Newmarket Horse Racing Tips for Friday: Magic Dream to impress in opener

Friday starts off the meeting on Newmarket's Rowley Mile that will culminate in the first two Classics of the season, the 1000 and 2000 Guineas. 

Today's six-race card has more in the way of hot handicaps and minor Group races featuring big names.

The latest horse racing betting tips for Friday's card at Newmarket from the Racing Post's Keith Melrose are below. 

Friday's Newmarket Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

1:50 – Magic Dream @ 5/4
2:25 – Sayedaty Sadaty @ 9/2
4:10 – Astro King @ 6/1

1:50 – Magic Dream @ 5/4

The last two winners of this maiden have been exceptionally well bred. Unfortunately, that might not get you very far in finding the winner here, as most of the six runners fall into the same category.

If you were picking a winner in terms of breeding, it would probably be Magic Dream. She is a half-sister to Naval Crown, a Group 1-winning sprinter for the same Charlie Appleby yard. She is also by Sharmadal, who is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the speed-stamina continuum but you would not necessarily expect a horse bred this way to be running over 1m2f.

Luckily, Magic Dream has already proved herself over this distance. She made her debut at Newbury a fortnight ago and was just unable to overhaul Sinology.

That suggests Magic Dream will continue to be comfortable at this sort of trip, and the record of her trainer and jockey William Buick on the Rowley Mile in recent years shows they rarely send one here for a day out.

2:25 – Sayedaty Sadaty @ 9/2

The Newmarket Stakes is technically a Derby trial, although its best graduates have needed a little longer to come into their own. Three of the five declared this year have Epsom options, including favourite Endless Victory.

The market could well be underestimating Sayedaty Sadaty, who has the best form although he has admittedly had the greatest opportunity to show it. He ran five times last season, although his inexperience was clear on occasion especially when he ran out at Windsor's intersection.

Sayedaty Sadaty is from a family of late-bloomers, so he should be expected to improve at three-years-old. 

He already has, as he reappeared in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on Good Friday and came admirably close to making all on the straight mile there, something which history has shown to be very hard to do.

Letting Oisin Murphy control this race on the Rowley Mile would be a much riskier play from his rivals. For the chances of our selection, it is hoped that Murphy gets the sort of free ride up front which he often makes count.

4:10 – Astro King @ 6/1

The feature Jockey Club Stakes lacks the sort of star name that often carries the race. Hurricane Lane won the race last year. Pyledriver and Coronet have also graced the race with their presence in recent times.

A few of this year's runners have the potential to develop into high-class middle-distance sorts. Until they do, and with race fitness lacking in a few cases, the better option could be to side with Astro King on the day.

This horse spent years as the nearly-horse in big mile handicaps. His new trainers, Daniel and Claire Kubler, have finally got him to the promised heights. He won the Cambridgeshire on this track in September, then returned with another excellent effort in the Earl Of Sefton at the Craven meeting.

Clearly, Newmarket suits Astro King. The distance of a mile-and-a-half is less certain, but with a muddling race in prospect it could end up being a blessing that he boasts the speed for shorter. 

If Astro King settles, and this turns into a dash in the last three furlongs, his rivals will have to be proper Group 2 horses to beat him.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.