Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Tuesday.
Three points of interest
Exciting Verse of Love has the Timeform Large P
The Timeform Large P is used to highlight horses who are capable of much better form, and it was awarded to Verse of Love after she posted an impressive victory on her debut at Newmarket in October.
That fillies' maiden probably wasn't as strong as you might expect for such a contest at Newmarket in the autumn - the placed pair had shown only fair form previously - but Verse of Love proved in a league of her own.
Verse of Love was well backed and her supporters would always have been on good terms with themselves as she travelled smoothly under William Buick, just in behind the leaders, and hit the front still on the bridle a couple of furlongs out. It didn't take long for Verse of Love to put her stamp on the race as she readily quickened clear and extended her advantage to five lengths by the line.
Noted as a scopey sort by Timeform's reporter, Verse of Love is open to significant improvement and can take the big step forward required in the Nell Gwyn (15:35 Newmarket) to bridge the form gap with Cheveley Park third Arabian Dusk.
Twilight Star bidding to emulate dam in fillies' maiden
None of the seven contenders in the fillies' maiden (16:10) at Newmarket has run before, but that doesn't mean we know nothing about how they might perform.
One obvious clue is how the yard tends to perform with two-year-olds. That angle entitles Meelaf to plenty of respect as her trainer Karl Burke had 55 winners in two-year-old races in Britain and Ireland last year, placing him behind only Aidan O'Brien. Burke has started strongly with his juveniles this time around as well, sending out three winners from his first five runners, and Meelaf, a 105,000 guineas yearling, is the most expensive filly sold at auction in this line-up.
Pedigree can provide another potential clue and Twilight Star certainly has a lot of speed and precocity in hers. Twilight Star is by Mehmas, a dual Group 2-winning sprinter who was retired after his juvenile campaign, and out of Chasing Dreams who won both starts at two. Chasing Dreams made a successful debut in this very race in 2019, when she was Charlie Appleby's first two-year-old runner of the season, and now her daughter Twilight Star, also selected as her powerhouse stable's first representative in the division, is bidding to emulate her. She's the pick on pedigree.
Autumn Festival given big chance by the handicapper
Autumn Festival endured a largely disappointing and winless first campaign for Ed de Giles in 2024 (was previously with David O'Meara) but he's been given a big chance by the handicapper ahead of his return at Kempton (18:00) and is competing off a mark a whopping 34 lb lower than when placed in the Thirsk Hunt Cup on his reappearance last season.
Part of the reason Autumn Festival is competing off such a reduced mark is because he is rated lower on the all-weather. He has yet to give his running on an artificial surface, but it's not exactly conclusive that he doesn't act on the all-weather as he's had only six attempts away from turf and has had some excuses. His first three starts on the all-weather were in maiden/ novice company, his fourth was on his final start of a busy campaign, while his last couple of attempts came at a time when he was also struggling for form on turf.
He makes his return with trainer Ed de Giles' horses running well - he's had a winner and three places from his last five runners - and Autumn Festival is 6 lb clear on Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings based on the form he showed when runner-up in a seller at Musselburgh on his penultimate start last season. He is running off a stone lower than when last tried on the all-weather at Newcastle, when admittedly failing to beat a rival, four starts ago.
Ed de Giles may have his horses in good nick but nobody's horses are going better than Terry Kent whose last six runners have remarkably all won. Kent is bidding to keep the stunning sequence going here with Dream Pirate who makes his first start since finishing a respectable fifth at Southwell in December.
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