The Cesarewitch Handicap is run over 2m2f on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course and is one of the most popular betting races at the latter end of the flat racing calendar.

Over thirty runners usually go to post. The race is also referred to as the second leg of the autumn double. The “first leg” of the autumn double, the Cambridgeshire, was won this year by Lord North (John Gosden/Frankie Dettori) the 9/2 favourite.

Can the same jockey bring home the spoils again on Saturday afternoon? 31 runners go to post at 4.10pm and here is a look at all their chances:

 

Who Dares Wins

Consistent sort who ran just  last weekend in Prix Du Cadran at ParisLongchamp finishing fourth. Also won the Northumberland Plate at the end of June but will has the burden of top weight here.

Cypress Creek

Has spent most of this season on pacemaking duties for his esteemed stablemates but runs here entirely on his own merit. Very dangerous to dismiss from such a top stable.

Sneaky Getaway

Lightly raced six-year-old and has was won four of his nine career starts. He is two from four on the flat and can be forgiven his defeat in the Doncaster Cup behind Stradivarius.

Stratum

Winner of the JLT Cup at Newbury in 2018 but his flat form then went into the doldrums before he recently took a little race at Killarney.

Dubawi Fifty

Runner-up to Who Dares Wins at Newcastle but has gone off the boil in two subsequent runs since.

Eddystone Rock

The seven-year-old scored with ease at the Shergar Cup before winning well at the Ebor Meeting. This is another step up but he is clearly in good heart.

Time To Study

Won the Old Borough Cup in ding-dong battle with Alright Sunshine and should appreciate the step up in trip here.

Buildmeupbuttercup

Buildmeupbuttercup has been the antepost favourite to give Willie back-to-back wins in the Cesarewitch after taking it last year with Low Sun.  Frankie Dettori takes the ride.

Carnwennan

Clocked up three wins on the bounce at the start of the season but was comprehensively beaten in the Marsh Cup at Newbury. Fared much better behind Eddystone Rock at York last time however.

Not So Sleepy

Well beaten behind Time to Study at Haydock. Will need to defy long odds here.

Rainbow Dreamer

Another horse well beaten by Time To Study at Haydock but will appreciate the conditions underfoot.

Coeur De Lion

Winner of the Chester Cup in desperate conditions back in May and will find the going right up his street on Saturday. Jockey Shame Foley will be brimming with confidence too.

Hermosa Mundo

It will be a beautiful world for somebody if this one obliges at 100/1.

Billy Ray

Ran well behind Withold at Newbury but his other runs this season have not been so encouraging.

Themaxwecan

Has been running with credit all season but most of his best performances have been in small fields.

Garbanzo

Formerly trained by Dr Richard Newland but now with Ed Walker. Winner on the all-weather in August but well beaten at Haydock.

Sovereign Duke

Has shown form over 1m6f but this is a whole new ball game for the four-year-old.

Great White Shark

Has run some respectable races at Galway recently and hails from the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard. One to watch.

Coeur Blimey

A difficult horse to predict at the best of times but often saves his best for when there is plenty of juice in the ground.

Ranch Hand

Took a valuable 1m6f handicap at Haydock this season and steps up in distance here. He could well continue is upward curve.

Mr Everest

Looks to have a mountain to climb on his last run at Listowel but Tony Martin knows the time of day in this race having won it back in 2007.

Timoshenko

Timoshenko is bidding for a seventh successive victory as he comes into this race and there is every chance he may well relish the step up in distance.

Seinesational

Ran a neck second to Timoshenko at Glorious Goodwood but is more than five times his price. Seems well overpriced based on that form line.

Summer Moon

Winner of three races this season but has yet to run over this distance. He is an unknown quantity.

Rochester House

Had been running well all season long in small field races until encountering a twelve-runner race and failing to place. The signs look ominous now.

Great Trango

Irish raider who looks very attractively handicapped here. Looks like the typical dual-purpose horse that has thrived in this race over the years.

Party Playboy

Ran a decent enough race behind Timoshenko at Goodwood and is another who is probably trading just a little too big in the betting.

Nuits St Georges

Finished second on soft ground at Haydock in August which a pretty sterling effort given the conditions that day. 50/1 again could look big come the off.

Darksideofarnside

Sneaks into the race with a feather weight of 8st 2lb and ran a cracker last week at Ascot in the soft. He could well be the lurker in the handicap.

Graceful Lady

Had the beating of the former Swinton Hurdle winner Gwafa three runs ago at Newmarket but looks a risky proposition in this.

Land Of Oz

He is a relatively unexposed three-year-old and a decent stayer that gets in here carrying less weight than a box of Ryvita. You can certainly tell why he is fancied in the betting to give Sir Mark Prescott his first ever Cesarewitch winner.

Conclusion

I’ve always tended to side with predominantly National Hunt trainers in this race and the one that is on my radar this year is Alan King.

