Newmarket Wednesday

Two winners from Paul here, with both Nahoodh @ 10/1 and Habshan @8/1  obliging – a strong start to the Festival at Newmarket.

Newmarket July Festival, Day 1, Wednesday

It’s not the most prestigious of opening days for the Newmarket July meeting so on the whole I shall be keeping my money in my pocket for later on in the week, but there are a couple of strong fancies including in the three-year-old six furlong affair at 2.00.

To me FERVANT PRINCE has always looked a sprinter pure and simple, but he has been relentlessly campaigned over seven furlongs and a mile culminating in a poor effort in the Brittania Handicap at Royal Ascot.

This step back to 6f run at a good clip should suit him down to the ground and I fully expect him to be in the first four.

Of course in such a big field teher are any amount of dangers including the hat-trick seeking Temple of Thebes and light weight Cape Vale.

Later on, the feature event of Day One, the Falmouth Stakes at 3.10 could be a cracking affair but the ground may dictate that we lose Darjina.

That would put Finsceal Beo at the top of my ratings based on her Queen Anne run.

However, she looked lean and trained to the minute there and even though this is an easier contest I fancy NAHOODH could bounce back to form over a course which should suit.

All of her best form has been on a straight track and this perfect ground should suit admirably. Should she duplicate her unlucky run in the 1,000 Guineas I suspect she will go very close to landing this major prize.

The closing mile handicap at 4.55 looks wide open, but granted more of the forecast rain and the ground riding on the dead side I have a strong feeling that HEROES could cause quite an upset.

He has yet to reproduce his smart form as a youngster, but this is a drop in grade after running in two of the most competitive handicaps of the year and he could well bely his each-way price.

The other each-way alternative, you could back both at the prices, has to be HABSHAN. He would be worthy of a lumpy wager should the rains change the going to genuinely soft.