ITV Racing Tips Today – Friday 26 September: Billy Grimshaw’s Best Bets in the Rockfel & Joel Stakes

The ITV cameras will be trained on Newmarket as the Rockfel Stakes and Joel Stakes take centre stage, and Billy Grimshaw has had a good scour of both cards for his two standout plays today. Among a strong batch of two-year-old fillies in the Rockfel and a competitive sprint in the Joel, he’s landed on a pair of horses he thinks can deliver for us. Here are his picks for Newmarket Friday...

14:25 Newmarket - Rockfel Stakes

The Rockfel Stakes is always a fascinating contest on the Newmarket calendar, a race that offers a real clue as to which fillies might step up to classic level next spring. This year’s renewal looks no different, and the market is circling around two who clashed recently - Touleen and Zanthos. The former got the better of that duel at Leicester, showing a decisive turn of foot when asked, and she arrives here looking like a filly very much on the rise. She has the scope to progress again, and a straight seven furlongs on the Rowley Mile should play to her strengths.

Zanthos, meanwhile, lost little in defeat on that occasion. She was perhaps undone by how the race developed, unable to find the right rhythm until too late, and her connections have been bullish about her chances of turning the tables here. She travels well, she finds for pressure, and a strongly-run race in a bigger field could bring out further improvement. If she settles early, she’s likely to throw down a strong challenge.

Beyond that pair, there are several unexposed fillies stepping out of novice company. Some may prove smart, but pattern-race experience counts for plenty in a contest like this, and both Touleen and Zanthos have it. The Rowley Mile can catch the inexperienced out, with its famous dip and long run-in, so those who have been tested under pressure are at an advantage.

On balance, it’s hard to look past TOULEEN, who showed authority last time and has the right profile to keep climbing the ladder. Zanthos is respected as the one most likely to trouble her again, but the feeling is that Touleen is the filly moving forward at just the right time.

15:00 Newmarket - Joel Stakes

The Joel Stakes has a history of producing high-class winners, and the 2025 renewal has plenty of intrigue with proven older horses locking horns with up-and-coming three-year-olds. It’s often a race where class rises to the top, and this year all eyes are on Opera Ballo, a colt who has quickly built a reputation as a serious miler. He’s been climbing the ranks smoothly, showing a sharp turn of foot in Listed and Group company, and connections feel the Rowley Mile is the perfect stage for him to confirm his status.

The chief threat may come from Zeus Olympios, who brings an unbeaten record into the race and has shown the kind of progression you’d want to see from a horse targeting Group 1s down the line. He travels with ease and has the tactical speed to adapt to however this contest plays out. What he lacks in experience compared to Opera Ballo he makes up for in raw potential, and he’s a fascinating runner stepping into this class.

One who shouldn’t be ignored is last year’s winner Prague, who knows exactly what it takes to land this prize. While his form since has been patchy, there’s always a chance that returning to this mile and track reignites his spark. If he finds rhythm early, he could be dangerous late on.

With the mile at Newmarket demanding both balance and stamina, the race will likely come down to who handles the long climb best. Opera Ballo has shown he can quicken at the end of a truly-run mile, and that makes him the pick. OPERA BALLO is taken to confirm his rising star credentials, with Zeus Olympios marked down as the one most likely to chase him home.