Newmarket July Festival 2019
Author: Jordan Yates
Image: Jordan Yates
Graphics: Logopit Plus
The feature contest on the first day of Newmarket’s July Festival is the Princess of Wales’s stakes which is a Group 2 affair that’s contested over a mile and four furlongs. The last two renewals of the race have been won by Godolphin with Hawkbill and Best Solution taking the spoils and the boys in blue are responsible for this year’s contest as Masar currently heads affairs for Charlie Appleby at around the 5/4 mark.
The 2018 Derby winner has only had one outing since his Epsom success and that came at Royal Ascot last month when he finished fifth in the Hardwicke Stakes. Appleby is on record saying that this is the best condition he’s ever had the four year old in and that he’s the one to beat here. James Doyle once again takes the ride in William Buicks absence. Next up in the betting is Sir Michael Stoute’s Mirage Dancer who finished second in this race last year. The five year old son of Frankel was also last seen at Royal Ascot in the Hardwicke Stakes where he finished a few places above the market leader here when finishing third to Defoe. Ryan Moore takes the ride on this occasion and Prince Khalid’s horse currently trades at a best priced of 9/4.
Mark Johnston has a fine record in this race and he has two representatives in the line up this year. The first of these comes in the form dual Royal Ascot winner Baghdad who arrives here in great form having won his last two starts including a win here on the penultimate outing. He’s a general 13/2 chance on this occasion and has the services of Andrea Atzeni. Communique concludes the Johnston duo, he made all here in May and has since been kept busy in Group comany since. You can find him at around 12/1 and has Silvestre De Sousa up. Queens Vase winner Dashing Willoughby is also set to line up here and he concludes the line up alongside Desert Encouter.
Race Verdict:
If Masar arrives here in the form Charlie Appleby is stating that he will, he will win this well. But can you back a horse that has had one run in over a year at 5/4 when in said run he wasn’t all that convincing? Not for me. It’s likely he will be a lot more tuned up here however I’m still taking him on and I’m going to do that with MIRAGE DANCER. He’s a horse that should win more than he does and often travels strongly throughout his races. He did just that the last day in the Hardwicke and also the time before when winning a Group 3 at Goodwood, should Masar not fire for any reason which is entirely plausible I think Mirage Dancer is much the best of the rest here and can one better than his second placed effort in the race last year.
WIN: MIRAGE DANCER (9/4)
Newmarket July Festival Day 1 Selections:
13.50 Bahrain Trophy:
WALDSTERN (9/1) (E/W)
14.25 July Stakes:
VISINARI (1/1)
15.00 bet365 Handicap:
TOP BREEZE (14/1) (E/W)
STREET PARADE (16/1) (E/W)
15.35 Princes Of Wales’s Stakes:
MIRAGE DANCER (9/4)
16.05 Maiden Fillies Stakes:
DUBAI PARADISE (6/4)
16.50 Sir Henry Cecil Stakes:
MOMKIN (3/1)
17.10 John Deere & Ben Burgess Handicap:
MOQTARREB (9/4)
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