Cambridgeshire Handicap tips: Antepost preview & best value bets for Newmarket

• Matt has recorded profits of 132.5pts to recommended stakes in Value Bet so far this year
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Antepost Value Bet tips: Flat season 2022

2pts e.w. Protagonist in bet365 Cambridgeshire Handicap at 12/1 (Sky Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5) - minimum 10/1

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William Haggas has never had much luck in the bet365 Cambridgeshire Handicap, with the likes of subsequent Coral-Eclipse winner Mukhadram only fifth off a BHA rating of ‘just’ 101, but Ametist went close when third for the yard 12 months ago and this could be the year he finally gets one home in front.

Mujtaba, who races in the same Shadwell silks as Mukhadram and will also effectively be competing from a mark of 101 having picked up a 4lb penalty after winning well at Doncaster last Wednesday, could be the best long-term prospect in the entire field.

By Dubawi and winner of his first three starts when belatedly making the track as a three-year-old last year, Mujtaba was sent off 3/1 favourite for this year’s Lincoln where he disappointed in twelfth.

He wasn’t a whole lot better when again a warm order in the market at Chester’s May meeting, the move up to 10 furlongs not sparkling the desired improvement at the first time of asking.

However, it was a different story altogether – following 124 days off and fitted with a tongue-tie – when powering home under Jim Crowley on Town Moor, and the big question now is whether he really kicks on and delivers on his abundant promise in one of the best handicaps of the season.

I’m happy to let him go at a best-priced 6/1 in a race this hot and, at double the price, stablemate PROTAGONIST looks a cracking bet.

• Click here to back Protagonist for the Cambridgeshire with Sky Bet

He’s a battle-hardened five-year-old, stays further than the nine-furlong trip and has unquestionably hit a rich vein of form since joining Haggas from Jessica Harrington’s yard in the summer.

The good to firm ground and lack of a recent run may have just caught the horse out first time back at Sandown on July 2, since when he’s really done well to overcome a tactically-run affair in a four-horse race at Doncaster, before winning with more than the bare margin to spare back at Sandown (good ground) last month.

Never far off the pace after a bright start from a wide stall (13), he hit the front with a couple of furlongs to go before drifting left - then right - but always doing enough to hold the progressive Dual Identity three-quarters of a length at bay.

There was a further three and a half lengths back to the third, Vee Sight, while the well-held fourth Arqoob also helps give the form a solid look as he’s since been beaten just a length and a quarter into third off the same mark in a decent race at Yarmouth.

Protagonist has some really good efforts to his name in premier handicaps during his time in Ireland and despite also being tried once over hurdles by Harrington, he’s evidently thriving in his new environment and looks well up to defying a 7lb rise for the Sandown success.

He surely wouldn’t have made the final Cambridgeshire field off his previous mark of 90 anyway so everything looks to have slotted into place for a strong-travelling horse very much on the up at five and, as already touched upon, his experience and versatility regards to trip and ground in a race of this nature can only stand him in good stead.

Sky Bet and bet365 are 12/1, with the former already offering five places, but the general 10/1 is perfectly palatable too.

Montassib completed the Haggas trio but I’d be a little bit concerned about a son of Exceed And Excel tackling this longer trip for the first time, especially if the ground came up testing, for all that he again shaped like he could be ahead of his mark if things pan out more favourably when fourth in the Shergar Cup Mile last time.

John and Thady Gosden have just two possible runners at this stage in Magical Morning, who can’t have anything in hand from his rating of 107, and Saga.

The latter would obviously be a popular winner in the colours of The Queen but he’s looked far from straightforward since being an unlucky loser in the Britannia at Royal Ascot, and the assessor hasn’t relented much – dropping him just 2lb for unplaced efforts at Ascot and York.

Sean Woods’ Savvy Victory was cut to no bigger than 14/1 for Newmarket after winning well at Goodwood last time and despite being 2lb well-in for this (another penalised runner), he’d previously been nosed out by Protagonist in receipt of 3lb from the Haggas horse at Doncaster, and will be 5lb worse off if they both make the cut on September 24.

Published at 1130 BST on 12/09/22

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