Group Two Hungerford Stakes Guide 2022

A very well established and experienced 6 year old for Charles Hills, Pogo has spent the majority of his career bouncing between 7 furlongs and a mile, gaining plenty of success along the way.

Graduating from handicap ranks, he started to find his feet in listed contests back in 2020 and wasn’t disgraced when dipping his toe into listed level at the end of that season either.

A listed win last April was followed by a barren spell where he struggled to get competitive in group races but he’s returned better than ever this year. Winning a group 3 at Haydock in May, he then followed that up with a convincing display at Newmarket.

Last seen in group 2 company, he wasn’t beaten far to be a close 3rd to Sandrine in the Lennox Stakes. He’s in the form of his life and is sure to go well again here.

After making a mockery of a mark of 91 last year in a handicap, Double Or Bubble tried her hand in group company but found it a little too taxing.

Only narrowly denied by Highfield Princess in a listed race, she then gained her own black type success. She then ran well in group level against her own sex but failed to win.

She returned in better form this year having won a group 3 on return over 6 furlongs before being tried at group 1 level.

She wasn’t disgraced in the Platinum Jubilee or the July Cup but certainly shaped like she would prefer a longer trip.

Seven furlongs could really bring out the best in her here and she’s not to be discounted.

After looking like a really smart 2 year old, Happy Romance has failed to really build upon that promise she showed as a Juvenile. After winning a maiden the daughter of Dandy Man then went on to score the Premier Yearling Stakes in striking fashion.

A handsome group success followed scalping Alcohol Free before having that form reversed in a group 1. Last season saw her gain a listed success and a group 3 success over sprinting trips, before finding group 1 company too taxing again.

This season she’s been mixing it in high level sprints, running well enough a shift back up in trip might suit considering how well she performed over 7 furlongs in Meydan back in February.

After looking a likely candidate for last year’s 2000 Guineas, Chindit was a highly impressive 2 year old colt who easily gained listed and group success as a juvenile.

Narrowly scoring in the Greenham Stakes on his return, he wasn’t disgraced in 5th in the 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes. He struggled to win for the rest of last season but has bounced back this campaign.

Winning a listed race first time out, he struggled against group 1 company before scoring a group 2 at Ascot in a desperate finish against Mutasaabeq.

Last seen proving no match for Baaeed in the Sussex Stakes, dropping in trip and grade should help him be back to his competitive best.

After winning a novice on his debut, Jumby failed to back that up for connections on his subsequent two juvenile outings. However, he did find success when moving to handicap ranks last season.

Winning a handicap off a mark of 95 relatively easily, he then struggled in last year’s Commonwealth Cup and a mark of 104 left him in the handicapper’s clutches.

He did however manage to win a conditions race before defying a mark of 104 when upped to 7 furlongs on his final outing of the season.

He hasn’t managed to score a win this year but hasn’t been far off in group races and high level handicaps. An impressive 3rd in the Wokingham Stakes off 105 was followed by another placed effort in the Bunbury Cup.

He’s well worth another go in group level now off the back of those impressive performances.

It took this 4 year old filly four attempts to break her maiden but when the penny finally dropped she did win with bundles in hand.

Put away for a break off the back of that she came back to racing as a 3 year old to score a listed win before finding group contests a little too difficult for her.

This season has been much of the same. Beaten comprehensively on comeback over a mile in a listed race, she then was seen in group races over a mile but failed to get truly competitive.

Last seen in the Angel Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood, she looked outpaced over 7 furlongs and will likely be left wanting for speed again here.

Winning on his last outing as a 2 year old over 7 furlongs, Run To Freedom was kept to handicap company last season where he had mixed results.

Scoring off a mark of 88 over 7 furlongs at Newmarket, a mark of 90 looked to have his number until shifting down to 6 furlongs at Kempton drew out some more improvement.

This season he’s been kept to 6 furlongs and despite being well beaten by Double Or Bubble in a group 3 on return, he handily scored a listed race at Windsor.

A mid pack finish in the Platinum Jubilee didn’t disgrace him and he was last seen easily scoring a conditions race against 2 rivals.

Moving up in trip again might now suit and he’s clearly in the best form of his career to date.

Scoring over this course and distance in a novice race last season, Dubai Poet looked a real smart prospect. Easily skipping clear of his rivals by an emphatic 5.5 lengths.

Unable to get the better of Coroebus over a mile off the back of that and floundering in soft ground in his last run of the season, he failed to really kick on from his impressive first win.

This season he’s been consistent but struggling to find an optimum trip. Debuting over a mile in a listed race he ran well enough to be 2nd.

Moving up to 10 furlongs asked too stiff a question of his stamina before a much more impressive outing in the Jersey Stakes suggested 7 furlongs could be his best trip.

If building upon that he could get involved here and this young colt will likely have plenty more improvement left in him.

Currently at the foot of the betting for this race is Clive Cox’s 3 year old Wings Of War. He looked a decent enough 2 year old last season as he managed to capture a group 2 narrowly on his final outing of the season.

This season he has failed to regain the winning thread however. Being last home in a small runner field in a group 3 on return, he’s been kept to 6 furlongs all season and has been keeping on well late but not doing enough to get truly involved in the finishes.

Moving up in trip could just bring out some improvement in the 3 year old but he’ll have to find bundles of progress quickly to be getting the better of the rivals in this smart field.

A lightly raced and unexposed sort for William Haggas, Tiber Flow looked a decent enough sort when winning his first two starts under rules.

Scoring a brace of novice events across the winter, he then successfully moved into handicap company to defy a mark of 89.

Despite narrowly being denied in the 3 year old All-Weather Championship Conditions Stakes, he bounced back to score a listed race narrowly.

Thrown into the deep end for the Commonwealth Cup last time out, he wasn’t disgraced at group 1 level to come 8th of the 20 runners. Dropping in grade and moving back up in trip should suit this highly progressive looking Caravaggio colt.