Emma Nagle selects three tips at Newmarket and Naas Never getting tired is a superpower many of us would relish in life and Aidan O'Brien claimed this week, it is this attribute which makes City Of Troy so special. Irish challengers boast an excellent record at the Future Champions Festival in Newmarket. This looks set to continue as the indefatigable City Of Troy heads the betting for the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, while Gordon Elliott's smart hurdler Pied Piper is market leader for the ultra-competitive Cesarewitch Handicap - a race Ireland has won four times in the last five years. Fresh from giving us a 14-1 third this week, Emma Nagle previews the action, along with a fancy at Naas, featuring Listed action and the famous Birdcatcher Nursery. 2.00 Native Trail's Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1) On a week where the jumps being back seems to have captured the imagination, looking through previous Dewhurst winners would get you excited to see what this year's bunch could turn into next summer. Aidan O’Brien will send out City Of Troy and it would be a big upset if he was to be beaten. In just two starts to date, the son of Justify has created a lasting impression, most recently when taking the Superlative Stakes at this venue in July. A late non-runner in the National Stakes at the Curragh, he has not been seen on track for some time, but at his best it’s hard to see any real dangers here. Aidan also sends out Henry Adams, who could be Frankie Dettori’s last ride on a horse wearing blinkers in the Dewhurst, who knows? On all known form, it’s unlikely that he will overturn his red-hot stablemate. Alyaanabi looks to be still learning his trade, he was green when winning here a few weeks ago but should have improved again for that run. His sire, Too Darn Hot, was a most impressive winner of this in 2018, while he’s unlikely to replicate that, he could run a nice race. 2.40 Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap (Heritage Handicap) ‘Jumps’ trainers have dominated this race in recent years, winning the last five renewals. It’s no surprise that Willie has been the most prolific, sending out three of those from his Closutton base. Nicky Henderson and most recently Charles Byrnes have also shared the spoils. Gordon Elliott hopes to add his name to the list and sends out Pied Piper who looks a justified favourite. After a low-key re-introduction on the level at Killarney back in August, you would be filled with confidence seeing the jockey booking. While the five-year-old has only reverted to this sphere twice since moving to the Elliott yard, he won off 89 when trained in the UK and so his mark should not be beyond him. Such a short price in this type of race is the only off-putting factor. Willie Mullins sends out five runners in a bid to add to his fine record, all of which look likely to go off at fancy prices. Zenon is intriguing. Now a nine-year-old, the son of Galileo was off the track for three years before making a quiet re-introduction at Bellewstown recently. On his last start before injury he won off a 6lb higher rating than this and so if back to a similar level of form he could be very well handicapped. While it’s hard to know how much of an affect obvious injury problems will have had, the fact that Willie kept him in training all this time would suggest he still shows spark. At a big price he could be worth an each-way shout. I’m willing to make excuses for Lot Of Joy for her recent performances. At her best she could give this a rattle and the jockey booking is encouraging. She went very close in the Irish equivalent in 2022 and is only 2lbs higher here. The draw isn’t ideal but it still may be dangerous to write her off at a big price. 4.35 Naas - Oktoberfest Weekend Handicap - 7f Cavallo Pazzo relished the step up to 7f last time and justified market confidence after two placed efforts. He gave weight away all round that day but faces a much higher level of opposition here. A very talented 7lb claimer will help, but he will need to improve again. Something Nice is preferred for the red-hot Michael Mulvaney/Wesley Joyce partnership. The three-year-old son of Estidhkaar has one of the more progressive profiles in the race and should be able to build on that. He looked to have it all sewn up a furlong out at Cork last time only to fade late on, the drop back to 7f should help and he looks more than capable of winning off this mark if getting his run of things. He has Gowran form to over-turn with Spanish Tenor, who is bidding for a hat-trick of wins and is an obvious danger. 18+ Please gamble responsibly. Be Gamble Aware. Dunlewey.org
