Newmarket Racecourse Rowley Mile provided a notable finale to the three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting on Saturday, September 26, with Cambridgeshire Saturday 2026 featuring three Group One contests and the historic Cambridgeshire Heritage Handicap. Sun Goddess produced the headline performance by setting a new two-year-old record for six furlongs on the Rowley Mile, while Pierre Royal secured a rare Irish success in the major handicap.
The seven-race programme included the Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes, the Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes, the Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes and the Cambridgeshire Heritage Handicap. The meeting also featured two of the leading Group One contests for two-year-olds, giving the Newmarket card considerable significance for the future of the juvenile division.
Sun Goddess Sets New Rowley Mile Record
Sun Goddess delivered the leading performance of Cambridgeshire Saturday 2026 when she won the £275,000 Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs.
The two-year-old daughter of Sioux Nation was ridden by Ryan Moore and trained by Aidan O’Brien. She travelled in midfield before producing a strong finish on the rising ground and defeating Libertango by a length. Alwaysanangel finished third, with Moonrise fourth.
Sun Goddess completed the six furlongs in 1m 09.08s, establishing a new two-year-old record for the distance on the Rowley Mile. The winning time was recorded on good to firm ground and represented another significant achievement in a season that had already produced two Group One victories for the filly.
The victory became Sun Goddess’s sixth success of 2026 and her third at Group One level. Her earlier top-level victories had come in the Phoenix Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh and the Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs at the same venue.
The result also gave O’Brien a record-extending seventh success in the Cheveley Park Stakes. The Ballydoyle trainer had already enjoyed several victories in the prestigious two-year-old fillies’ contest before adding another with Sun Goddess.
Sun Goddess had arrived at Newmarket after winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs on soft ground. The step back to six furlongs and the different surface conditions did not prevent her from producing another high-class performance.
Haffner Returns to Winning Form
Earlier on the card, Haffner bounced back from his recent Group One disappointment by winning the £125,000 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes over one mile.
The son of Justify was ridden by Ryan Moore and trained by O’Brien. Haffner had finished seventh in the National Stakes at the Curragh less than two weeks earlier, but he showed a much stronger level of form at Newmarket.
Haffner travelled well through the one-mile contest and finished strongly to defeat Burning Up by a length and a quarter. The victory gave O’Brien a record-equalling eighth success in the Royal Lodge Stakes.
The performance also provided encouragement for Haffner’s future over longer distances. His pedigree and racing style suggested that the colt had the scope to progress beyond a mile, with the Royal Lodge Stakes providing a useful indication of his ability to handle the distance.
O’Brien had previously highlighted Haffner’s potential as a middle-distance horse for the following season, and his Newmarket performance reinforced that view.
Orthodox Claims Middle Park Stakes
The second Group One of the afternoon went to Clive Cox as Orthodox won the £275,000 Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes over six furlongs.
Ridden by Rossa Ryan, the Havana Grey colt travelled strongly before taking the lead inside the final furlong. He then stayed on well to hold Force Noir by a neck.
The result gave Cox his third Middle Park Stakes victory. His previous successes in the race had come with Reckless Abandon in 2012 and Supremacy in 2020.
Orthodox had already shown considerable speed earlier in his juvenile campaign, and his Newmarket performance provided another strong indication of his ability over six furlongs. His victory also added another Group One success to the trainer’s record with two-year-olds.
The Middle Park Stakes had again provided a significant test for the leading juvenile colts, while the result gave Orthodox an important success at the highest level.
Pierre Royal Delivers Rare Irish Success
The £200,000 Cambridgeshire Heritage Handicap produced another significant result when Pierre Royal became only the fourth Irish-trained winner of the race since 1945.
Trained by Ado McGuinness and ridden by Mikey Sheehy, the four-year-old Kingman gelding came from off the pace before producing a strong challenge in the final furlong. He edged ahead late and defeated Crest Of Fire by a short-head.
Pierre Royal had finished third in the Irish Cambridgeshire before travelling to Newmarket. His trainer had made the decision to run him in the famous nine-furlong contest only a few days before the meeting.
The victory represented an important result for the McGuinness stable and the A Twist of Fate Syndicate. Pierre Royal had already enjoyed a productive campaign and added another major success to his record at Newmarket.
Sheehy also received praise for his ride after producing the required effort in the closing stages. Pierre Royal had travelled well during the race before making his move at the right time and holding off the late challenge from Crest Of Fire.
Cambridgeshire Saturday 2026 produced a strong afternoon of racing at Newmarket, with Sun Goddess setting a new Rowley Mile record in the Cheveley Park Stakes, Haffner winning the Royal Lodge Stakes, Orthodox taking the Middle Park Stakes and Pierre Royal securing a rare Irish success in the Cambridgeshire Heritage Handicap.
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