3:40 Newmarket Tips

Fifth Column is one of a few exciting unexposed 3-year-olds in the field. But of them all, he looks to have the most in his favor, being drawn in stall 18 in this reduced field. It has historically been a benefit to be drawn high, with 8 winners in a row all higher than 20, before Liberty Lane flipped the script last year off top weight. I'd still want to follow the long-term trend, and Fifth Column represents a trainer seeking a 7th win in this race, having had similarly unexposed 3-year-olds win in 2018 and 2019. The selection is ground versatile, having had excuses when 5th at Goodwood on soft ground and winning twice on good to firm since cheekpieces were fitted. One of those wins came here, and with the prospect of 9f finding further improvement, he looks the bet.

If you watch a replay of this horse's win over C&D as a 3-year-old, then it's hard not to be impressed when he romped to a 5-length victory, having traveled supremely well throughout. He's only 4lb higher now as a 5-year-old and his essential fast ground. In truth, he's not had those conditions much since, but the effort when third behind a good yardstick last time out can be seriously upgraded since he's a much better horse on good ground. The fact he ran such a good race last time out suggests he's primed for a big run here under ideal conditions, and the 16/1 looks way too big.

My money's on Cash, who looks tailor-made for this unique test and is perfectly berthed to strike. He's landed the plum draw in stall 24, right on the stands' side 'golden highway' that has dominated this race for years, a massive tactical advantage before the stalls even open. He arrives here off the back of a career-best effort when second on his handicap debut at Doncaster, a perfect prep run that proves he's in peak form and ready for this battle. The step back up to a stiff nine furlongs is exactly what he's crying out for, and as a six-year-old with proven stamina over further, he fits the age and distance profile of a classic Cambridgeshire winner down to the ground. He simply ticks every critical box.

Urban Lion is a 4-year-old gelding trained by Jack Channon. He is a three-time winner and has been running well in defeat at tracks renowned for their testing uphill finishes, finishing 1-5-3 at Sandown (beat Classic by 2 lengths, who won a class 2 at Sandown on the next start, then finished 2/21 beaten a neck in the Heritage Moet & Chandon behind Two Tribes, who won the Stewards' Cup on the next start) and Ascot twice before finishing down the field at York on the last start. He was 11/5f on the penultimate start, beaten 1/2 length, posting a career-high RPR of 105, having finished a promising 5/30 at Royal Ascot, beaten 1.75 lengths despite being short of room but rallied well, posting a RPR of 104. Both those races came over a mile, and poor placing at York could be an omen as he remains on a fair mark, and today's step up to 1m 1f could play to his strengths given his recent efforts over a stiff mile at Sandown and Ascot.