One of the toughest betting puzzles of the Flat season takes place at Newmarket on Saturday as the 2024 Cambridgeshire Handicap attracts a hugely competitive field bidding for the 1m 1f prize. With 35 runners declared for the contest at Flat HQ it’s sure to be a devilishly difficult punting assignment, but our in-house tipster Steve Chambers has picked out his 1-2-3 for the event.
THIS SONGISFORYOU
(Colin Keane/Emmet Mullins)
A one-and-a-half length winner of a 1m 2f Curragh handicap earlier this month, This Songisforyou has proven extremely popular in the betting for this race since the five-day declarations were made. He will carry a 4lbs penalty for that victory here, but he shaped like there could be a lot more to come and with the shrewd Emmet Mullins saddling the six-year-old then he has to be given the utmost respect.
ROI DE FRANCE
(Oisin Murphy/John & Thady Gosden)
There have been six three-year-old winners of the Cambridgeshire since 2000, so the John & Thady Gosden-trained Roi De France certainly lines up with a notable chance from lower down in the weights. Three seconds and a win has seen him make a solid start to his career on the track and while he may lack some of the experience his rivals have he could be potentially well handicapped off a mark of 95.
GODWINSON
(Tom Marquand/William Haggas)
A short-head winner at Goodwood at the end of August, Godwinson heads into this event in the form of his life and he’s looking to hand his trainer William Haggas his first win in the contest. Upped 4lbs for that victory, the four-year-old will need to improve again, but he’s still a relatively lightly-raced performer, so is entitled to kick on again.
THE FIELD
With such a huge field going to post there will be a whole number of contenders that will come into the reckoning and with some firms paying eight places in the each-way market then there’s certainly value to be had. Dylan Cunha’s Silver Sword ran no sort of race at Ascot last time out, but is better than that and is prominent in the betting, while Bopedro and the top-weighted Liberty Lane are often seen competing in top notch mile handicaps and bring real class and experience to the race.
At much bigger prices Charlie Johnston’s Dutch Decoy ran an excellent race in this last year when finishing sixth and off a 4lbs lower mark has to be considered a huge each-way player at big odds. Others down the bottom of the betting include Majestic and Dual Identity, who both have some solid formlines in the book and add more depth to a thriller.
VERDICT
This Songisforyou has been heavily supported and you certainly see the angle, but he’s too short now and in a race like this you can look for value and DUTCH DECOY has decent form in this race and is off an eye-catching mark of 89 for this contest and at huge odds has to be given a notable chance to hit the frame and if not win it. Roi De France is an improver and is entitled to go very close for the Gosden team, while the ultra-consistent Bopedro can run another decent race in this event having finished third last year.
2024 Cambridgeshire Handicap Predicted 1-2-3
- Dutch Decoy
- Roi De France
- Bopedro
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