After narrowly missing out on the Cambridgeshire with Beringer, it would be fitting if King could gain some kind compensation by taking The “Ces”.

As much as I am a fan of Who Dares Wins, especially after tipping him up on this very blog for the Northumberland Plate, I believe he has been weighted out of this contest, so therefore I will be siding with one of King’s other runners- Coeur De Lion (nap).

On a high from his Prix Marcel Boussac victory last Sunday, I believe Shane Foley is the perfect partner for this six-year-old stayer.

With such a large field it pays to have a back-up plan in place, and my other each-way alternative is Great Trango (nb) who will relish this stamina test.

888Sport suggests: Coeur De Lion and Great Trango (e/w).

Off the back of a strange Russian Grand Prix, the Formula One season heads to Japan for a weekend at the famous Suzuka.

Despite a clear pace advantage for the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton claimed victory in Sochi to extend his Drivers’ Championship lead to 73 points.

The duel between Leclerc and Vettel heated up further before the latter had to retire from the race two weekends ago. While Mercedes

boast a stellar record in Japan, Ferrari will be confident they can dominate again.

Let’s take a look at a bit of history about the Japanese Grand Prix…

Japanese Grand Prix: Brief History
The first two Japanese Grands Prix took place in 1976 and 1977 at the Fuji Speedway. The venue of a title showdown between Niki Lauda and James Hunt in ’76 (when Lauda refused to race in monsoon conditions), the track, like many at the time, was dangerous.

Gilles Villeneuve crashed and killed two spectators in 1977, and the race disappeared from the Formula One calendar until 1987.

When Formula One went back to Japan, Suzuka was the home of the race exclusively for the next two decades. In 1994 and 1995, however, a ‘Pacific Grand Prix’ was held in Mimasaka at the TI Circuit.

With two years of racing following at Fuji Speedway in 2007 and 2008, the Japanese Grand Prix moved back to Suzuka in 2009 with a plan to alternate between the two venues. This was part of the rivalry between Toyota and Honda.

The economic crash in 2010 saw Toyota pull out from the agreement, however, resulting in Suzuka holding every Japanese Grand Prix since.

With the race always late on the Formula One schedule, the Japanese Grand Prix has seen many a world title clinched. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s rivalry saw some of its most famous episodes in Japan in front of enormous crowds.

Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in Japanese Grand Prix history, secured his third and sixth world titles in Japan.

Japanese Grand Prix: Suzuka

The 3.6-mile circuit combines winding corners with lengthy straights. Cars need to be well-balanced if they are to be truly competitive on Sunday at Suzuka, with the straight between turn 14 and 15 a particularly good opportunity to overtake.

The first sector of the lap, featuring the famous ‘S Curves’, was praised this week by Sebastian Vettel and is one of the most popular parts of track in the Formula One season.

Originally intended as a test circuit for Honda in the 1960s, Suzuka has a ‘figure 8’ layout, similar to a Scalextric track. Few tracks in the world have an overpass like Suzuka’s, making it a unique place to race.

Changes to the track layout have been relatively limited compared to some Formula One venues, though a lot has been done to improve run-off areas and driver safety through the addition of crash barriers.

The most notable change was the addition of a chicane into the last corner to limit speed as cars head onto the pit straight. Over the years, the chicane has been tweaked various times.

Japanese Grand Prix: Recent Winners
2018 – Lewis Hamilton

2017 – Lewis Hamilton

2016 – Nico Rosberg

2015 – Lewis Hamilton

2014 – Lewis Hamilton

Japanese Grand Prix: Most Wins
6 – Michael Schumacher

5 – Lewis Hamilton

4 – Sebastian Vettel

2 – Gerhard Berger, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso

Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Betting Tips
Toto Wolff says Mercedes are bringing minor upgrades to Japan, which they need after spending a lot of time chasing Ferraris in the second half of the season.

The Silver Arrows have been dominant in Japan in the hybrid era, but that’s not enough for the F1 betting odds to be in their favour. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are both 7/4 to win the race.

Formula One news and tips will revolve around the Ferraris, and it’s not hard to see why. After a turbulent first half of the campaign, Leclerc has been dominant, and Vettel has regained race-winning form since a triumphant drive in Singapore.

The challenge of managing the pair, as they continue to clash, could put Mattia Binotto in a difficult position again this weekend. Hamilton will be right there to benefit from any error, strategic or otherwise.

Still a way off a truly competitive car, the situation at Red Bull remains interesting. Alex Albon drove superbly to work his way up the field in Sochi. Hopefully, Suzuka will finally let us see both Verstappen and Albon start higher up on the grid and race one another.

It would be foolish to ever write off Verstappen, but his 4/5 price to make the podium is on the short side considering the Red Bull’s performance.

With typhoon Hagibis set to arrive, the race – should it go ahead – will likely be held in wet and windy conditions, which could make for a dramatic race.

If it’s raining on Sunday, keep an eye out for Verstappen, who could quickly become a bargain at 5/1 to win.