Johnston juvenile catches eye among girls group-race cavalcade
Thursday may have been ladies’ day at Newmarket’s July Cup meeting, but Friday sees the XX chromosome gang’s equine sisters take centre-stage.
Channel 4 Racing broadcasts no fewer than three group races for females on their afternoon transmission, with two from HQ and one from York’s Knavesmire.
And as a special treat there will also be three races broadcast on sister station More4 meaning a total of seven races will be shown this Friday, each covered by this…
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Hot on the heels of a 16/1 winner at Sandown in the most recent selection of Channel 4 racing tips, we have three of the day’s best bets below.
Eyes down for the rationale…
Nap – Mayfair Lady – York – 16:00
Besharah and La Rioja are likely to begin the day shorter in the betting than Richard Fahey’s filly, but the selection can improve past them.
Mayfair Lady is sure to come on from her winning seasonal bow, where she was untroubled in winning a decent handicap over course and distance (her second success over track and trip).
The same cannot be said of her chief market rivals, who finished 10th and fourth in Group 1 races that were their third and second runs of the term respectively.
N.B – Always Smile – Newmarket (July) – 16:15
A two-and-quarter-length third to hot favourite Usherette at Ascot last time out, the mount of James Doyle can reverse the form with the going in her favour.
The Andre-Fabre-trained jolly posted her Royal Meeting triumph on soft, with Doyle reporting that Always Smiling ‘hated the ground’ in the aftermath.
Having posted two wins and a second on good-to-firm decks previously, with the blot coming by a nose in the ultra-competitive Sandringham Handicap at Ascot in 2015, the predicted underfoot conditions at HQ should be more to her liking.
She will be aided in her task by the race’s most in-form pilot, with Doyle having accumulated a 31 per cent strike rate from 42 rides over the last fortnight, booting in winners from Newcastle to Newmarket along the way.
Lively Longshot – Kilmah – Newmarket (July) – 15:45
Mark Johnston is a dab hand with the juveniles, as anyone who remembers how different Buratino was last season to this will be well aware.
As such, his Kilmah looks tasty at double figures given her form with hot favourite Bletchley.
The latter earned her exalted market status thanks to a fast-finishing, short-head second to Brave Anna over 6f in the Albany Stakes on good to soft last month.
Kilmah made the running in that contest, finishing four lengths behind the winner, after finally being headed at the furlong marker.
She’s another who will be seen to better effect on good-to-firm ground, having scored on such going when taking a Rowley Mile maiden in her sole previous career run.
The opposing Seafront and High On Love were behind in the latter contest.
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
