considering supporting a candidate from either yard should consider the odds of them breaking their respective ducks before placing their bets.

The Middle Park Stakes has proved a happier hunting ground for O'Brien and those who bet blind on this master trainer, as he has won three of last seven renewals of the race, two of his winners being partnered by Michael Kinane, a real friend to many who bet consistently on the now veteran Irish jockey. This race though has also proved a poor trial for the following year's 2,000 Guineas and odds makers will be quite happy to take significant bets at this stage of proceedings.

Fillies of the very highest class contest another Group 1, the Sun Chariot Stakes, a mile contest for fillies and mares of three-years-old and upwards. Kevin Darley has been aboard two of the last three winners, including the mighty Attraction who carried stacks of winning bets when defying many doubters to land the prize back in 2004 for trainer Mark Johnston.

The biggest betting race of the meeting though is the annual cavalry charge of up to 36 runners for the first leg of the 'Autumn Double', the nine furlong Cambridgeshire Handicap. Over the years this has been amongst the very highest betting turnover races of the whole season and has proved something of a lottery as evidenced by the fact that in the last three years 5/1 favourite Blue Monday (2005) has obliged, but so too has 100/1 betting stunner Spanish Don (2004)!