Castle Rock (15:40 Newmarket — William Hill Handicap, Class 2, 7f)
A three-year-old bay colt by Havana Grey, owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby — in stunning form at 45% over the last fortnight — and handed to Billy Loughnane, who needs no introduction right now. Castle Rock won back-to-back races at Newmarket last autumn, landing a Class 2 maiden over 7f at 4/9 in October and then a novice over 6f in late October, beating Hallo Spaceboy — a horse familiar to followers of this channel — by 1¼ lengths at 8/13.
He returns from a nine-month break for his handicap debut fitted with first-time cheekpieces, drawn in stall 7 where the draw advantage is significant on a day when high numbers are clearly favoured at Newmarket. Appleby doesn’t send horses up from Moulton Paddocks without having them ready and the market at 6/5 reflects genuine confidence from the operation.
Verdict: Back to win — Appleby and Loughnane in top form, positive draw, handicap debut off a lenient mark, and Newmarket form that’s already been franked. 🏇
