Dewhurst Stakes Tips and Free Bets

With the flat season beginning to draw to a close in October, those that aren’t getting their Cheltenham Festival bets prepped are probably turning their thoughts to the following season’s Classic contests.

Few races are as useful for providing pointers to future success as Newmarket’s Dewhurst Stakes. Here we take a look at the best odds and offers surrounding this high class juvenile event and provide our tips for the race.

This 7f Group 1 event open to two year old colts and fillies was first run at Newmarket in 1875 and has grown to be one of the highest profile juvenile contests of the calendar year. Held on the Rowley Mile course, the race now offers a whopping £500,000 in total prize money. Unsurprisingly, some truly top class horses will be going to post, as ever.

Be sure to check out our Cesarewitch betting tips too, another great race taking place this weekend.

Dewhurst Stakes 2019 Tips and Betting Preview

The Dewhurst Stakes is one of the premier races for two-year-olds in British flat racing. It’s a Group 1 race that takes place every year at Newmarket over 7 furlongs. Recent winners include Frankel, Dawn Approach and Churchill and in the 2019 renewal there’s a clear favourite who some hope can kick on to have a career that can match some of those big names.

Pinatubo to End His Season on a High

Pinatubo heads into the 2019 Dewhurst Stakes as the firmest of favourites. The best price you’ll get about Charlie Appleby’s colt is the 4/11 that Coral are quoting. Obviously, that is a very short price about a two-year-old as they can make mistakes at this early stage of their career but you won’t find many pundits going against Pinatubo.

Indeed, Pinatubo has looked more like a seasoned veteran than a juvenile in his most recent outings. Going unbeaten in five starts is an impressive enough feat but it’s the way his performance levels have improved with each start that has most caught the eye.

His most recent win was his first against Group 1 company in the National Stakes at the Curragh. There weren’t many concerns about him before that race as he went off at 1/3. He more than lived up to his billing as the clear favourite, ending up nine lengths ahead of second placed Armory.

The way that Pinatubo improved throughout the 7 furlongs of the National Stakes suggests that he has any number of different options next season. He has the pace for the Guineas and the stamina for the Derby. Providing he encounters no problems over the winter, Pinatubo will be a major player in the biggest races of 2020 and should have little trouble ending 2019 on a high with a sixth straight win.

Mystery Power Has Each Way Appeal

Mystery Power never got close to even landing a glove on Pinatubo when the two met in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood. Few expected him to press the favourite that day but his performance was so poor that it was clear something was amiss.

Richard Hannon’s charge was much better next time out at Newbury where he finished second in a Group 2 over 6f. There was still a feeling that he wasn’t quite at his best which suggests he’ll improve again at Newmarket. Mystery Power certainly looks to enjoy 7 furlongs much more than 6 so he could be worth supporting each way even for just small stakes at 33/1 with Ladbrokes.

Betting Predictions

Pinatubo is already an absolute superstar. He’s rated higher than Frankel was at this stage of his career so the sky really is the limit. He’ll face some very good horses on Saturday but should be able to leave them all in his wake so backing the favourite at 4/11 with Coral looks a fairly safe play. For a speculative each way option, take the huge odds of 33/1 that Ladbrokes are quoting on Mystery Power.

Previous Winners

2018 – Too Darn Hot – jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer John Gosden
2017 – US Navy Flag – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2016 – Churchill – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2015 – Air Force Blue – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2014 – Belardo – jockey Andrea Atzeni, trainer Roger Varian
2013 – War Command – jockey Joseph O’Brien, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2012 – Dawn Approach – jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger
2011 – Parish Hall – jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger
2010 – Frankel – jockey Tom Queally, trainer Sir Henry Cecil
2009 – Beethoven – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2008 – Intense Focus – jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger
2007 – New Approach – jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger
2006 – Teofilo – jockey Kevin Manning, trainer Jim Bolger

Dewhurst Stakes History Including Top Jockeys and Trainers

Successful breeder Thomas Gee was the man behind this prestigious event, with the Dewhurst of the title referring to his Stud operation in East Sussex. Designed to attract the highest calibre juveniles in training, the contest certainly got off to a flyer with each of the first four winners going on to land a Classic in their three year old campaigns.

This pattern of success has been almost unrelenting over the years as the race has continued to provide us with an early glimpse of greatness. Triple Crown winner, Ormonde (1885), the brilliant Nijinsky (1969) and Mill Reef (1970), record breaking Rock Of Gibraltar (2001) and the greatest racehorse of all time, Frankel (2010) are just a few of the names to be produced by this races conveyor belt of excellence.

Winners here have gone on to win just about every other big race going, from the 2000 Guineas to the Queen Anne Stakes and from the Sussex Stakes to the Epsom Derby.

Tasty Trainers

Irish trainer Jim Bolger achieved a remarkable run of success in this race in the early 2000s, winning the contest five times between the years of 2006 and 2012. That still wasn’t enough to get him to the top of the trainer’s leader board though. John Porter in the late 19th Century, and Frank Butters in the first half of the 20th, each recorded an impressive eight successes in the contest.

Jubilant Jockeys

It’s hard to keep track of the number of races in which Lester Piggott heads the all-time list and we have another example here. Probably the greatest flat jockey of all time, Lester came home in front here 10 times between the years of 1956 and 1982.