YOUTH IS KEY TO OLD RACE

Andy Newton examines the crucial betting facts for Newmarket highlight

- Andy Newton

One of the big Flat racing handicaps each season is the Cambridgeshire Handicap - run at Newmarket and is also the first leg of the Autumn Double - so that is where we are off to next for another trends analysis.

The Cesarewitch Handicap is the second leg of the double, which is run in October - but first up is the three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting - running this year runs from Thursday, September 25, to Saturday, September 27.

There are many top races to have on your radar at the meeting - including the Royal Lodge, Cheveley Park and Middle Park Stakes, but the super-competitive Cambridgeshire Handicap is by-far the main betting heat for the bookies with a big field of 30+ runners entered - it will be held on September 27 this year.

The race was first run in 1839, so this competitive 1m1f handicap has a lot of history attached to it and, therefore, many key stats and trends to note.

12 months ago, we saw the Karl Burke team winning the race with Liberty Lane - who won as topweight and provided the yard with their first success in the race.

Let's take a look at the main Cambridgeshire Handicap stats to have in your corner.

Age - With ALL of the last 23 Cambridgeshire winners aged six or younger, this is certainly the key age trend. The last horse to win aged 7+ was Rambo's Hall in 1992.

Again, backed up with the 4yo Liberty Lane winning last year.

At the other end of the age range, we have seen four 3yo winners since 2012, so we probably can't rule out the younger horses in the race - with two on the bounce in 2018 and 2019.

That said, with 18 of the last 23 successful horses aged 4-6 years, this range has held sway in recent times - backed up with all of the last five ticking this age stat.