Tim Carroll 's Bio

Tim started off as a jockey in Australia before pursuing a media career. He is a highly experienced and respected racing presenter who has been based in England since 2005. Tim has travelled the world covering many of the major meetings, including Royal Ascot, The Epsom Derby, The International meeting from Sha Tin, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Saudi Cup and The Breeders. He is currently a presenter for Sky Sports Racing, specialising in both the local and international scene. Tim is a regular contributor to the At The Races Website where his twice weekly tipping column on Hong Kong racing has gathered a strong following.

Newmarket Racecourse – Track Analysis (Sun Chariot Stakes Day):

Newmarket, which is known as the headquarters of British horse racing, consists of the two racecourses, The July Course, and the Rowley Mile Course. The Rowley Mile Course, which is the course that stages the Sun Chariot Stakes Day, is in the shape of a right handed turning dog-leg, stretching over 4000m, with a straight of 2000m, which is the longest in Britain. It is a wide-open track, fair in nature, encouraging strongly run races, with minor undulations 400m from the finish. They run downhill from the 400m to the 200m, they then reach what is known as the ‘dip’, this is a spot where horses can become unbalanced, thus riders need to be careful. They then face a challenging uphill finish over the final 200m, which has seen plenty caught in the closing stages.

Four turf races will be simulcast from Sun Chariot Stakes Day.

Over the straight course there can be a draw bias, more so in larger fields, but not so much in smaller fields. The draw bias in larger fields is hard to predict, especially given that the rails are constantly moved due to the amount of racing, thus it is difficult to be conclusive about any overall bias, but if they do split, it is considered beneficial if riders can be part of the group that sets the pace.

For the 1200m 2yo Allowance, as is the case with all distances, the low barriers are drawn on the far with high numbers on the grandstand side. The barriers are placed nearly half way up the straight, usually in a central position, and in smaller fields they tend to bunch down the centre of the track, but can split into more than one group in larger fields. Horse can win from anywhere, but those who are ridden too aggressively, or go to early, will often be picked off late when going up the hill.

For the 2000m 3yo+ Fillies & Mares 0-105 Handicap, the barriers will be placed in a central position in smaller fields, but can be moved in larger fields. In smaller fields riders will usually look to come down the centre of the track. However, in larger fields they tend to split and it usually advantageous to be in the group where the pace is. Keep in mind they often split then merge later in the race.

The 2400m 3yo+ Fillies & Mares 0-105 Handicap starts is the only race on Sun Chariot Stakes Day that is not down the straight course. They jump from 400m before the bend that leads into the straight, thus those drawn high have plenty of time to find a spot, and the draw is of little consequence, although in larger fields those who like to press forward would prefer not to be drawn high.

The feature race G1 Sun Chariot Stakes is over 1600m. The barriers will be placed according to field size and rail positioning. They jump and travel on what is mostly a flat straight course, before arriving at the undulations and the downhill run 400m from home. They then hit the ‘dip’ before an uphill run to the finish. Over the last ten-years the Sun Chariot Stakes has seen an average field size of 9.5, with an average winning stall of 5.2. It’s worth noting that leaders have won four of the last ten renewals, whilst the last horse to come from well off the pace was SKY LANTERN in 2013.

Last year's Sun Chariot Stakes was run on Good to Soft ground with a field of nine going to post. FONTEYN soon led with both PROSPEROUS VOYAGE and the favourite, SAFFRON BEACH, to her inside, whilst GRANDE DAME was prominent but solo against the grandstand rail. Just before the halfway point, PROSPEROUS VOYAGE loomed up to eyeball FONTEYN, as the entire field headed over to the grandstand rail to merge with GRANDE DAME. At the 600m mark, the field was closely bunched, but the reigning champion, SAFFRON BEACH, was under a strong ride and struggling, with FONTEYN, PROSPEROUS VOYAGE and LAUREL, who had emerged from the pack, still finding for pressure, whilst GRANDE DAME, who was pocketed on the rail, looking for a way out. LAUREL hit the front at the 200m mark, but FONTEYN battled back strongly on the outside to win by three-quarters of a length, with GRANDE DAME in third, in a time that was 0.37 seconds faster than standard.

The last ten renewals of the Sun Chariot Stakes Day has seen Good in the going description on nine occasions. With fine weather being forecast for the entire week, it is likely that come race day, the going will be Good and could even have Firm in the description.

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