One of the racing highlights of the summer, Newmarket’s July Festival always provides some thrilling entertainment and this year’s event is set to be another cracker.
Newmarket’s July Festival begins on the July Course on Thursday and there are seven races in total.
The talented fan favourite Rebel’s Romance makes his first appearance in Britain for the season in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and hopefully there will be a couple of talented two-year-olds coming out of the day’s other Group 2, the July Stakes.
Here are three selections for Thursday in the horse racing betting, including a very lightly raced John & Thady Gosden runner in the penultimate contest on the card.
Thursday’s Newmarket July Festival tips
13:50 Newmarket – Point Of Law @ 11/4
15:35 Newmarket – Rebel’s Romance @ 10/11
16:45 Newmarket – Morris Dancer @ 11/8
Improving Point Of Law can land opener
The royal silks could well be worn to victory in the opening race at Newmarket, as the John & Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old Point Of Law has a massive chance.
Only making his debut in April, the son of Frankel is improving at a rapid rate. He was narrowly defeated by Del Maro on debut over 1m2f at Yarmouth and he kept on well that day, finishing well clear of the third, who has franked the form since.
Shedding his maiden tag at Newbury after that, he overcame a slow start to score comfortably in the end. It’s interesting that connections stepped him up markedly in trip and grade for the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot and he acquitted himself well, finishing fourth despite getting hampered.
A return to winning ways is anticipated and he can reverse the form with Del Maro.
Tip 1: 13:50 Newmarket – Point Of Law @ 11/4
Appleby can get off to a flyer
Charlie Appleby has always maintained an excellent record on the July Course and he has made this meeting his own in recent years.
He looks well set to make an excellent start to the July Festival on Thursday and victory with Rebel’s Romance will help him to do so.
This eight-year-old is the best horse in the field by quite some way on the evidence of all known form and should prove hard to beat.
Appleby’s veteran has won the Breeders’ Cup Turf twice, most recently in 2024, and has amassed more than £12,000,000 in prize money.
Last landing a Group 1 in the US back in September, he made a winning start to the year when winning the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold at Meydan over the winter.
Fast ground suits the son of Dubawi well and it’ll take a career-best from any of his rivals to beat him.
Tip 2: 15:35 Newmarket – Rebel’s Romance @ 10/11
Buick’s pick can land big prize
This looks like a very competitive renewal of the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes and a very warm race for the grade.
William Buick had the choice of two in this Listed contest and he has, sensibly, abandoned Charlie Appleby’s Wild Desert to ride Morris Dancer for John & Thady Gosden instead.
Well beaten on debut at Newbury, the son of Palace Pier left that run well behind him when winning nicely at Haydock a couple of weeks later.
Clearly the step up in trip helped because he went on to finish second to a subsequent Group 1 winner in the Richmond Stakes.
Connections sent him back up in trip again for the Listed Stonehenge Stakes over a mile at Salisbury in August and he scooted clear in good style to score by four-lengths.
He’ll improve for his run at Royal Ascot and the return to a mile will surely be in his favour.
Tip 3: 16:45 Newmarket – Morris Dancer @ 11/8
