The Weekend Winners panel is back to preview a major racing event at Newbury, with the Group 3 Greenham Stakes taking center stage. Eight competitors are set to participate in the seven-furlong contest, with Zavateri, trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, and Aidan O'Brien's Albert Einstein currently leading the pack. Other notable participants include Title Role, Alparslan, Gonna Fly, and Needle Match.
According to one expert, "This is a highly intriguing race on paper. The favorite, Zavateri, struggled at Newmarket and will likely thrive on the straight track. However, it's uncertain whether he will continue to improve, given his size and pedigree. I'm going to challenge him.
I'm backing Alparslan, who has some ground to make up against Zavateri based on his performance in the Dewhurst. He experienced a significant price drift that day, which suggests something may have been amiss.
With a lack of pace in the race, he could secure an easy lead and dominate." Another expert agrees, stating, "I'm supporting Zavateri, who won the National Stakes last season and doesn't have a Group 1 penalty for that win here - a significant advantage. He would need to underperform substantially to be beaten today.
There are many question marks surrounding other runners, such as Albert Einstein and Title Role, so I'm sticking with the class angle - who I believe should be at a shorter price than their current odds." A third expert has a different opinion, saying, "I'm going with Needle Match, who doesn't fit the typical profile of recent winners. However, his trainer has made comments suggesting he has some promising three-year-olds this season, and this horse could be one of them.
He won on soft ground at Newbury, but I don't think faster ground will be an issue based on his pedigree. He needs to take a massive step forward from his previous effort, but he's at a decent price to do so.
While the favorite has set the standard with his form, I want to challenge him in his seasonal debut."