Who To Follow At Newbury On Saturday - 16/07/22

James Mackie | @jamesmackieee

Thu 14 Jul 2022 15.24

Newbury 13:56

12(10)

Happy Romance

J: Sean Levey

T: Richard Hannon

N/A

Age: 4

Weight: 9-6

OR: 110

Days: 7

The feature race of the afternoon is the Group Three Hackwood Stakes over six furlongs and we are siding with Happy Romance.

An extremely smart filly for Richard Hannon over the years, Happy Romance has only started recently to truly show her full ability at the top level and we think it can continue in this event.

A winner of this race over six furlongs last year, she then went on to finish a valiant fourth in the Group One Sprint Stakes at Haydock, but rounded off the season with a tame effort at Ascot on Champions Day.

Back this year she went to Riyadh over seven furlongs and was a very close third in the G3 Turf Sprint and next time out back at 6f she showed a classy turn of foot to finish second of 16 in the Group One Al Quoz sprint at Meydan behind the talented A Case Of You.

Not seen again since June, she returned in the Group One Platinum Jubilee Stakes when running another decent race into eighth and then last time out in the July Cup was another strong seventh.

Dropping back in class to a race she won last year, she looks a solid contender at odds of 9/2 and shouldn't be overlooked.

Form: 03278View

Date	Course	Distance	Type	Weight	Position
25/02/23	JAN	7	GF	8-9	4
13/08/22	NBY	7	GF	9-5	7
16/07/22	NBY	6	GF	9-6	5
09/07/22	NMK	6	GF	9-5	8
18/06/22	ASC	6	GF	9-2	7

Ralph Beckett has been firing in the winners of late and has some nice runners at Newbury on Saturday that could continue his good run going.

His first big runner of the day comes in the Highclere Castle Gin Cup Stakes over 2m 1/2f and Rock Eagle looks to have a big chance at this trip.

In the final event of the day he fields State Occasion who was a bold fourth at Royal Ascot last time out in the Kensington Palace Stakes and could back that up here.

Beckett heads into the event sporting a strike rate of 20% for the last two weeks managing to land nine winners from 45 runners.

Tom Marquand is riding exceptionally well at the moment and on Saturday has some quality rides for his retained trainer William Haggas.

In the opening race of the day he sits on Alpha Capture in the Simon Munir & Isaac Souede colours with the €170,000 purchase making his debut.

The pair team up again in the Listed Steventon Stakes on Grocer Jack with the globetrotter having his first run in the UK for Haggas.

Marquand rides Great Ambassador in the feature Group Three Hackwood Stakes with the gelding needing to bounce back to form and then in the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes he rides the David O'Meara trained Not For Profit.