THE BetMGM Challenge Cup is similar to the Victoria Cup in May and the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in lots of ways.

A seven-furlong near-sprint up Ascot’s home straight, with the field stretching all the way from the inside rail to the stands rail with barely room for the last stalls handler to escape.

The difference is that, from the inside rail to the stands rail in May and in June, the field stretches 28 or 29 or 30 runners wide.

In early October, with the track narrowed because there is one eye on British Champions’ Day in two weeks’ time, it runs to just 18 participants at most, and that makes today’s race a good each-way race.

Thunder Call has been warm favourite all week, and that makes sense. William Haggas’ horse is a progressive three-year-old who is proven over the trip and at the track.

A fast-finishing second in the Shergar Cup Sprint over six furlongs at Ascot in August, he stepped up on that when he stepped up in trip last time and, over this course and distance and racing off a mark of 93, he won impressively.

There is every chance that he will step forward again now, that was just his second run over seven furlongs, his first since his racecourse debut, but he is fashionable and that potential is factored into his odds.

Furthermore, that race is not working out well in the interim, the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth have all been well beaten since.

This is a better race, and he has to race off a mark of 102 today, 9lb higher than he was last time. He may be up to it, but he is short. He is actually 1lb poorly-in.

Value odds

Moonfall is getting down towards his true odds, he was a much bigger price during the week, but there still may be value in his current odds.

Winner of the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot in June over a mile off a mark of 90, he was only just caught by Hickory over the same course and distance in early September off a mark of 97. He hit the front just inside the two-furlong marker that day, before getting run down close home.

He ran well last time too at Doncaster off a mark of 99 when, held up in behind horses, he had to chart his way through traffic, and he kept on well to take second place behind Scoville, a stable companion of Thunder Call’s, who had run really well himself on the far side in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot.

The drop down to seven furlongs today should not be a negative for the Starman gelding. Indeed, winner of a novice stakes over six and a half furlongs at Newbury last June as a juvenile, he shaped at Ascot earlier this month as if he might appreciate a drop back down in distance from a mile.

He is another progressive three-year-old who retains the potential to be better than the handicap mark of 101 off which he races today.

He goes well at the track, his two runs at Ascot have been up there with the best runs of his life, and he goes into the race in good form.

Sun Chariot Stakes

Blue Bolt is obviously the one to beat in the BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.

A high-class three-year-old last season and second to Fallen Angel in this race last year, Andrew Balding’s filly has taken her form to a new level this term.

She has raced five times in 2026, and she has won five times, four times at Group 1 level.

She looked as good as ever in winning the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown last time, and she will have Colin Keane for company again.

It is difficult to find potential chinks in her armoury, but the Sun Chariot Stakes has a habit of throwing up the unexpected, at this time of year.

There have only been two winning favourites in the last seven years, and two of the winners were sent off at 16/1. Cinderella’s Dream was well beaten in the race last year. Mother Earth was beaten in it, Champers Elysees was beaten in it.

Surprise result

If there is going to be another surprise result in the race, it could be provided by Calendar Girl.

Owen Burrows’ filly has bucketloads to find on official ratings, but it is probable that we have not seen the best of her yet, and she still has the potential to prove herself to be a Group 1 filly.

She won three of her four races last year as a juvenile, her season culminating in a game win in the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes on her only run to date on the Rowley Mile.

Thought of as a potential Guineas filly then, she didn’t return to the track until August this year, when she ran out an impressive winner of the Listed Dick Hern Stakes at Haydock.

She didn’t build on that next time at Sandown in the Atalanta Stakes, but there was mitigation.

She was held up out the back that day on the good to soft ground, on a day on which it was difficult for the hold-up horses.

She only finished sixth in the end, but she stayed on well from two furlongs out to get to within two and a half lengths of the winner Love Dynasty, nearest at the finish.

A reproduction of that run wouldn’t be sufficient to see her prevail today, but she is better than she was able to show there.

She was impressive in winning that listed race at Haydock in August, when she had Fallen Angel a length and a half behind her in third place. She has raced just six times, and it is probable that she can improve on that now. She is one for one at the track, and she should be at home on the ground.