SHADOW IN THE LIMELIGHT

lan Heitman follows the fortunes of next year’s leading Classic prospects

- lan Heitman

Cambridgeshire Meeting The first of three days from September 26 to 28 began with a comfortable win for Seacruiser in the one-mile maiden.

The only one of the seven runners to have had a previous race, Seacruiser led throughout and won by a length and a quarter from a pair of promising Godolphin-owned colts, Present Times trained by Charlie Appleby and Devil's Advocate trained by John & Thady Gosden who won easily at Chelmsford on his second start. Seacruiser, one of several Ralph Beckett-trained two-year-old winners in recent weeks, had an entry in the final Group 1 race of the year in the UK, the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster on October 26.

The feature 2yo race on the opening day, the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes, also had an all-the-way winner, The Waco Kid, trained by Hugo Palmer and ridden by champion jockey, Oisin Murphy. Sent off a 13/2 chance, there weren't too many anxious moments for supporters of The Waco Kid as he stayed on well to beat previously unbeaten Diego Ventura by two and a quarter lengths with Monumental, down in grade after finishing second in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, only third. The Waco Kid was due to be sold at the Horses-In-Training sale at Tattersalls on October 30 and with a rating of 109 would be an ideal candidate for Hong Kong.