Future Champions Festival: Darkness Falls sparks Triple Crown dreams after Dewhurst win – as it happened

Racing updates from Champions Day at Newmarket Saturday’s tips | Mail Greg with your thoughts Hello from Newmarket, the HQ of Flat racing, on day two of the Future Champions meeting, when the Dewhurst Stakes – the British season’s most valuable and prestigious contest for two-year-olds – will take centre-stage, ably supported by a couple more juvenile events that often highlight a star of the future.

Add the historic Cesarewitch Handicap and an ongoing, ever-tightening race for the trainers’ title to the mix and there is a fascinating afternoon in store.

Much of the narrative involves head-to-heads: Desert Castle versus Darkness Falls in the Dewhurst (3.00); Rock Montreal versus Sergei Diaghilev in the Autumn Stakes (2.25); and of course, Andrew Balding versus Aidan O’Brien – the trainer of Darkness Falls and Sergei Diaghilev – in the trainers’ championship.

Balding boosted his lead in the race to more than £300k yesterday, but O’Brien will be aiming to put a big dent in that this afternoon, just seven days before the money-drenched Champions Day card at Ascot next weekend.

Continue reading...