Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted 5 hours ago Journalists Posted 5 hours ago Think Newmarket July and the image conjures up the panama hat, the beautiful tree-graced pre-parade ring, steel bands (in the old days), ice cream, great racing. Here are five things to concentrate on during the next three days of action on the track. This Ballydoyle Wootton Bassett Thing One of the big stories of 2025 has been the thrusting of Wootton Bassett onto the leading stage of international racing theatre and while the current Classic crop is doing much for his burgeoning reputation, it's his two-year-olds who are threatening to send him stratospheric. Albert Einstein, Beautify, Daytona, Dorset, Italy and Brussels are just some of his Ballydoyle contingent to have made a notable impact so far and we'll get to see at least two this week. Italy could be the one for Saturday's G2 Superlative Stakes, for many of the purists the meeting's most exciting race, the one that hosted Dr Devious, Dubawi, Native Trail and City Of Troy and is always a key Guineas pointer. Brussels is the selection for Thursday's G2 Kingdom of Bahrain July Stakes and he comes here off a win in The Curragh maiden won by the sire's Henri Matisse and Unquestionable. Both are TDN Rising Stars with copious amounts of potential, which is what this meeting's juvenile contests are all about. More Classic Gold To Be Prospected In The Old Strutt & Parker? We love the July Cup, the Bunbury Cup and all that group-race action, but come on now, we're all just waiting for the next big thing to emerge, right? Where better than Friday's Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes for two-year-old colts and geldings, probably the most storied maiden in Britain known in the past as the “Strutt & Parker” when it was sponsored by the estate agency. Alhaarth beat Mark Of Esteem in it in 1995, it was won the following year by Bahhare, in 2001 by Dubai Destination and in 2007 by Rio De La Plata. Oh, and last year Field Of Gold, so pay close attention. Not surprisingly, Charlie Appleby takes this very seriously and has a pair of entries at present including the €1.9-million Arqana May Breeze-Up topper Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder), a son of George Washington's only foal Date With Destiny, while Aidan O'Brien has one of his envied bounty of Wootton Bassetts engaged in Constitution River. Field Of Gold's stable has the one entry, Frankel's Oxagon in the colours of Prince Faisal, while Andrew Balding has Jeff Smith's homebred Venetian Prince, a son of St Mark's Basilica and the Juddmonte International heroine Arabian Queen. One for the video recorders, as we middle-aged fanatics used to say. Can Milers Win The July Cup? Well, the quick answer is yes. Most top-class milers have the pace to mix it with the sprinters, but it's probably more of a case of mentality switch than anything else. The list of those who have succeeded over six furlongs and a mile at the highest level is long and includes this race's winners Chief Singer, Green Desert, Soviet Star, Royal Academy and Alcohol Free. Godolphin's Notable Speech is the latest to shorten up, but he has the speed to make a serious impact, no doubt. The stronger pace scenario is what will really suit and it's just a question of whether he can do those sub-11-second splits that won him his mile races earlier in the piece. Charlie Looks To Break His Duck Perhaps the man with most on the line this week is Charlie Appleby, with the Festival in his own back yard. He has maintained an impressive 36% strike-rate at the track over the last five seasons, but there are two major omissions from his big-race tally to date and they both come this week. His only two prior runners in Friday's G1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes, Wuheida and Certify, were second in 2017 and seventh in 2014, while he is zero from five in the feature G1 July Cup on Saturday. He has leading chances in both this year, with Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal) almost favourite for the fillies' contest and the aforementioned Notable Speech and talented Sandy Lane winner Symbol Of Honour (Havana Grey) forming a strong double act in the big sprint. In Thursday's July Stakes, Appleby's unbeaten TDN Rising Star Maximized (Mehmas) bids to improve the stable's record of two third placings from three runners, while one area in which the stable excels is in Saturday's Superlative. He has had five winners from 11 runners in the contest and this year's entries Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) and Saba Desert (Dubawi) will be afforded due respect as a result. Royal Ascot Bounce? Forget It With Royal Ascot not too far in the rearview mirror, there could be an argument that this comes too soon for those who endured the heat of battle in Berkshire. That does not appear to be the case for the two-year-old generation, with recent trends suggesting a bold showing there has been no bar to success in the July Stakes for one. Whistlejacket stepped up from a fourth in the Norfolk to land last year's day one six-furlong feature, Persian Force improved on a Coventry second in 2022 while Tactical had also struck in the 2020 Windsor Castle. Up against Ballydoyle and Godolphin this time, connections will be hoping that the Ascot savvy of Do Or Do Not (Space Blues) and Comical Point (Blue Point), runner-up in the Coventry and fifth in the Norfolk respectively, will give them the edge they need. If the July Stakes points to Royal Ascot experience being no hindrance, it seems an essential qualification for Friday's G2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, where the fillies take centre stage over six furlongs. Last year's winner Arabian Dusk is the outlier, having skipped the Royal meeting, as eight of the previous nine winners had contested the Albany. Four of those were completing the double, while the 2016 winner Roly Poly was bouncing back after running eighth in the Queen Mary. This year's Albany scorer Venetian Sun (Starman) looks only to have to turn up on those trends, whereas Shine On Me (Havana Grey) and Spicy Mara (Starspangledbanner) fit Roly Poly's Queen Mary profile. Where Royal Ascot drops away in relevance is in the Superlative, with the last 10 winners fitting the more unexposed Classic profile of maiden or novice to here. Of those still entered, Coventry seventh Raakeb (Ten Sovereigns) and eighth Bourbon Blues (Space Blues) and the Chesham fourth Venetian Lace (Masar) will seek to buck the historical trend. The post The Newmarket July Festival: Five Things To Watch Out For appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article Quote
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