Timeform Radio Tips: Saturday September 27

Paul Goodenough
27 September 2014

Andre Fabre's High Celebrity looks a top prospect

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Paul Goodenough brings you a couple of selections from Newmarket on Saturday, including a tip in the ultra-competitive Cambridgeshire Handicap...

There's an interesting mix of contenders for this year's Cheveley Park Stakes, though Tiggy Wiggy is undoubtedly the best place to start. A repeat of either of the performances she posted when romping home in Newbury's Super Sprint before taking the step up to this six-furlong trip in her stride in the Lowther would have been enough to win 23 of the last 24 renewals of this race, and it's certainly hard to see Eddie Lynam's Anthem Alexander, who came out on top in their Queen Mary dual at Royal Ascot, but finished third behind Richard Hannon's filly on the Knavesmire, reversing the form even on 3 lb better terms. That York form was franked by the runner-up Cursory Glance on Irish Champions Weekend, with Jim Bolger's Lucida, who was just edged out there, making a winning the trip across the Irish Sea for yesterday's Rockfel, but Tiggy Wiggy has been on the go since March, and while I'm one of her biggest fans, I'm going to look elsewhere on this occasion.

The lightly-raced pair of maiden winners Tendu and Terror have both been supplemented by connections who aren't prone to tilting at windmills, with the former of particular interest having impressed clock watchers when getting off the mark at Kempton, but I'm going to look towards the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes on the July Course earlier in the year (the Cherry Hinton to you and me) for the winner. Arabian Queen came out on top that day under a fine front-running ride by Ryan Moore, but it was the Andre Fabre's runner-up High Celebrity who looked the one to take from the race, her inexperience and inability to settle in a race run at a muddling pace ultimately doing for her. A winner on debut, she resumed winning ways in a strong-looking Group 3 at Chantilly a couple of weeks ago, and I can see the prize going across the Channel for the fourth time in the last eight years.

A fascinating angle for this year's Cambridgeshire was taken away from us when Air Pilot, who fairly dotted up at Newbury a week ago, missed the cut by just one place, but the absence of such a potential blot on the handicap gives the race a very open feel.

Getting a shortlist down to single figures is a challenge in itself, and (in racecard order) Gabrial's Kaka, Queensberry Rules, 2012 victor Bronze Angel, and the lightly-raced pair of Velox and Cornrow are all likely to be in the mix. However, the one I like is Bancnuanaheireann, who was fourth behind Bronze Angel in the race two years ago, and won the consolation race at last year's meeting. It's hard not to believe that his 2014 campaign has been geared around this weekend, and while he hasn't won since beating 24 rivals here twelve months ago, he has been performing creditably in defeat, the form of last month's Shergar Cup Mile fifth-placed finish franked by the first four home that day since. He may just provide Mick Appleby with the biggest win of his training career to date.

Recommendations:
Back High Celebrity in the 15:10 at Newmarket
Back Bancnuanaheireann in the 15:50 at Newmarket