The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes returns to Newbury this weekend.
Newbury's Group Three action takes centre stage this Saturday with the Hallgarten and Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes over six furlongs, and it looks a genuinely competitive renewal. A trio of horses are currently vying for market leadership, but with question marks hanging over each of them, there could be value further down the betting. Add in a smart three-year-old dropping back in class after a big-field Royal Ascot effort, and this looks a puzzle well worth trying to solve before the tapes go up.
Hackwood Stakes Runners Guide
Soldier's Tree heads the market fractionally for James Owen's yard. His third in the Wokingham Handicap, conceding weight to the runner-up, came after he'd already shown smart form when beaten only a short distance by subsequent Royal Ascot scorer Almeraq at Salisbury. He steps up into Group Three company for the first time and looks the type this stiffer, generously proportioned Newbury track could really suit.
Kind Of Blue, trained by James Fanshawe, arrives with the strongest form on the book as a former Champion Sprinter, but his recent efforts have been mixed - a solid reappearance run followed by a well-beaten effort in the Jubilee Stakes at the Royal meeting. There's proven top-level class there, but the form since has been inconsistent enough to leave doubts.
Marvelman represents the Andrew Balding stable and is ridden by PJ McDonald. He was a clear-cut second in the Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle on his reappearance, a race that features prominently among this field, and he arrives here with solid recent form and clear claims on ratings.
Symbol Of Honour is trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin and was sent off favourite for last year's July Cup after building smart form as a gelded three-year-old, including a course-and-distance success in last year's Carnarvon Stakes and a Group Two win at Haydock. Results since have been well below that level, though his latest run - third in the Chipchase - hinted at a return to form without asking full questions of him.
Song Of The Clyde is the only three-year-old in the field and the one with the strongest claim to be the well-handicapped type. Clive Cox's colt won this year's Carnarvon Stakes over this course and distance, beating the well-regarded Albert Einstein, and was subsequently only beaten four lengths in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Connections have suggested the return to a flatter, less pace-dependent track should suit, with Rossa Ryan back on board.
Binhareer steps up in grade after a solid placed run in the Wokingham, while Sayidah Dariyan was only beaten three lengths in the Jubilee Stakes and arrives with useful recent form of her own. Noble Champion, a former Jersey Stakes winner, and Charlie Hill's Mitbaahy round out the confirmed contenders, with Clive Cox's temperamental Jasour also entered as a possible runner for the yard alongside Song Of The Clyde.
Hackwood Stakes Odds
Hackwood Stakes Trends
A look back over the last twelve renewals throws up some useful pointers for punters weighing up this year's race:
- Age matters less than you'd think, but experience still counts — eight of the last twelve winners were aged four or older, suggesting there's no strong bias against exposed, older sprinters in this race.
- Market support is a strong guide — seven of the last twelve winners started as the favourite or joint-favourite, and eight of twelve were sent off in the top three in the betting. This isn't traditionally a race for outsiders to dominate.
- Fitness is key — eleven of twelve winners had run within the previous 28 days, showing that recent action tends to matter more than a slow buildup. However, only five of twelve winners actually won on their most recent start, so a placed effort last time isn't a dealbreaker.
- The Jubilee Stakes hasn't been a happy hunting ground — three of the last twelve winners had run in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot beforehand, and none of them won or even placed in that race. A well-beaten run at the Royal meeting hasn't stopped horses bouncing back here.
- Course form helps but isn't essential — six of twelve winners had previous experience at Newbury, and four of those had already won there, but that leaves plenty of winners with no course form at all.
- Trip form is close to non-negotiable — every single winner in the sample had at least one previous win over six furlongs, with ten of twelve boasting at least four previous runs at the trip and nine holding multiple victories over six furlongs.
- A robust profile pays — nine of twelve winners had at least eight career flat starts and at least three wins under their belt, while ten of twelve had a rating of 103 or higher.
- Prior black type is a bonus, not a requirement — only five of twelve winners had a previous Group 1-3 success, so this doesn't need to be a race dominated by proven Group performers.
- Current form is important — ten of twelve winners had run at least twice already that season, and nine of those had already won at least once in the current campaign.
Hackwood Stakes Betting Tips
Song Of The Clyde ticks a lot of the trend boxes - proven course-and-distance winning form, a rating that should comfortably clear the 103 benchmark, and a recent run within the last month that, while not a win, was a genuinely solid effort in much stronger company. Dropping back from Group 1 sprinting into this calibre of race, with a rider who already knows how to get the best out of him, makes him a solid each-way contender.
Best price 11/2.
