Catching Pigeons: Newmarket news for Dante Meeting

Our Catching Pigeons column has all the latest news and gossip from Newmarket ahead of the Dante Meeting at York.

John Gosden could be set for a profitable week at York’s Dante meeting, starting with Mahsoob in the opening 888sport Stakes.

It’s fair to say the son of Dansili hasn’t been entirely straightforward to train, being restricted to two career starts to date. However, the four-year-old has won both, including a Newbury handicap on his reappearance.

He’s up eight pounds to a mark of 97 but that looks workable judged on his recent work on the Limekilns which delighted connections.

Another Clarence House inmate to have thrived in recent weeks is fellow Newbury winner Star Of Seville. She oozes class in all she does at home, a lot of it solo work, and she rates a confident pick to lay down a significant Investec Oaks marker in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes.

The Newmarket handler is also responsible for Jack Hobbs, favourite for the Betfred Dante Stakes on Thursday. He looked a very useful prospect when routing his field at Sandown last time and has pleased with his progress since.

He’s a most interesting prospect, but so too is stablemate and fellow Dante runner Golden Horn. There are plenty in the yard who feel there’s nowhere near as much between the pair as the current betting market would suggest.

Gosden will hope Belle D’Or enjoys better luck in running through the Betfred Middleton Stakes than she endured in the Dahlia at Newmarket two weekends ago. She clearly could finish closer to Bragging (winner that day) here but it’s no guarantee she’ll reverse the form given the expected progress from the Sir Michael Stoute-trained filly.

The master of Freemason Lodge has made a slow start to the current campaign with most of his horses tending to need their first run but Abseil has been keeping very good company on the gallops and is ready to strike at the first time of asking in the Betfred TV Hambleton Stakes.

So, too, is Snow Sky who has done plenty of work in preparation for Friday’s Betway Yorkshire Cup where he’s taken over Romsdal and Brown Panther. Royal Seal is another name for Stoute fans to watch out for over the three days in Friday’s EBF Stallions Breeding Winners Frank Whittle Partnership Stakes.

William Haggas loves nothing more than a winner at York and he should be quickly on the scoresheet with Muthmir in Wednesday’s Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes. He has done well from three to four and gets a narrow vote over Lightning Moon with the ground drying out at the Knavesmire.

Haggas has a host of other interesting runners over the three days with Dawn Missile in the closing race of the Festival itself, the Constant Security Stakes, the subject of a particularly strong message.

Roger Varian has yet to hit top gear this campaign but Steve Rogers has managed to win his last three starts. The son of Montjeu is a promising young stayer and providing he switches off through the early stages of Thursday’s Investec Private Bank Stakes then the four-timer is very much in the offing.

Away from the feature meeting Angel Vision returns to action in Thursday’s Orbital Food Machinery Maiden Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket. She has always been held in high regard by the Stoute team and is pleasing them again after losing her confidence after a debut fourth last year.

The dogs are barking many a name ahead of Friday’s Al Basti Equiworld Maiden Stakes at Newbury but both of the Gosden entries, Shalaa and Bluebeard, are giving plenty of reasons for optimism in their early work.