British Spot Plays: Newmarket for Sept. 26

We're in the homestretch of the British flat season, with five weekends remaining of Group action for 2025. Newmarket takes center stage through the second weekend in October, and will be followed by British Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 18 and the Futurity Trophy (G1) at Doncaster on Oct. 25.

Although there are a wide variety of juvenile features at Newmarket in the coming weeks, sprinkled among them are some Group offerings for older horses. I've picked one of each to follow on the Friday program.

After lying low for much of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster earlier this month, the British betting bankroll stands at $300.50. I will play 5% of the outstanding balance to win on the following selections, beginning with a $15 play.

Race 2: Princess Royal (G2), 8:50 a.m. ET

Godolphin has the market leaders here with Spirited Style and Silent Love, but the Ralph Beckett-trained #6 Favorite Memory (15-1) might be worth a look at the price in this 1 1/2-mile test for fillies and mares.

Although well beaten by Spirited Style in the Aphrodite S. over the July Course two back, Favorite Memory's other form suggests her poor effort was too bad to be true. It was also over a course rated soft, and the daughter of Frankel duly bounced back on faster ground to win a handicap at Salisbury while beating two next-out winners.

From the family of U.S. Grade 1 winners Stay Thirsty and Tamarkuz, Favorite Memory packs pedigree power on both sides of her family and remains with upside as long as she gets her preferred ground.

Race 3: Rockfel (G2), 9:25 a.m. ET

The early favorite in this seven-furlong test for two-year-old fillies, Touleen, has undoubtedly passed the eye test in both of her winning starts. That said, #1 Awaken (10-1) might be ready to live up to her name.

Connections of Awaken wheel her back two weeks after an ugly showing in the Dick Poole (G3) over a soft course at Salisbury. It was a far cry from her previous two starts.

At the Royal Ascot meet, when still a maiden, Awaken finished a solid second in the Albany (G3) to Venetian Sun, subsequent winner of the Duchess of Cambridge (G2) and Prix Morny (G1). In between the Albany and Dick Poole, Awaken broke her maiden at Leicester as the heaviest of favorites, including future Group 3 scorer Catching the Moon.

Out of a half-sister to the acclaimed Twice Over, Awaken remains with potential.