It is the final day of Newmarket's July Festival on Saturday and we have picked out three selections to follow across the day.
Saturday marks Day 3 of the July festival at Newmarket and it’s quite possible that the best has been saved until last, with the Group 1 July Cup taking centre stage on the final day.
Three Royal Ascot Group 1 winners are set to clash in what should be an absolute cracker, but don’t forget about the supporting action either, which includes the Group 2 Superlative Stakes.
We have tasked our expert with selecting three of their strongest fancies and the all-conquering Aidan O’Brien looks well set to land the feature event.
Newmarket Day 3 Tips
14:52 Newmarket – Eklleem @ 4/1
16:00 Newmarket – Abraham Lincoln @ 4/5
16:35 Newmarket – Mission Central @ 5/1
14:52 Newmarket – Eklleem @ 4/1
Leading trainer William Haggas knows how to prepare a lightly raced and talented horse for a big handicap so keep an eye on handicap debutant EKLLEEM. The son of No Nay Never showed some promise when second in a novice on the Rowley Mile back in October.
Needing the run up at Newcastle on seasonal debut, he wasn’t beaten far, despite finishing fourth, and the step up to a mile made a big difference to him at Ripon last time out. He was impressive on that occasion and was much too good for them.
Kicking almost five lengths clear at the line, he had to recover after getting hampered at a key stage and he would likely have won by even further if not for that. A mark of 87 could prove to be generous with that in mind and he looks capable of running a big race.
16:00 Newmarket – Abraham Lincoln @ 4/5
There isn’t a better trainer of juveniles on the planet than Aidan O’Brien at the moment and his two-year-olds performed well at Royal Ascot once again. The smartly bred ABRAHAM LINCOLN represents Ballydoyle in this race and he looks like a very useful prospect.
Connections had to go big in order to purchase this son of Wootton Bassett and there’s a certain level of expectation that comes with a €2,300,000 price tag. He’s a half-brother to Highbury, who had only three starts for this yard but was runner-up in the Queen’s Vase.
Making his debut in a 6f maiden at the Curragh last month, the trip looked plenty sharp enough for him on that occasion but he stayed on well to score by just shy of two lengths. The extra furlong will suit and he could well be one of the yard’s better juveniles this year.
16:35 Newmarket – Mission Central @ 5/1
Newmarket’s main event is shaping up to be an absolute classic, with the winners of the King Charles III Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot all lining up to establish themselves as the best sprinter around.
Aidan O’Brien’s MISSION CENTRAL just got up to win the 5f King Charles III Stakes at Ascot and the return to 6f will suit him on that evidence. He managed to win a good race at Ascot and a Curragh Group 3 over this trip as a two-year-old last term.
Making a fine start to the season, he won back-to-back Listed contests at Naas before going on to win at Royal Ascot and is clearly a very progressive three-year-old. Further progress cannot be ruled out and with Ryan Moore on board, there’s every chance he can follow up.
