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Craven Meeting
Newmarket
The countdown to the Classics starts in earnest here – with the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas just six weeks away, Newmarket’s first meeting of the year is a magnet for racegoers looking for clues about the forthcoming big races.
The three-day Craven meeting is always targeted by the major Newmarket stables as the first opportunity to bring some of their budding stars out of winter hibernation and put them to the test on the racecourse.
The Craven Stakes, run over the straight mile on the final day of the meeting, is a major trial for the 2,000 Guineas and past winners include the great Dancing Brave (1986), Tirol (1990) and, more recently, Eclipse victor Compton Admiral (1999).
But all the races are worth keeping a close eye on – three winners at the 2005 meeting went on to Group-race success later in the season, including Royal Ascot at York winners Jedburgh and Flashy Wings.
The first-day highlight is the seven-furlong Nell Gwyn Stakes, an important stepping stone on the way to the 1,000 Guineas, and there is another Guineas trial on day two, with the seven-furlong European Free Handicap open to both males and females.
And the trials aren’t finished there – on Craven day, there is the nine-furlong Feilden Stakes, which usually features several Derby possibles.
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Racing
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