Dubai Future Champions Festival Betting Sites
In October, Newmarket will play host to the Dubai Future Champions Festival. It is another major highlight of the Flat racing calendar as the best young horses in UK racing compete in an event that casts light on some potential superstars of the future.
In what is a festival of phenomenal quality, there will be eight Class 1 events over the two days, including three Group races and one Listed event. The showcase event is the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday and in this guide, I will be previewing that event plus two other Group 1 races.
With the best racing bookmakers beginning to take odds on each race in the event, it is time to look ahead at the top prospects, analyse past betting trends and start looking for the best spots to get in our money.
Challenge Stakes
This Group 2 race is open to horses aged 3yo+ and takes place over 7 furlongs. It was inaugurated in 1878, and it became a Group 3 event in 1971. The race was originally held over 6 furlongs but was increased to its existing distance in 1977 and 2yos were no longer able to compete from 1985 onward.
It was upgraded to Group 2 status in 1987 and became part of the Future Champions Festival in 2011. With a first prize of over £92,000, you can expect to see some of the best 3yos in Britain at this event.
The Dewhurst Stakes
The main event of the festival is a Group 1 race for all horses aged 2yo+ (except geldings) that takes place over 7 furlongs. The Dewhurst Stakes is one of the UK’s most prestigious races for juvenile horses, and it was inaugurated in 1875.
It is common for the top performers in this race to become major players in the following season’s Classics. The legendary Frankel won this event in 2010 and Churchill won the 2016 race before winning the 2,000 Guineas in 2017. The total purse makes it one of the most lucrative fixtures on the calendar.
Darley Club Stakes
This Group 3 event is a fitting end to a marvelous festival and features 3yo+ horses racing over a distance of 1m 1f. Although the race was established in 1987, the inaugural meeting was cancelled due to high winds! It was a Listed race until 2003 when it achieved its current Group 3 status.
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher, and analyst in the legal online betting industry and is co-founder of OnlineBettingSites.com. Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.