The Cambridgeshire is one of the hardest handicaps of the Flat season to solve. Twenty-seven runners race down Newmarket's straight nine furlongs.
Only one favourite has won it in the last ten years, and six of the last ten winners went off at 20/1 or bigger.
This year the market is led by Gavriel, a lightly raced three-year-old from the Gosden yard, and several of the fancied horses are drawn high. The winner's trainer takes the first leg of the Autumn Double, with the Cesarewitch to come.
When is the Cambridgeshire Handicap?
The bet365 Cambridgeshire is run today, Saturday 26 September 2026, at 3.40pm on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. It is a Class 2 Heritage Handicap over one mile and one furlong for three-year-olds and upwards. The prize fund is £200,000, and £103,080 goes to the winner.
Twenty-eight horses were declared and 27 will run after Pathein was withdrawn. The going is good to firm (watered) and the forecast is dry.
Cambridgeshire Handicap Odds
Who's Favourite for the Cambridgeshire Handicap?
| Horse | Best odds | Best at | Worst odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavriel | 5/1 | Unibet | 7/2 |
| Erzindjan | 17/2 | Unibet / Betfred / BetMGM UK + 3 others | 15/2 |
| Hand Of God | 10/1 | William Hill / Ladbrokes / Coral + 10 others | 8/1 |
| Indalo | 10/1 | Unibet / PricedUp | 8/1 |
| Bourbon Blues | 11/1 | Spreadex / BetMGM UK / Sporting Index | 9/1 |
| Alcarath | 12/1 | William Hill / Unibet / Betfred + 8 others | 10/1 |
| Harmonics | 14/1 | Ladbrokes / BetVictor / PricedUp / Coral | 11/1 |
| Spanish Voice | 16/1 | bet365 / William Hill / Ladbrokes + 7 others | 12/1 |
| Wild Thoughts | 16/1 | William Hill / Ladbrokes / BetVictor + 6 others | 12/1 |
| Crest Of Fire | 20/1 | William Hill / Unibet / Spreadex + 2 others | 16/1 |
| Zennor Storm | 22/1 | William Hill / Ladbrokes / Paddy Power + 7 others | 18/1 |
| Thunder Run | 25/1 | William Hill / PricedUp | 18/1 |
| Spell Master | 25/1 | Unibet | 18/1 |
| Shafdar | 25/1 | Unibet | 14/1 |
| Principality | 25/1 | bet365 / Spreadex / Sporting Index | 14/1 |
| Hard Endeavor | 28/1 | William Hill / Spreadex / PricedUp / Sporting Index | 20/1 |
| Asmen Warrior | 33/1 | Unibet / PricedUp | 25/1 |
| St Anton | 33/1 | bet365 / William Hill / Ladbrokes + 9 others | 22/1 |
| Parole D'Oro | 40/1 | William Hill / Spreadex / PricedUp / Sporting Index | 28/1 |
| Salam Dubawi | 40/1 | bet365 / William Hill / Ladbrokes + 7 others | 28/1 |
| Pierre Royal | 40/1 | bet365 / William Hill / Ladbrokes + 4 others | 28/1 |
| Altareq | 50/1 | bet365 / William Hill / Unibet + 15 others | 33/1 |
| Urban Lion | 66/1 | William Hill / PricedUp | 33/1 |
| First Ambition | 66/1 | bet365 / Ladbrokes / Paddy Power + 8 others | 50/1 |
| Dwindling Funds | 125/1 | bet365 / PricedUp | 66/1 |
| Nizam | 150/1 | bet365 / William Hill / Ladbrokes + 9 others | 100/1 |
| Wanderlust | 150/1 | bet365 / William Hill / PricedUp | 80/1 |
Gavriel is the favourite at a best price of 5/1, which gives him an implied chance of around 17%. He has traded between 7/2 and 9/2 with several firms since Friday. Erzindjan is second favourite at 17/2 (about 11%), and Hand Of God and Indalo are joint third favourites at 10/1 (about 9% each).
Gavriel's case rests on progression. The Frankel colt has won two of his four starts, most recently a Class 3 handicap over 1m2f at Ascot on good to firm ground. He carries a 4lb penalty on a mark of 95 and is still reckoned to be 2lb well in. His trainer is not talking him up, though. John Gosden said earlier in the week: "He's absolutely no value there whatsoever." He also said he would be concerned if the ground went good to firm, which is now the official description. Gavriel also has to overcome stall 28, the widest draw in the race.
Indalo was beaten a nose in this race last year at 20/1, but he now runs off 104, up from 91 twelve months ago. Erzindjan finished fourth last year and won the Suffolk Stakes over course and distance in May. At eight, though, he is fighting history, because no horse aged seven or older has won the Cambridgeshire since 1992.
Cambridgeshire Handicap Trends and Draw
Four-year-olds have the best recent record, with five wins in the last ten runnings. Weight has not been a barrier either. Six of the last ten winners carried 9st 4lb or more, and each of the last three carried 9st 12lb.
The draw is where opinion splits. Stands-side runners drawn high dominated the race up to 2023, and most of this year's market leaders are drawn in the 20s. The last two winners, however, both came from the far side, from stalls 4 and 6. Karl Burke and Clifford Lee won both of those renewals with Liberty Lane and Boiling Point. They team up again with top weight Thunder Run at 25/1, who is drawn 16.
Cambridgeshire Handicap Betting Tips
Bourbon Blues, each way at 11/1, fits more of the race profile than anything near the head of the market. The three-year-old won at Doncaster last time under Ryan Moore, who keeps the ride. Before that he was third of 20 at York and second in the Kincsem at Goodwood. He runs off 101 and carries 9st 6lb, a weight that has served recent winners well. His trainer, Brian Meehan, won this race with Spark Plug in 2016. His middle draw in stall 13 also gives Moore the option of joining whichever group looks stronger once the race takes shape.
Zennor Storm, each way at 22/1, is the far-side alternative. William Haggas's three-year-old is drawn 6, the same stall Boiling Point won from last year, and he runs off a light 8st 6lb. The far-side group has pace to aim at, and that side has produced the last two winners on similar ground. With six or seven places on offer at several firms, the each-way terms add to his appeal.
Gavriel may well be the most talented horse in the field. Even so, one winning favourite in ten years and his trainer's own caution make 5/1 short enough in a 27-runner handicap.
Add Bourbon Blues to your betslip here.
Add Zenor Storm you your betslip here.
How to Watch the Cambridgeshire Handicap
The Cambridgeshire is live on ITV1, which covers Newmarket from 1.15pm to 4.15pm with Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani. The Opening Show starts at 9.30am on ITV4. Racing TV shows the full Newmarket card.
The Cambridgeshire follows the Middle Park Stakes (3pm), the Cheveley Park Stakes and the Royal Lodge Stakes on a card with two Group 1s.
