Newmarket top tips: Theoryofeverything can confirm progress in strong Suffolk Stakes bid

14:20 Newmarket: William Hill Suffolk Stakes (1 mile 1 furlong)

This valuable handicap is run over a unique straight nine-furlong track and has been won by four-year-olds in four of the last six runnings.

With that in mind, a key form race in respect of today’s contest is the 17-runner Class 2 straight-mile handicap held here in mid-April, which was won by Hafeet Alain. 

The race featured four of today’s market principals with Dutch Decoy finishing a very close second (beaten a nose), Theoryofeverything finishing a close fourth (beaten half a length), Majestic a further half a length back in fifth and David O’Meara’s other runner, Bopedro beaten 2.25l in eighth.

Planet Sport Bet Daily Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Westerton finishes in the first 4 places, get a £5 Free Bet

Four-year-old Theoryofeverything is much younger than the other trio (aged six, seven and eight) and he is also far more lightly raced, having run a fraction as often as the others.

As such, he is the one open to the most progress and it would be natural to assume that he will come on again for last month’s visit, which was his first outing for 201 days and his first run for David O’Meara.

The extra furlong today should help him, too, because for the last two runs of his three-year-old season, when he was still with the Gosdens, he was competing over 10 furlongs, including when beaten only a length on the testing track at Pontefract, which has a stiff, uphill climb to the line.

That Pontefract run was on good-soft ground, compared to the good ground he had here last month, so if any rain gets into the ground it may well increase his chances further, especially as his career debut success on the straight, galloping track at Doncaster was achieved on soft ground.

Suggested best bet: Theoryofeverything in the 14:20 at Newmarket

David O’Meara is well-known for his ability to improve the older horses he acquires from other yards, and he will have learned plenty from Theoryofeverything’s very encouraging stable debut here last month, so it is no surprise to see him making the journey back down from North Yorkshire to contest this valuable prize.

All his best form has come on galloping and uphill tracks (his only sub-par runs have come on speed tracks) and his 10-furlong stamina will come in very handy off the likely strong pace generated by this big field over a furlong less.

With plenty in his favour, not least his lightly-raced progressive profile, he is in the right hands to improve again today, which will make him a leading contender off an unchanged mark.

• Tips and analysis provided by Steve Jones who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr

Of the others, Majestic would go well again if it stayed dry, but he doesn’t want any rain, so Dutch Decoy goes onto the shortlist following last month’s near miss, which was probably a new career-best performance at the age of seven.

A previous three-time winner on the July Course at this venue, he clearly likes it here, and he also finished  third of 20 on soft ground in last season’s Golden Mile at Goodwood, so he could handle a bit of cut were that to become necessary.

His three previous runs over this course and distance have all been very good (7th/28 and 6th/34 in the last two renewals of the Cambridgeshire and 5th/17 in this race last season).

On the back of arguably a career-best here last time, he shouldn’t be far away once more off an unchanged mark.

Next best bet: Dutch Decoy in the 14:20 at Newmarket

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