Queen's Cup preview: Make Time To Study the form

With 31 entries but room for only 14 runners, there are going to be plenty of connections likely to face an anxious wait to see if they’ll get a run in this valuable handicap over a mile and three quarters. The betting is wide open at this stage with a few differences of opinion about who should be heading the market.

A number of these have been in action on the all-weather, including American Gigolo has done well since joining Harry Fry, though after just one start over hurdles for him he has been switched to the Flat to really good effect. Upped to two miles at Newcastle last time, he gamely completed an all-weather hat-trick and is clearly going the right way.

Dubawi Fifty was only two necks back in third behind American Gigolo at Newcastle and is now weighted to turn the tables. He too has been in top form for his trainer Karen McLintock, winning five of his last eight starts and finishing fourth in the Cesarewitch last autumn. Dubawi Fifty found the emphasis too much on speed last time, but a win over a mile and a half early in the year shows that he’s not simply a stayer.

We're on the all-weather tomorrow evening with a 7 race @awchamps card, beginning proceedings at 5:35pm with a @betway Class 2, featuring two time Newcastle winner DUBAWI FIFTY for @KMcL_Racing pic.twitter.com/xLUGqYKSc5

— Newcastle Racecourse (@NewcastleRaces) 19 March 2018

Mount Tahan is another who has been in good form on the all-weather this winter, and from his last five runs at Wolverhampton can boast three wins and two seconds which have seen him progress into a smart handicapper for Kevin Ryan. The six-year-old has spent much of his career over seven furlongs, but two of his Wolverhampton wins came over an extended nine and he successfully stepped up to a mile and a half on his latest start. He’s thriving, but he took a strong hold last time which casts doubts about him stepping up still further in trip.

Night of Glory comes here race-fit for Andrew Balding, having won a juvenile hurdle at Fontwell on his last start in February. It was a weak contest that he won on the Flat at Kempton earlier in the year, though he has shown useful form and was quite highly tried on his two starts to date beyond a mile and a half.

Cape Cova could look overpriced at 25/1 in places on his best form, as he’s potentially one of the better-handicapped runners and has had only a couple of runs over the winter for Mick Appleby since being bought out of John Gosden’s stable. He’d need to improve on his last start and hasn’t always put his best foot forward, but he’s capable of smart form at this trip if in the mood.

Keith Dalgleish, who trained last year’s runner-up, has six to choose from in an attempt to keep the prize in Scotland, with Mixboy and Silver Concorde, both fit from successful jumping campaigns, probably his most interesting contenders. Mixboy is two from two at Musselburgh, albeit over fences, but the eight-year-old has shown versatility, winning twice last year from a handful of starts on the Flat and finishing second back on the level at Southwell last month.

Silver Concorde won the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in his days with Dermot Weld and has notched up three wins from four starts over hurdles at Musselburgh since joining Dalgleish in the autumn. That augurs well for his return to the Flat where he had good form for his former yard, including when finishing third in a Chester Cup.

Silver Concorde wins the @188BET .co.uk Download The App Novices Hurdle for @DalgleishRacing under Brian Hughes 🏇 #musselburghraces pic.twitter.com/HgD5WU695n

— Musselburgh Races (@MusselburghRace) 14 February 2018

Last year’s winner Carbon Dating will be another with fitness on his side, having had a very similar preparation to last year. He’ll be making his first start for Adrian McGuinness, having again been busy in Dubai and Abu Dhabi of late. However, he didn’t run quite as well last time as he did when a close third in the same race last year, and the two races are much closer together this time. Sir Chauvelin shaped well when sixth in last year’s Queen’s Cup, and while he lacks a recent run, he ended last season with a win at Newcastle.

A potentially strong raid from Newmarket could include Battersea for Roger Varian, Amazing Red for Ed Dunlop and Graceland for Michael Bell. Battersea hasn’t won since the Dubai Carnival over two years ago, but the handicapper is beginning to relent, and following a light campaign last year, he’s now 8 lb lower than when fourth in the 2016 Ebor.

Amazing Red hasn’t yet shown he stays quite as well as his half-brother Red Cadeaux, who was second in three Melbourne Cups, but he’s a reliable sort and shaped encouragingly when third on his recent reappearance at Lingfield. Graceland hasn’t run this year but so much the better as her record first-time out is a good one.

In a race lacking particularly progressive types, one with the profile of a potential improver is the Mark Johnston-trained four-year-old Time To Study. Not unusually for one from his yard, he thrived when put over longer trips last season when his wins included the Mallard Handicap at Doncaster against older rivals. He had earlier won the valuable Edinburgh Cup for three-year-olds over the same course and distance as Saturday’s race, and it’s almost certainly been a long-term plan to aim him at this contest. Time To Study isn’t badly handicapped, and with more scope for progress than some of these, he’s the selection in a wide-open contest.

Thriller! Time To Study comes out on top in a memorable William Hill Mallard Stakes for @MJR_Middleham and PJ McDonald at @DoncasterRaces: pic.twitter.com/XSSIvL4UaS

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) 15 September 2017

Recommendation:

Back Time To Study at 8/1 for the Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh.