The Dubai Future Champions Festival is held at the Newmarket Racecourse and is a two-day event. The first day is Friday, October 10 (from 22:15 AEST), with the following day also forming the festival (Saturday, October 11, from 22:15 AEST).
While there are seven races on each day, a handful of them are considered the biggest races. These include:
- The Group 1 Fillies' Mile (Friday, 23:57 AEST) – A premier race for two-year-old fillies over 1 mile, showcasing some of the finest fillies of the generation.
- The Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Sunday, 00:00 AEST) – This is the main highlight and considered one of the most prestigious two-year-old races globally, run over seven furlongs for colts.
- The Cesarewitch Handicap (Sunday, 00:40 AEST) – A major competitive handicap race run over two miles and two furlongs.
Let’s take a look at each of these for some top horse racing betting predictions…
Dubai Future Champions 2025 Festival: Betting Preview
In the Fillies’ Mile, it’s worth keeping tabs on two horses as being the most likely to win in a field of around 15. These are:
- Precise (Aidan O'Brien) - unbeaten in three seven-furlong races, including a big Curragh win.
- Legacy Link (John & Thady Gosden) - has improved significantly in recent races and is proven at a mile, winning her last outing.
In the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, a handful of contenders are thought to be in contention to win this race. We’ve picked out the following two in this race:
- Zavateri (Eve Johnson Houghton) - enters unbeaten with four wins, including the prestigious National Stakes at the Curragh, showing classic potential for next season and strong form.
- Gstaad (Aidan O'Brien) - finished a close second by just a head to the unbeaten favourite Zavateri in the National Stakes at the Curragh, showing he can compete at the highest Group 1 level.
The Cesarewitch Handicap is another elite horse race that will feature many top horses. We’ve identified the following:
- Reverend Hubert (Charles Byrnes) - coming off an impressive eight-length win in the Trial at Newmarket. Does have a history of receiving penalties.
- Alphonse Le Grande (Tony Martin) - won the race last year; does carry a 6lb higher penalty mark.
- Zanndabad (Tony Martin) - an outsider who is highly regarded for his stamina and strong staying pedigree, he has been prepared specifically for this race all season.
Dubai Future Champions 2025 Festival: Betting Prediction
When looking at the preview and information above, we have one pick that we like the look of…
We’d back Zanndabad as an each-way bet in the Cesarewitch Handicap betting odds, as we believe there is a strong chance he will finish inside the first four places for this race. He delivered an eye-catching performance in a recent run, finishing strongly despite being blocked.
While his form has been mixed recently, this looks like a race that he will turn up for.