Turf Talk - Supporters preparing to raise a glass to Cognac at Newmarket

Cognac, under the stewardship of William Buick, winning The Unibet Casino Deposit £10 Get £40 Bonus Handicap Stakes at Kempton in June. Picture: Hugh Routledge/Pool via Getty Images.

Mark Johnston’s colt returns to the turf at HQ after a convincing victory at this same trip of a mile in a handicap on Kempton’s Polytrack last month, on his first start since September.

Cognac appeared to have matured for his 282-day break, justifying market confidence to comfortably get the better of outsider Rue De La Gaite - who has since switched stables and run with credit again.

Cognac had previously been outrun by the useful and consistent Breathalyze in two late-summer juvenile races at Chester - between which he was a tidy Musselburgh maiden winner. His promising four-race CV suggests he should be well up to further success in this decent company, with William Buick on hand again to maintain the winning partnership.

Champagne Supanova can provide the aperitif by playing a starring role in the Discover Newmarket Re-Visit Re-Engage Re-Book Handicap. Richard Spencer’s gelding gets in here at the bottom of the weights, despite a minor rise for his head defeat last time when just failing to hold the late surge of Come On Girl at Lingfield.

Another returning to the turf, in his case for the first time in 12 starts and more than a year, Champagne Supanova also acquires blinkers here after running consistently well without winning of late.

He has every right to be involved at the finish again, whether they bring about improvement or not.

Ice Sprite can outdo likely favourite Union Spirit to complete the successful drinks order in the Bedford Lodge Hotel Community Support Handicap.

The three-year-old enters handicaps on just her third start for in-form William Haggas.

She does so off a mark of 70, having shaped with promise on her return when a close fourth in a Yarmouth novice at the beginning of the month.

Elsewhere on the card, Darain should double his tally despite having to concede 7lb all round in the Newmarket Festival Charitable Novice Stakes.

John Gosden’s colt will doubtless be short odds to do so too, though, having been an impressive winner over this 10-furlong trip at Newbury last month - a performance which earned the beautifully-bred son of Dubawi bookmaker quotes for the St Leger.

Spectrum Of Light may provide Buick with a double in the closing Valle