Friday 14th July 2023… Newmarket Racecourse
Friday sees the second day of the July Festival in Newmarket with the feature race, the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, the highlight at 3:35. Check out our YouTube and Social media channels for our teams’ thoughts on the Falmouth Stakes. Alongside that, our Racing experts have found 2 other bets on the card to get the weekend off to a good start.
2:25 – Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (G2)
The Amo Racing pair of Persian Dreamer and Thanksbutnothanks made promising starts to their careers but haven’t shown a great deal of improvement in their subsequent runs. Woodhay Wonder looked more progressive when she won at Newbury last month, but on the figures, she has a lot to find and so this probably concerns Star of Mystery and Soprano. The latter beat several subsequent winners on debut on the Rowley Mile in May and built on that debut when 3rd in the Albany at Royal Ascot behind Porta Fortuna. She won her group down the centre in that race and that form probably sets the standard, but in Star of Mystery she meets a very talented filly who may just have too much speed for her.
Already a winner over this course and distance when she landed a novice event here on the 1st of July, she has won 2 of her 3 starts and recorded a top speed figure of 90 on her latest start, the highest figure recorded by these 5 runners. She is a half-sister to both Althiqa and Mysterious Night and her dam, Mistrusting, had winning form at this track in 2015. She looks to be the best of the Godolphin Juvenile Fillies we have seen so far this season and she should prove that on these terms.
3:00 – Bet365 Trophy (Heritage Handicap) Bet Here
The obvious starting point for this race is Kihavah, who arrives here searching for a four-timer after successive wins at Market Rasen, York and Ayr. He has been raised another 3lbs to a career mark of 96, but in his current form he is not overlooked lightly. However, even in his current form, he may struggle to give weight to the improving 4-year-old Aimeric. Roger Varian’s charge has won 3 of his 8 starts and after making a successful comeback at Doncaster in May, he took his form to a new level when beaten just 4-lengths in the Duke of Edinburgh stakes at Royal Ascot. We can upgrade that run as he was short of room at a crucial stage and having been left on the same mark by the handicapper, he looks the best treated horse in this handicap.
Our team will be back tomorrow with their thoughts on the Super Saturday card at Newmarket, York and Ascot.
