The three-day July Cup meeting starts at Newmarket tomorrow with the opening Bahrain Trophy one of three fascinating Group races on the card. Royal Ascot winner Atty Persse heads the market at 11/4 with BetVictor although he is rated 8lbs lower than Brian Meehan’s Raheen House (4/1).
The feature of Yarmouth‘s seven-race card is a decent 10f handicap and there is plenty of overnight rain forecast. The filly Dubara is certainly bred to appreciate any significant rain and will be tough to beat despite the fact that she is 4lbs higher than when runner up at Salisbury last time.
Omeros is one to consider if the market speaks in his favour, but I am sweet on the chances of First Voyage (3.45) who drops back in trip having travelled like the best horse for much of his reappearance at Haydock last month. The cheek pieces he wore when scoring at Nottingham back in October are reapplied and any overnight rain will suit.
Cool Team is likely to be all the rage in the mile maiden but William Buick rides Working Class (4.20) for Peter Chapple-Hyam and he hinted that a return to this trip would suit when finishing third over an additional quarter mile at Salisbury on his reappearance. The selection shaped with promise on his sole juvenile start and this doesn’t look the strongest of races.
At Kempton this evening Jim Crowley takes over on Casado (6.55) who ran his best race yet when third of eleven at Lingfield Park dropped back to a mile last month. The John Best-trained gelding runs off the same mark tonight and, after just the six career starts, is open to a bit more improvement.
The 6f fillies’ Novice Stakes is a cracker and the market will provide valuable clues given half of the dozen runners are making their racecourse debut. One of the debutantes is Island Drive (7.25) and this daughter of Kodiac makes plenty of appeal on breeding and is taken to score for William Haggas.
The Hannon yard have won this corresponding race three times in the last four years and Jane Rose shaped with considerable promise on her debut at Doncaster when encountering traffic problems – she looks the one to beat.
Fitzwilly (7.55) suggested his turn was near when third at Chepstow last week and I like the booking of Andrea Atzeni for this seven-year-old who is well-handicapped on his best form for Mick Channon. This is his first start on Kempton’s all-weather surface but it should be noted that he has run well at Lingfield on their polytrack.
The classic generation have won five of the last six renewals of the 1m 3f handicap but I hope St Malo (8.25) can take this in his first-time blinkers for Roger Varian. The selection was very well backed when down the field on his turf debut at York back in May but should appreciate the return to an all-weather surface.
Maakaasib (8.55) ran well at Haydock last time although he failed to get home on soft ground and he should appreciate returning to this artificial surface for Simon Crisford in the six-furlong handicap. Oisin Murphy gets the mount and the jockey rode a good winner for the yard at Sandown last weekend.
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