There’s a quiet sense of excitement in trainer Michael Bell’s Newmarket yard this week — and for good reason. Rajeko, the Listed Spring Cup runner-up, is back. The talented three-year-old makes his long-awaited return in the Always Gamble Responsibly At Handicap (7.15pm), Southwell’s Friday feature over a mile.
Rajeko has been off the track for 240 days, having last been seen finishing a game second to Rebel’s Gamble in the Spring Cup at Lingfield Park. That effort capped a strong winter campaign that saw him win a novice at Chelmsford and chase home classy rivals in Qatar’s Al Rayyan Mile in February.
Bell admits he’s eager but cautious about expectations:
“Rajeko missed the summer with a small niggle, nothing serious, and it will be good to get him back on the track,” Bell said. “To run off a rating of 100 against match-fit rivals is going to be tough — I think he would probably have to run to a mark of 105 to win it — but he has shown in the past that he is a very talented horse. He did a nice piece of work a fortnight ago with Greek Order, who ran well in the Balmoral, so we think he’s in good shape.”
Carrying top weight, Rajeko faces several hardened all-weather performers. Among them are Nikovo, who was sixth in last season’s All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap for Michael Herrington, and Fantastic Fox, who finished ninth in the same contest for Roger Varian.
Dividend adds further depth to the field. Fourth in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot, he’s unbeaten in two starts at Southwell and will again represent the in-form Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole team.
Al Arbeed, trained by Richard Hannon, makes his handicap debut after a solid fourth behind Amiloc in a Goodwood conditions race in May. Meanwhile, William Haggas saddles First Principle, who will look to rebound from a subdued effort at Doncaster’s St Leger Festival.
Other runners include Sir Paul Ramsey, stepping back to a mile for Charlie Johnston; Supido, who aims to rediscover his Britannia Stakes form for Ian Williams; and all-weather specialists Whitcombe Rockstar and Two Tempting, who complete the competitive lineup.
Beyond Southwell, attention also turns to Kempton Park on Monday, November 3, where the Listed Floodlit Stakes could mark the return of West Wind Blows for Simon & Ed Crisford. The dual Group 3 winner hasn’t raced in two years but holds high-class form, having finished runner-up to Melbourne Cup heroes Gold Trip and Without A Fight in the 2023 Turnbull and Caulfield Cups.
Potential rivals at Kempton include Aimeric, second in this race last year for Karl Burke, and Shader, the promising Juddmonte four-year-old trained by John & Thady Gosden.
For more race previews and results, stay tuned to RaceBuzz.
