Events / Paul Jacobs / 30 September 2009 /

It's all eyes on Newmarket this Saturday for the annual big money handicap. Brondesbury has a trio of selections to follow

It may appear at first glance to be a punter's nightmare with 30-odd runners firing down the nine furlong course for fame and glory, but the Cambridgeshire Handicap is a race that has offered few big shocks in recent times, Spanish Don (2004 excepting) and therefore remains a viable play for the informed.

John Gosden has been the man to follow in recent years with back-to-back winners in Pipedreamer and Tazeez and this year he is likely to be represented by the big punt in the race, Charm School ([12.0] on Betfair) .

This lightly raced four-year-old has often flattered to deceive in his brief career, winning on only two of his 11 starts.

He is one of those talking horses that appears to run a race full of promise, but the bottom line is as a hold up player he needs plenty to go his way to catch the judge's eye.

The reason for his big move in the market place (25/1 into 10's) was down to his never nearer fifth of 20 behind Almiqdaad in the Heritage Handicap at Newbury over 10 furlongs earlier in the month.

In a way it mirrored his equally 'promising' effort in the Spring Cup over eight furlongs at the Berkshire track in April,

On both occasions he was restrained in the rear and made stealthy headway in the closing stages to finish 'never nearer' at the line.

His only win this term came when he was given a much needed greater test of stamina when landing a class three handicap at Kempton over 11 furlongs and even then the son of Dubai Destination only got up in the final 75 yards.

Despite a break neck gallop in the Cambridgeshire, there has to be every chance that this intermediate trip of nine furlongs may prove too sharp and the only factor that can rescue his chance is the advent of plenty of rain to make it a stiff test at the distance. Unfortunately it appears that the weather gods are not on his corner!

With the winner of that Newbury trial, Almiqdaad, unlikely to turn up at Newmarket on Saturday along with other horses prominent in the market Bushman, Swop and possibly Ascot failure Tryst, I have been reluctantly forced to play my punting hand with a batch of three-year-olds.

Despite having run on Saturday, I am convinced this is the event for the filly Applause after she ran a crackerjack of a race in the Listed Fillies Handicap at Ascot.

Stuck behind the whole field off a relatively sedate pace, she made stealthy headway through the final quarter mile (15th at the furlong pole) to eventually finish six, beaten two lengths by the winner without being given a hard time.

With that experience behind her and the extra furlong in her favour I expect her to run a huge race granted luck in running and her current odds of [18.5] don't flatter her one iota.

Others worthy of consideration, in a race where it is mathematically viable to have more than one wager, include the massively progressive Wannabe King ([24.0]), Moynahan ([42.0]) and Brief Encounter ([23.0]). The last named is particularly interesting in spite of a tough handicap mark he has been crying out for a test such as this.

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