Timeform's man at the course David Cleary with his early thoughts on Saturday's Group One action at Newmarket.
The first Group 1 events for two year olds in Britain this year produced clear-cut winners in both the Juddmonte Cheveley Park and Middle Park. Beforehand the fillies event, the Cheveley Park, looked the deeper race, and it was run in a quicker time than the colts event. But both races produced performances among the best in their division this year and both winners have pedigrees which suggest the winners are realistic Guineas contenders for next spring.
The Cheveley Park featured two unbeaten fillies that had already won at Group 1 level and shown form good enough for an average running. And while Babouche failed to show her form – too free in the early stages – Lake Victoria quickened away in the final furlong under a positive Ryan Moore to produce one of the best performances in the race in the last 15 years.
In the Middle Park, the favourite Whistlejacket had a clear form chance, though with something still to find to land an average running of the race. He had every chance but couldn't quicken in the final furlong, this perhaps one race too far in a campaign that began in the early-spring.
The race fell to Shadow of Light, who had been beaten in the Gimcrack last time. However, he was encountering soft ground for the first time and looked to relish that, finding a fair bit of improvement to score by four lengths. He's run solely at six furlongs so far, but is bred to stay further and seems very likely to be effective over a mile, the Guineas trip, in the spring.
