The Cesarewitch is a notoriously tricky puzzle to solve and a highly-competitive field of 29 are set to go to post for the latest renewal this Saturday.
Staged over a demanding 2m2f, this is one of the most valuable and prestigious staying handicaps ran across the entirety of the British Flat season with more than £90,000 heading to the eventual winner.
Beylerbeyi is back to defend his crown after landing odds of 7/1 last October, however, winning SPs of 33/1, 14/1, 25/1 and 10/1 show that this can be a tough assignment for punters.
With a huge amount of runners to sift through, we've outlined some key trends to try and whittle down the field...
One traditional pointer towards finding the winner of the Cesarewitch is the weight carried by the horse; since 2014, only Stratum (9st7lbs) has carried more than 9st1lbs to victory.
On paper, this looks like a fairly high-class renewal of the race, meaning that 12 of the 29-strong field, including 9/2 favourite Beylerbeyi, are shouldered with 9st3lbs or more. Sea Lantern (5/1) is saddled with 8st13lbs and is the shortest-priced runner who dips underneath the 9st3lbs mark.
There has also been a major bias against last time winners over the last 12 renewals, in fact, only two horses have won the Cesarewitch off the back of victory in their latest racecourse outing. This would eliminate a whole host of fancied runners from the field, with the aforementioned Sea Lantern, Valedictory, Cock And Bull and Dream On Baby all successful last time out.
Willie Mullins is a trainer that has done well in this contest down the years, saddling Low Sun, Stratum and Great White Shark to three consecutive successes between 2018 and 2020. Seeking a fourth race win, he sends Highwind (28/1) over to Newmarket after curtailing his career over hurdles for a tilt on the Flat this summer.
Cesarewitch Handicap previous winners
Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Draw |
2025 | Beylerbeyi | Ian Williams | Billy Loughnane | 6 |
2024 | Alphonse Le Grande | Mrs C O'Leary | Jamie Powell | 4 |
2023 | The Shunter | Emmit Mullins | James Doyle | 35 |
2022 | Run For Oscar | Charles Byrnes | David Egan | 26 |
2021 | Buzz | Nicky Henderson | Oisin Murphy | 21 |
2020 | Great White Shark | Willie Mullins | Jason Watson | 25 |
2019 | Stratum | Willie Mullins | Jason Watson | 29 |
2018 | Low Sun | Willie Mullins | Seamie Heffernan | 21 |
2017 | Withhold | Harry & Roger Charlton | Silvestre De Sousa | 29 |
2016 | Sweet Selection | Hughie Morrison | Silvestre De Sousa | 28 |
2015 | Grumeti | Alan King | Alex Beschizza | 7 |
2014 | Big Easy | Phillip Hobbs | Tom Queally | 11 |
Cesarewitch Handicap key trends
- Age: 11/12 winners were aged between 4 & 7
- Price: 2/12 winners were favourites
- Rating: 10/12 winners were rated between 86 & 97
- Weight: 11/12 carried 9st2lbs or less
- Last Run: 2/12 winners won on their last run before the Cesarewitch
- Group Wins: 0/12 winners had won a Group race prior to victory here
- Course Form: 7/12 had at least one previous run at Newmarket
*Trends since 2014
Horses that fit all seven trends:
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.
