'He's wintered very well' - David Milnes's ten from Newmarket

Newmarket is in pole position to win the first four Classics for the first time since 1999 and one of those already in the bag is the 2,000 Guineas, which was won by Coroebus. Charlie Appleby has a strong hand in the mile division and there will be more to come from Coroebus at Royal Ascot and beyond considering he scored on the Rowley Mile on the back of just a racecourse gallop.

I also have to put his stablemate Native Trail in my ten as I have a soft spot for him from last year and it was nice to see him get his Classic win in Ireland last weekend after going down to his stablemate at Newmarket.

Likely to get going at Royal Ascot is Appleby's senior performer Hurricane Lane, who had a marvellous 2021 when winning the Irish Derby, Grand Prix de Paris and the St Leger. He has wintered very well and could start back in the Hardwicke Stakes.

Obviously Newmarket is in pole position to win the Cazoo Derby with Desert Crown at time of writing and win, lose or draw at Epsom, Sir Michael Stoute's Dante winner has few miles on the clock so could well do well in races such as the Irish Derby or even the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot if the ten-time champion trainer so desires.

Newmarket is in an even better position if the bookmakers are to be believed in the Cazoo Oaks where Emily Upjohn must tick all the boxes for Epsom after her devastating display in the Group 3 Musidora Stakes at York.

The daughter of Sea The Stars has been likened to Taghrooda by joint-trainer John Gosden and it will be interesting to see whether connections opt to bypass the Irish Oaks and go for glory in the King George if she is successful in style at Epsom like her predecessor. I will also put in the Gosdens' other Oaks runner, Nashwa.

We are also blessed in Newmarket for the 2022 season to be hosting proven older performers such as Baaeed, who confirmed the promise of a racecourse gallop at Chelmsford when sweeping aside the opposition on his reappearance in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

The Lockinge was not as strong as last year's Group 1 QEII Stakes at Ascot but it was a top-drawer performance that will make the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot a penalty kick.

Sir Mark Prescott is having a quiet spell but expect the prolific Alpinista to lead the charge from Heath House in something like the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks in August.

Finally, I'll include two from the Roger Varian yard. The first is last year's Group 1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Eshaada, who was in need of her comeback at Newbury recently, while the other is Tuesday's Newcastle winner Eldar Eldarov.

David Milnes's Ten To Follow

Alpinista
Baaeed
Coroebus
Desert Crown
Eldar Eldarov
Emily Upjohn
Eshaada
Hurricane Lane
Nashwa
Native Trail

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