Weekend Winners: Lake Victoria tipped to beat Babouche to Cheveley Park crown at Newmarket

The Weekend Winners team return with a look at a top-class card at Newmarket, headlined by the Cheveley Park Stakes and Middle Park Stakes.

Host Kate Tracey is joined by BetVictor’s Sam Boswell and Declan Rix of attheraces.com to select their best bets for this weekend, with a 50/1 longshot nominated for the bet365 Cambridgeshire.

The team took an in-depth look at the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, with Babouche set to take on Lake Victoria on the Rowley Mile.

BetVictor’s Sam Boswell…

“I’m taking on Babouche. I think you’ll see Lake Victoria sent off favourite here. Frankel stands out as the sire but her dam is really interesting because it’s Quiet Reflection, who ran really effectively over shorter distances and won a Group 1 on heavy at Haydock.

“For this horse, I feel confident there’s enough in the page that will handle the ground. The beating of Simmering the last day feels like a solid piece of form given what she’s achieved and I think 9/4 is a good price that I think will shorten.

Host Kate Tracey…

“Babouche is a real one! The fact she’s beaten the boys in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, including the likes of Whistlejacket, that is even more notable as she was the first filly to win the race for 13 years. Of course, Ger Lyons did win this race with Lightning Pearl in 2011.

“He [Lyons] doesn’t travel over all that often and I’m hopeful Babouche is going to enhance his fairly weak strike rate here.”

Declan Rix…

“The one thing I’d be a little bit worried about with Lake Victoria is the 13-day turnaround, and I’m not sure this was the plan. However, there’s nobody better for turning them around than Aidan O’Brien. Sam has covered the pedigree and I think she’ll handle the ground.

“The other thing is she has a bit of a knee action and runs fairly close to the ground, and I think those horses get through soft ground quite well. I hope Celandine and Magic Mild run here because they’re the two pace horses and I’d like that to expose potential stamina chinks in Babouche. Lake Victoria won in the Sweet Solario two starts out and although I’d never tell Ryan Moore how to ride a horse, I think it would make sense to let this one stride out.

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