Hi all,
Inside today’s short column, I’ve got a couple of future winners for the tracker. It’s a quick one because I did my back in yesterday carrying a bag of concrete — not my smartest move. There might not be a Wednesday column, but I’ll hopefully be back in the hot seat by Thursday.
Quick Recap: Newmarket July Festival (Days 1 & 2)
As I mentioned last Tuesday, I’m not a fan of the Newmarket July Course — and nothing I saw last week changed my mind.
It was officially good to firm for the first two days of the meeting, but by Saturday Timeform were calling it just “good.” That change was no surprise if, like me, you suspected another round of overnight watering.
And here we are again — Newmarket has a habit of overwatering the July Course, and it happened again on Friday night. How could the ground possibly be just “good” after a heatwave? It’s madness. Punters expecting genuine good-to-firm ground were blindsided — again. And as usual, barely a murmur from the mainstream racing media. The silence is deafening.
When the sport’s funding model relies on punters losing, don’t expect the BHA to kick up a fuss. But it’s still not acceptable.
Underwhelming Stuff
As for the racing itself, I thought the festival was underwhelming. It’s simply not the mid-summer highlight some in the press claim it is.
That said, Friday’s Falmouth Stakes did deliver a cracking finish, with Cinderella’s Dream just outstaying January in a tight finish to land the Group 1.
And on Thursday, Opera Ballo looked a horse firmly on the up when landing the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, making it four wins from five starts. Charlie Appleby seems in no rush to over face the colt this season — he's planning long-term. Wherever he goes this season though, he’s one to follow.
Future Winners
Parole d'Oro – Michael Bell
A promising eighth of 30 in the Britannia Handicap on handicap debut, Parole d'Oro took another step forward when beaten just a short head by Dutch Decoy in Thursday’s mile handicap at Newmarket. A sound surface and decent pace clearly suit this progressive 3-year-old. He’ll be nudged up a few pounds for this effort but should still be on a mark he can win from.
Redorange – Clive Cox
Third in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot, Redorange confirmed his good form when a close-up fourth of 17 to Alzahir at Ascot on Saturday. Once again, he was marooned on the wrong side of the track — doing best of those drawn in single figures. When he finally gets the right setup, a sprint handicap win looks there for the taking.
Honourable Mention: Erzindjan
Erzindjan did best of the hold-up horses when finishing a two-length fourth in the John Smith’s Cup at York. That was his first run for new connections — and first in 347 days — so there was plenty to like about the effort. He’s certainly handicapped to win one if he builds on this. The catch? He’s now 2-30 and hasn’t won since 2021. Worth tracking, but don’t get carried away. The 7-year-old certainly wouldn’t be one to take a short price about next time.
Good luck with your Tuesday bets.
John