Craven Stakes tips and runner-by-runner guide as Native Trail faces 5 rivals at Newmarket

Can Charlie Appleby's rising star score?

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

2000 Guineas favourite Native Trail attempts to get his three-year-old campaign off to a winning start in the Craven Stakes.

The winner of last year’s Dewhurst Stakes faces five rivals in the 3.35pm at Newmarket on Wednesday, April 13 including Aidan O’Brien’s Star Of India.

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Native Trail is 2-2 at the track, while trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick teamed up to land the 2021 renewal with Master Of The Seas.

You’ll find Craven Stakes tips from our pundits and an ace guide to the seven runners below.

Craven Stakes runners

Al Mubhir

Trainer: William Haggas Jockey: Tom Marquand Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 3

NON-RUNNER

Claymore

Trainer: Jane Chapple-Hyam Jockey: Adam Kirby Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 4

Relatively cheap Breeze-Up purchase who made an impresssive start when landing a C&D novice with ease in October. Longer trip should suit, so he’s very much one to consider.

Hoo Ya Mal

Trainer: Andrew Balding Jockey: Marco Ghiani Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 2

Upwardly-mobile colt who bagged York maiden before beaten a nose by Noble Truth in 7f listed race at Doncaster 7 months ago. Likely to do better still this year, so hard to rule out on reappearance.

Kingmax

Trainer: David Loughnane Jockey: Rossa Ryan Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 1

Showed promise for Roger Varian last year and stepped up markedly when bolting up in a novice at Kempton in March. That form looks solid and there’s more to come, so can’t be completely dismissed.

Native Trail

Trainer: Charlie Appleby Jockey: William Buick Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 5

Unbeaten in 4 starts, looking all class as a juvenile and hammering home the point with a snug victory in the Dewhurst Stakes here when last seen 6 months ago. Well fancied for the 2000 Guineas, so would be most disappointing if he met with defeat for the first time in this.

Star Of India

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien Jockey: Ryan Moore Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 6

Bred to be talented and wasn’t hard pressed to make a successful start at Leopardstown last autumn. Significant that his powerful yard have picked him out for this, so dangerous to dismiss.

Zechariah

Trainer: Martyn Meade Jockey: Rob Hornby Age: 3 Weight: 9st 0lbs Draw: 7

Quickly developed into a useful performer last term and may well be more forward than some on reappearance. He’s likely to come up short for ability, though.

Craven Stakes tips

Matt Chapman: NATIVE TRAIL is surely going to be very hard to beat. Charlie Appleby told me in Dubai a couple of weeks ago his big gun was in fine shape and as the Dewhurst hero he really should be able to beat this lot as he carries no penalty. Today’s contest should put the 2,000 Guineas ante-post favourite spot on for the big race itself.

Mick Fitzgerald: It’s very hard to get away from the unbeaten ante-post 2,000 Guineas favourite NATIVE TRAIL, the son of Oasis Dream. He won the Dewhurst Stakes here comfortably last year and even went to Ireland and won the National Stakes. He will be a tough nut to crack in his prep for the 2,000 Guineas in a few weeks time.

Timeform: NATIVE TRAIL is head and shoulders above the others in form terms and is fully expected to make a winning return ahead of a tilt at the 2000 Guineas, for which he already holds excellent claims. Star of India and Claymore both arrive on the back of impressive debut wins last year, so there’s more to come from that pair.

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

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