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With four Group events alongside the marathon handicap of the year, this afternoon’s Newmarket meeting is one of the highlights of the racing year, except that this year’s 2m2f feature betting event has come up a long way short on numbers, like many races of its ilk this season, with a pitiful 22 runners set to go to post.

Year in, year out the Cesarewitch (3.40) is contested by fields in the 30s with lots of horses balloted out, but this year’s entry has been sold very short, another red flag for those who rule the sport to get their fingers out and do something pro active.

Anyway on to the race proper and the likely favourite, following the sad demise of Adagio, looks like being the Nicky Henderson trained AHORSEWITHNONAME. The Lambourn trainer has become a dab hand at laying a national hunt horse out for this autumn feature having previously taken away the gold medal with Landing Light (2003), Caracciola (2008) and last year with the impressive Buzz.