Market Rasen, Haydock & Newmarket selections Saturday 26th September
Some terrific racing on offer today, where the big betting race is the Cambridgeshire. Whilst it is not quite the race of old, there are still 27 runners charging down the Rowley Mile track and I have two suggestions for it. Elsewhere Haydock’s card starts with a bang with two valuable handicaps and Market Rasen stages one of the best hurdles of the new season, so those races come under my microscope too. Balzac was a winner for us last week (advised 6/1), whilst headline selection Fine Interview was placed for the each-way in the Ayr Gold Cup (SP 12/1).
Haydock 1.35: Godwinson
A winner of a soft ground Lincoln last season when trained by William Haggas, GODWINSON has shown precious little in three starts for Jack Channon this season. However all of those runs have come on top of the ground and after a relatively quiet campaign, Godwinson could be primed for a first try on proper soft ground of this campaign.
He has finished in mid-division in all three starts – all of which were absolute top end handicaps at York, Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, so those runs were hardly dreadful. This looks a good deal easier however and he has dropped now to 96, a mark 3lbs lower than his last win at Newcastle and only 2lbs higher than for his Lincoln success.
All his three turf successes have come with cut in the ground and he was third on his side of the track in a soft ground Cambridgeshire back in 2024. So it is reasonable to think a return to those sort of conditions will aid him find his best form back in a slightly lower grade.
Haydock 2.10: Trilby & Boston Dan
More rain than was forecast yesterday has turned the ground heavy at Haydock, so both my selections here will be favoured by that.
TRILBY has turned into a really consistent soft ground sprinter and has won three times in 2026 including over course and distance back in May. He seems to love this track and although he stays 6f well, when the ground is heavy, he acts well enough on such a surface to be able to keep up at the shortest distance, as exemplified by his win on heavy here in October 2024.
He has really come into his own in recent weeks since the rains have arrived. He stormed home from the back of the field to win at Beverley last month, then was second here on soft ground before a fine sixth in the Ayr Silver Cup last week despite being drawn arguably on the wrong side of the track.
BOSTON DAN is relatively unfancied but came good to win over course and distance earlier this month when encountering soft ground for the first time. He was well beaten in the Bronze Cup at Ayr last week, but perhaps 6f on soft ground stretched his stamina unduly and a return to this 5f will suit him better.
He was quite a classy individual as a juvenile, headed by a second place in the Rockingham at York on softish ground. He struggled to find his level in the spring, but a switch to Tim Easterby in the summer looks to have had a positive effect and the application of a tongue strap plus return to softer conditions seem to have benefited him.
Newmarket 3.40: Hard Endeavor & Crest of Fire
The early pace looks to be middle to low and that could make things difficult for those drawn near to the rail,, including favourite Gavriel who has the extreme widest draw in 28. I am therefore looking lower for my two selections.
HARD ENDEAVOR was very narrowly defeated by Indalo at Sandown on fast ground when tipped up in this column, and he remains a colt to keep on the right side of. Whilst he was underwhelming when last seen at Ascot earlier this month, that was quite a muddling contest and his Sandown run is a better barometer of where he is at.
On breeding this step up from a mile should be just what he wants, so that could unlock some further improvement. He does not seem to have an issue with fast ground on the evidence of Sandown and he looks to be drawn where all the action is towards the far side which should ensure he gets a good tow into the contest.
CREST OF FIRE is drawn next door and has already shown this season that big field handicaps are his thing. Despite enduring a troubled passage he won a handicap at the Glorious Goodwood meeting over this 9f trip. He also has the ability to travel prominently which is often a positive factor at this track, especially on fast ground.
He was disappointing on his first attempt at group company at Windsor recently, but that was an entirely different style of race and one that probably did not suit him. But he was a strong finishing third in the Silver Bowl, run this year at Carlisle in the spring and was a good second at Ascot in July in top level handicaps.
Market Rasen 5.30: Un Sens a la Vie
This is often the time of year to catch the Twiston-Davies horses, usually hard trained to be fit for their first runs of the new campaign. As such it would be no surprise to see UN SENS A LA VIE get back to his best having shown plenty of potential early last season.
He won here back in October on his first outing over hurdles, on similar good going, having already impressively won a bumper here the previous season. As such it is no surprise to see him targeted at one of the first valuable handicaps of the season at this track. He does have a tendency to jump out to his right, so going this way around is always likely to suit him better.
That said he still managed a highly creditable fourth in the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury in February behind Tutti Quanti, so his overall level of form is strong. Whilst it was disappointing he got beaten on his final start at Ludlow in April, he might simply have been over the top by now and a summer’s break will have nicely freshened him up.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way – Godwinson – 1.35 Haydock – 11/1 general (1/5 odds 1st 3)
1pt win – Trilby – 2.10 Haydock – 3/1 general
0.5pts each-way – Boston Dan – 2.10 Haydock– 11/1 general (1/5 odds 1st 3)
1pt each-way – Hard Endeavor – 3.40 Newmarket – 28/1 Bet365, Boylesports (1/5 odds 1st 6)
0.5pts each-way – Crest of Fire – 3.40 Newmarket – 22/1 William Hill (1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt win – Un Sens a La Vie – 5.30 Market Rasen – 11/4 general
