Thursday sees the start of Newmarket’s July Festival, but there are six other meetings across Britain and Ireland on the day. Our 9,754/1 Lucky 15 best bets also includes races from Doncaster and Leopardstown.
Treble Glory (2.35 Doncaster)
Endeared was third in a maiden with serious potential to work out well. That said, there are others with runs under their belt, who could improve just as much.
One of those is TREBLE GLORY for Nigel Tinkler who is currently a man in form. His yard are operating at a 23% strike rate in the last two weeks, including a second two-year-old win courtesy of Lakota Blue at Carlisle on Saturday.
Overall, his strike rate for the year is 10%, so his charges are relatively flying. Treble Glory has put up two decent efforts to date too, with him improving substantially between the first and second races.
The latter effort came at Redcar over this trip and he can certainly make his presence felt in this race. With experience under his belt, a place is very manageable.
Ingra Tor (3.00 Newmarket)
It was a very disappointing performance as favourite from INGRA TOR at York last month, but his penultimate run was too good to ignore.
He could finish only 11th behind Harry Three on the Knavesmire, but had beaten that rival, on terms only 1lb more favourable, by 2¼ lengths at this venue previously. That was on the Rowley Mile as opposed to the July course, so this remains a different test.
That said, the 9lb rise he received for that victory the time before tells you how scared the handicappers were. The runner-up, as mentioned before, has been rampant twice since, while both the sixth and seventh have run well in other big-field handicap since, The eighth, Annaf, was even second in a Group 3 at Newcastle.
Tom Marquand is called up by Mick Channon and that can pay dividends. If he finds his feet once again, he will be very tough to beat.
Albahr (4.10 Newmarket)
Godolphin’s ALBAHR is a bit of a fruitcake, but undoubtedly talented. It could be worth giving him a chance at this level here.
This was a race won by Baaeed on his way up through the ranks a year ago and often uncovers or proves the talents of a useful horse. Both Mighty Ulysses and Berkshire Shadow went close in an incredibly tight running of the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes, but the fact that so many finished within two-length of victory suggests that may have been an opportunity gone.
Both could reap dividends coming back to a Listed race, but Albahr has already won at the top level, sweeping to success in the Grade 1 Summer Stake at Woodbine in Canada. He had previously scored a hat-trick on these shores, culminating in a win at this level at Salisbury last August.
His emotions got the better of him before a dramatic Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and then again at Meydan in a trial for the UAE 2000 Guineas. He has now had 167 days off, but he could be the most precocious of these.
Quenelle D’Or (8.00 Leopardstown)
Hugo Palmer’s charge will have to do this on enemy shores, but QUENELLE D’OR could spring a surprise in this Irish Group 3.
The home side is led by the recently disqualified Rosscarbery, whose jockey weighed in 5l light after the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes recently. As such, it is difficult to know whether her past-the-post third can be taken on face value and she is conceding weight to nearly all here.
She is nevertheless one to keep onside given her successful run since the start of the year, but Quenelle D’Or was also victorious at this level last September at Saint Cloud, having paid her dues in handicaps.
She returned to that level to be a fine fifth in a hot handicap at Royal Ascot, conceding 1lb to a winner who has won again since. Golden Horn’s progeny have tended to be very sound stayers and she may have a good chance of running really well.