The Flat season might be heading towards its final few weeks, but there's still some seriously competitive racing to come.
Next up is the 2026 Cambridgeshire Meeting at Newmarket, which takes place from Thursday 24th to Saturday 26th September and features seven Group races alongside one of the biggest handicaps of the autumn.
The bet365 Cambridgeshire Handicap takes centre stage on Saturday.
Run over nine furlongs on Newmarket's famous Rowley Mile, it regularly attracts a huge field and has already produced a wide-open ante-post market this year.
We've taken an early look at the 2026 Cambridgeshire odds and picked out two horses that make plenty of appeal.
Cambridgeshire Handicap 2026 ante-post tips
Our main pick: Gavriel
Current price: around 6/1
It's not difficult to see why Gavriel has found his way to the head of the Cambridgeshire betting.
The three-year-old is lightly raced, with just four starts under his belt, but has already won twice.
Most importantly, his latest appearance produced a significant step forward.
Gavriel made his handicap debut at Ascot earlier this month and came away with the victory over just shy of ten furlongs.
That was his first turf success and his first attempt in handicap company, so there could still be more to come.
He's also already proven himself over a trip slightly further than the Cambridgeshire's nine furlongs, which gives us fewer concerns about seeing the distance out in a strongly-run race.
A huge-field handicap on the Rowley Mile will present a very different challenge, of course, and 6/1 isn't enormous for a race of this nature.
But Gavriel looks like a horse still on the upgrade and is our early pick for the 2026 Cambridgeshire.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE TIP: GAVRIEL
Check Gavriel's latest Cambridgeshire odds →
Each-way pick: Indalo
Current price: around 10/1
If you're looking for something at a slightly bigger price, Indalo has one major piece of form in his favour.
He finished second in this very race last year.
And he couldn't have gone much closer.
Indalo was beaten just a nose by Boiling Point in the 2025 Cambridgeshire, finishing ahead of another 21 runners in the process.
He's since shown that performance was no fluke.
Indalo finished third of 28 at Royal Ascot earlier this season before winning a competitive 14-runner handicap at Sandown in July.
His most recent appearance at Goodwood was less impressive, but we're prepared to forgive one below-par run given how strong some of his other handicap form has been.
Most importantly, we already know that Newmarket, the trip and the demands of a huge Cambridgeshire field suit him.
At around 10/1, that's enough to make him our early each-way selection.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE EACH-WAY TIP: INDALO
Check Indalo's latest Cambridgeshire odds →
Who is favourite for the Cambridgeshire 2026?
At the time of writing, Gavriel heads the Cambridgeshire ante-post market at around 6/1, with Indalo among his nearest challengers at roughly 10/1.
The market becomes much more open after those two.
Centigrade and Harmonics are available at around 12/1, while Hand Of God and Crest Of Fire are around 14/1.
There are then plenty of contenders at 16/1 and bigger, which isn't particularly surprising given the nature of the race.
The Cambridgeshire is rarely straightforward.
A huge field charging down the Rowley Mile means pace, positioning and the draw can all play their part, so we'll be taking another look once the final field is known.
View the latest Cambridgeshire ante-post odds →
What is the Cambridgeshire Handicap?
The Cambridgeshire is one of the most famous handicaps on the British Flat racing calendar.
It's run over 1 mile and 1 furlong on Newmarket's Rowley Mile and traditionally attracts a very large field.
It's also the first half of the famous Autumn Double, with the Cesarewitch following at Newmarket in October.
Recent renewals have shown just how difficult it can be to find the winner.
In 2025, Boiling Point won at 14/1, edging out 20/1 shot Indalo by a nose.
That was remarkably the second year running trainer Karl Burke and jockey Clifford Lee had won the race, having also taken the 2024 renewal with Liberty Lane.
With dozens of horses still holding entries for 2026, narrowing down the field will be a big part of solving this year's puzzle.
When is the Cambridgeshire Handicap 2026?
The 2026 bet365 Cambridgeshire takes place at Newmarket on Saturday 26th September.
It's the centrepiece of the three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting, which runs from Thursday 24th to Saturday 26th September 2026.
But the Cambridgeshire itself is far from the only major race taking place.
Across the three days, Newmarket stages seven Group races, including two Group 1s on Saturday afternoon.
Cambridgeshire Meeting 2026 preview
Thursday 24th September
The meeting gets underway on Thursday with the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes providing the day's principal Group-race action.
Run over seven furlongs for two-year-olds, it's a race that can provide an early glimpse of horses capable of competing at an even higher level as three-year-olds.
Distant Storm won the 2025 renewal for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin.
It's a relatively understated beginning to the meeting compared with what's to follow, but there should still be plenty of promising young horses on display.
Friday 25th September
The quality steps up significantly on Friday with two Group 2 contests taking centre stage.
The Rockfel Stakes is a seven-furlong race for two-year-old fillies and has an excellent history of producing high-class performers.
Zanthos took the 2025 Rockfel Stakes for Simon and Ed Crisford.
There's also the Joel Stakes, a Group 2 contest over a mile.
Last year's renewal went to Zeus Olympios, who continued his rapid progression with victory for trainer Karl Burke.
Friday therefore gives us our first really strong taste of the quality to come on Saturday.
Saturday 26th September
Saturday is comfortably the biggest day of the Cambridgeshire Meeting.
Alongside the bet365 Cambridgeshire Handicap, there are three major races for two-year-olds.
The Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes is joined by two Group 1 contests, the Cheveley Park Stakes for fillies and Middle Park Stakes for colts.
Last year's winners included Bow Echo in the Royal Lodge, True Love in the Cheveley Park and Wise Approach in the Middle Park.
Wise Approach's victory was particularly impressive after stumbling when leaving the stalls before recovering to win the Group 1 contest.
Then comes the race we'll be particularly interested in from a betting perspective: the 2026 bet365 Cambridgeshire.
Our early Cambridgeshire verdict
There's still plenty that can change between now and Saturday 26th September.
With such a large number of entries, the final field and draw will give us considerably more information to work with closer to the race.
But for now, Gavriel is our main Cambridgeshire ante-post tip.
He's still lightly raced, arrives after an impressive handicap victory at Ascot and could have more improvement to come.
Indalo is our early each-way alternative at around 10/1.
He came within a nose of winning the Cambridgeshire last year and has subsequently shown enough to suggest another big run at Newmarket isn't out of the question.
We'll be following the racing throughout the meeting, so remember to check today's free horse racing tips here for our latest selections.
