Get Timeform’s fifty for the Flat in Horses To Follow 2022 – out now!
With the Lincoln at Doncaster heralding the start of the Flat season in Britain, get yourself prepared to find winners with the latest edition of Timeform’s Horses To Follow, which is packed with expert insight and valuable punting pointers.
The core of the book is the Fifty – our idea of the top prospects in Britain this season. Last year’s crop included Dubai Honour, who was said to be “on a mark which suggests he can pay his way in handicaps with further improvement to come”. He duly came out and won a red-hot handicap at Newmarket's July Festival, beating fellow Fifty member Foxes Tales by a head, before going on to establish as himself one of the most progressive horses in training.
After completing his hat-trick by winning a pair of Group 2 races in France, Dubai Honour ended his campaign in Britain with a narrow defeat at the top level in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Another notable success story was Alpinista, a filly “bred to improve with age”. She certainly made giant strides as a four-year-old as she went unbeaten in five starts, winning her first two races in Britain (including the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks) before completing her haul with a hat-trick of Group 1 wins in Germany. She produced her best performance when landing the Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten, beating none other than Torquator Tasso, who went on to spring a huge surprise in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Foxes Tales and Teona were other members of the classic generation to make their presence felt in pattern company. Foxes Tales had already won twice before his Newmarket defeat at the hands of Dubai Honour, notably landing the Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot, and he went on to register his third success of the campaign in the Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock.
As for Teona, she was included in the Fifty as a potential Oaks contender after an impressive maiden victory at Newcastle as a two-year-old. In the event, she finished down the field at Epsom, but a break during the summer seemed to do her the world of good as she returned with an impressive win in a listed race at Windsor. She was then stepped back up in grade for the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp the following month, a Group 1 in which she showed improved form to land the spoils by a length and a half.
This year’s list includes the usual mix of classic prospects, older horses with Group-race potential and those from all age groups who can pay their way in handicaps, so order your copy of Horses To Follow 2022 today.
The Fifty in Britain are again backed up by a select list of ten from Ireland, while there are plenty of other features to enjoy, including an early look at the classics and the popular Talking To The Trainers section, which features the thoughts of leading lights such as William Haggas, Charlie Hills and Roger Varian.
Find out which handicapper “should have a fruitful campaign as he steps up in trip” according to Haggas, and which once-raced winner has Varian “excited to see what she can develop into as a three-year-old”.
There’s also the review of the 2021 season, including all the key statistics and a list of Timeform’s 100 highest-rated horses by age group.
Get all this high-class content – packed into 136 pages – in Horses To Follow 2022 for just £10.95 on Amazon.
