DAY 1 of the Debenhams July Festival features an excellent renewal of the Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes Group 2 over six furlongs for juveniles, and I’m looking forward to seeing Ghostwriter and Palladium in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes Group 2, as they take each other on again after their third and fourth, respectively, in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The most intriguing runner on the card is the Unibet Ambassador Richard Hannon-trained Nightime Dancer, Unibet 9/2 in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy Stakes over one mile and five furlongs. Nighttime Dancer was right out the back at the start of Tattenham Corner in the Derby and made up lots of ground to finish eighth. He will be suited by this distance, and the St Leger is the plan.
This is a strong renewal with the Royal Ascot Queens Vase form getting tested with the second home. Furthur, fifth Scandinavia and sixth Hallelujah U are all taking their chances.
Enjoy whether at Newmarket on their July course or watching #athome on ITV Racing and Racing TV.
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
2:25 Newmarket – Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes Group 2 (6f)
Brussels might be the one with the most improvement to come despite the strength of the opposition in a hot race with the Woodcote winner at Epsom Maximized and the Coventry second at Royal Ascot, Do Or Do Not.
Brussels is representing a yard who won this last year with Whistlejacket and who are having a successful summer with their juveniles.
Brussels looked quite green when making his winner debut at the Curragh back in May (form has worked out well), though once he took the lead in the final furlong, he ran on smoothly and he can come out on top here.
3.00 Newmarket – Heritage Handicap (6f)
Tawasol is looking for a hat-trick of wins after making all at Brighton and then did the same at Doncaster on handicap debut off a mark of 82 in May. The handicapper put him up to a mark of 93; however, he won by four lengths and looked a different class to the rest of the field.
Tawasol has the speed, will like the going and stall 12 is a good draw based on recent runnings.
Azure Zain was unraced as a two-year-old and is having only his fourth career start. He won a five-runner race at Wolverhampton in June easily by six and a half lengths when beating Peregrine Falcon, and he still looked very green that day.
Azure Zain has since been gelded, he will be suited by the quick ground and has each way claims from stall 18.
3:35 Newmarket – Princess Of Wales’s Stakes Group 2 (1m 4f)
Palladium (nap) was marked up each way in my Unibet blog for the Hardwicke Stakes when he finished fourth and just a length and a quarter behind the third Ghostwriter. Palladium, who is a strong individual, looked like he needed the run, as after challenging from two furlongs out, he kept galloping on in the last furlong without making any significant progress on those in front of him.
This was surprising given that in his first run for his new yard earlier in the month, he just lost out to Hamish and stablemate Military Academy in a very tight finish in a Listed contest at Goodwood when making the running.
Palladium clearly has plenty of ability, and given the fact he will be even sharper for this appearance, he can reverse the form with Ghostwriter and come out on top on the July course.
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