One of the feature days of Newbury’s season is this weekend with the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer, Group 2 Hungerford and the Listed Usk Valley Stud Stakes a.k.a. Washington Singer Stakes.  The Group 2 Hungerford Stakes run over the straight 7f looks an intriguing event won last year by the dogged front-runner Welsh Emperor.  He bids to give back-to-back successes for connections but may find that his strong pace sets the race up perfectly for the finishers in the field, among them Silver Touch.  This filly has already won over course and distance and was considered good enough to contest the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on only her second racecourse start.  She’s come back with a vengeance as a four year old winning the Group 3 Criterion at Newmarket (same distance) and finishing a close third in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.  She’s should be seen to better effect with some ease in the going (won on soft at Newmarket but it was firm at Deauville) and jockey Tadhg O’Shea has been in decent form on the Channon string so far this season.  Many eyes will be on Newmarket this week as the annual Skybet.com Grey Horse Handicap takes place.  Quite a sight to behold over the final 6f of the July Course the call of “come on the grey” won’t allow such distinction to be made at the crunch point!  However the 4.10 mile handicap should supply us with a winner by the way of James Fanshawe’s Fondled.  The filly finished a very close second in a handicap on her latest outing despite her saddle slipping at the vital moment.  The form has been franked by the third and fourth winning since and she should give a very good account of herself at the very least.     

Selections:  3.20 Newbury – 8 Silver Touch

                      4.10 Newmarket – 4 Fondled