Saturday’s racing card may be slightly quieter than recent weeks, but Newbury’s Group Three Hackwood Stakes at 3.02pm still offers plenty of interest for punters.
The market leaders Marvelman and Kind Of Blue set the standard on ratings, yet both are considered vulnerable by those looking for value at bigger prices.
SYMBOL OF HONOUR enters the race with solid course and distance credentials, having won the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury in May last year before stepping up to land the Group Two Sandy Lane at Haydock.
The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old was sent off at just 4/1 for the July Cup on his next start, reflecting the high expectations surrounding him at that point.
Those expectations were not met, and subsequent runs at Deauville and Meydan also failed to deliver performances worthy of his reputation.
However, his return in the Group Three Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle offered genuine encouragement, as he made good headway behind the leaders without being fully extended by his jockey.
He finished just over a length behind Marvelman in third at Newcastle, yet is available at 9/1, more than double the price of that reopposing rival.
Back at a course where he has previously thrived, Appleby’s gelding looks well placed to regain the winning thread and represents each-way appeal at the current price.
SONG OF THE CLYDE is identified as an ideal partner to dutch alongside Symbol Of Honour, with Clive Cox’s son of Sergei Prokofiev bringing his own compelling case to the race.
Cox’s three-year-old won this year’s Carnarvon Stakes, beating the highly touted Albert Einstein, giving him winning course and distance form at Newbury heading into Saturday’s contest.
Last time out he was beaten only four lengths in the Commonwealth Cup, a strong Group One contest, and dropping back into Group Three company should suit him well.
He has winning form on quick ground, looks progressive, and Cox has a strong reputation for producing his sprinters in peak condition at the right time.
At 10/1, Song Of The Clyde looks well worth supporting each-way, with the possibility of further improvement making him an attractive proposition.
Turning to the two-mile-and-half-a-furlong Pertemps Handicap at 2.25pm, DURAJI at around 20/1 is identified as the value option over the shorter-priced Baileys Khelstar.
This five-year-old showed real promise in Group races in Ireland last season when trained by Dermot Weld before joining the Richard Hughes yard for two starts this term.
He ran a strong race to finish third in the Chester Cup on his first start for Hughes, attempting to make all the running from the front in a competitive field.
At Royal Ascot in the Copper Horse Stakes, similar front-running tactics were deployed but he faced sustained pressure for the lead and faded in the home straight as a result.
Front-running tactics tend to suit Newbury’s track well, and with fewer rivals likely to press him for the lead this time, Duraji could prove very difficult to catch.
At Market Rasen’s Summer Plate Day, Dan Skelton’s LOUIS VERON stands out in the Summer Handicap Hurdle at 2.10pm as an exciting prospect on his handicap debut.
The Skelton yard has maintained a remarkable pace this season with over 50 winners already, and this five-year-old, who cantered home at Stratford in June, looks hard to beat at 3/1.