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Horseracing Betting October 5 - 11: Eclectic Tipperary, lively Ayr sprint and Ascot flat finale

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Andrew Hughes watches curtain go down on the flat racing season and talks us through what we can look forward to this week in racing.

It's a relatively quiet racing week as the sport enters one of its twice yearly transition phases. To the accompaniment of a drumbeat of raindrops, the number of jumps and all-weather meetings quietly increases and people are already whispering about such subjects as the Hennessey, the King George and that festival some time in March. To that end, it is a great relief that last year's champion Denman has recovered well from his treatment for a heart problem. We may not see him until the new year but that is a small price to pay for ensuring that he is fully fit and ready to take on Kauto Star.

Meanwhile, the flat season isn't quite done with yet and there is the small matter of Europe's most prestigious flat meeting taking place as we speak, plus a scattering of interesting contests throughout the week.

Sunday 5th October

There is of course the Breeder's Cup and Champions Day at Newmarket, but for me the Prix de l'arc meeting in early October is the proper way to mark the end of the flat season. The cream of Europe's blue-bloods and a fair scattering of those from farther afield gather at Lonchamp to do battle for Group One honours. The Arc itself is the most prestigious flat race in Europe and fully deserves its crown. At the time of writing it is the filly Zarkava who holds favouritism at [3.35] with Duke of Marmalade on [7.4] and Soldier of Fortune on [5.7] Besides the main event, it's wall to wall Group Ones with equal emphasis on the younger horses. The Prix Jean-Luc Lagadare is the most prestigious two year old race in France while the Prix Marcel Boussac for two year old fillies is sure to throw up a serious contender or two for Guineas honours next year. There is also the glorious spectacle of the massed charging ranks of sprinters in the Prix de l'Abbaye and the Prix de l'Opera, a classy contest for fillies and mares over ten furlongs.

From Paris to Tipperary is not quite the sublime to the ridiculous as the picturesque Irish course holds a characteristically eclectic meeting today. For flat types, there is the intriguing Concorde Stakes over seven and a half furlongs and the small field of the Listed sprint, the Abergwaun Stakes. But the main interest is in the jumps races on the card, particularly the Like-A-Butterfly Novice Chase over two and a half miles, which could well prove worth watching. There are also a couple of interesting hurdles races, the Tipperary Hurdle for older horses and the Joe Mac Hurdle for novices, both decent quality and both over a muddy two miles.

Thursday 9th October

A rather quiet week's racing is enlivened by the Rockingham Stakes at Ayr. A Listed sprint for two-year-olds, the expected prevailing heavy going is likely to put a premium on stamina but this is a race always worth watching for potential stars.

Saturday 11th October

The curtain goes down on flat racing at Ascot with a decent Saturday card. Top of the bill is the Autumn Stakes, a Group Two for two-year-olds run over a mile with a very good record for producing stars of the classic generation. There is also the Cornwalls Stakes, a frenetic looking sprint for the speedier two-year-olds and another sprint race, the Group Three Bengough Stakes, formerly run at Newmarket as the Bentinck Stakes and bound to feature a huge field of quality sprinters. Finally, there are a couple of tempting handicaps to get stuck into, most notably the Ladbrokes Handicap for a valuable prize, run over a mile and a half.