The 2020 Cambridgeshire Meeting came to a thrilling conclusion today following three days of outstanding racing.
The eponymous contest, sponsored by bet365, was won in the most eye-catching style by Majestic Dawn, who powered clear of his rivals and never looked back, ultimately winning by four and a half lengths at odds of 40/1.
The four-year-old had finished fifth in last year’s bet365 Cambridgeshire but few could have predicted a performance like this under a masterful ride from Paul Hanagan.
Earlier in the day, Clive Cox made it a week to remember as Supremacy landed the Group 1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes to follow the previous day’s Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes success of Isabella Giles.
A shot at the QIPCO 2000 Guineas next spring may not be on the agenda for the speedy Supremacy but Alcohol Free looks bound for the fillies’ equivalent after her Group 1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes success today.
The meeting had been due to welcome 1,000 spectators each day as part of the Government’s pilot events but those plans were put on hold when pilot events across all sports were postponed earlier in the week.
Had racegoers been able to visit, they would have been treated to some excellent sport throughout the meeting, with Cloak Of Spirits, beaten only by the brilliant Love in June’s QIPCO 1000 Guineas, returning to the Rowley Mile to land the Listed Tasleet British EBF Rosemary Stakes, a welcome boost as her broodmare career looms.
Kameko went one better than Cloak Of Spirits in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas earlier in the year and brought an end to a luckless run of defeats back over course and distance when winning Friday’s Group 2 Shadwell Joel Stakes. The colt overcame a Group 1 penalty to see off a high-class field that included last year’s winner Benbatl, in a performance of some merit.
On Thursday’s opening day, La Barrosa continued his exciting upward trajectory for Charlie Appleby and the Godolphin team, overcoming a troubled passage to win the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes (Registered as the Somerville Tattersall Stakes) with a degree of authority.
Sophie Able, General Manager of Newmarket Racecourses, said: “The Cambridgeshire Meeting is renowned for its high-quality racing and once again, it has lived up to its billing.
“Throughout the three days, we have seen exciting young horses emerge, a QIPCO 2000 Guineas hero regain the winning thread and some of the best jockeys in the world doing battle.
“It was capped today by a quite remarkable performance by Majestic Dawn in the bet365 Cambridgeshire, adding another rich chapter to a race with so much tremendous history.
“Our Group 1 winners, Alcohol Free and Supremacy, look destined for great things in 2021 and I congratulate the connections of those horses, and all our winners here this week.
“My thanks, as always, go to our sponsors across the three days, not only for their support but for working with us during this most challenging of years.
“I must also pay tribute to my colleagues here at Newmarket Racecourses and in the wider Jockey Club team, who have pulled together to ensure racing can continue in a safe and secure environment.
“I hope everybody who has been following the action from home has enjoyed it and I look forward to a time when we will be able to welcome spectators back to the Home of Horseracing to create more incredible memories together.”
Racing continues behind closed doors at the Rowley Mile next Saturday, 3rd October, with the Group 1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes, before the 2020 Dubai Future Champions Festival on Friday, 9th and Saturday, 10th October.
