Newmarket July Festival Tips: Allez Saphresa!

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Graham Cunningham /
07 July 2011 /
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Will it be blue skies over Newmarket?

“A straight mile on a track with a stiff finish looks picture perfect for Sahpresa.”

The weather finally picked up on Ladies’ Day at Newmarket on Thursday and so did the fortunes of Graham Cunningham thanks to Masked Marvel and Harbour Watch. The RUK analyst puts down his microphone to watch from afar on Friday and is hoping one of the first ladies of French racing can take centre stage in the featured Group 1 Falmouth Stakes.

Keep it simple was the motto on day one of the July Meeting at Newmarket and I see no reason to abandon the policy on day two.

Granted, there is almost certainly some value to be found by trawling through a clutch of valuable handicaps on the card.

But there is also some mileage in backing a French raider who already has two Newmarket Group 1 prizes on her dance card in the Falmouth Stakes at 15:00.

Sahpresa is the filly in question. Rod Collet’s stable star faces some stern opposition here, headed by the South African globetrotter River Jetez and fellow French challenger Lily Of The Valley, but a mile looks the bare minimum for this pair.

By contrast, a straight mile on a track with a stiff finish looks picture perfect for Sahpresa.

She proved as much with impressive successes in the Sun Chariot Stakes in 2009 and 2010 and a winning reappearance in a Longchamp Group 3 last month suggests she remains a potent force at the age of six.

If you haven’t seen that success on video then suffice it so say that Sahpresa shrigged off a hefty penalty in style by sprinting past the smart Moonlight Cloud to score with plenty in hand.

Moonlight Cloud has franked the form with a Group 3 success since, so the form looks solid, and Sahpresa looks very fair value at around [4.0] to do exactly what her mighty fellow countrywoman Goldikova did in this very race two years ago.

I’ll keep it brief regarding the rest of the HQ card as the handicaps at 13:20 and 13:50 look a little rich for my blood.

However, the Cherry Hinton Stakes at 14:25 and the maiden at 16:10 both warrant a second look from a punting viewpoint.

A narrow defeat in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot will ensure Shumoos corners plenty of support in the Cherry Hinton, while the unbeaten Miss Work Of Art and the runaway Pontefract maiden winner My Propeller add further weight to what looks a strong renewal.

However, Inetrobil could represent the win and place value here. Kevin Ryan’s filly travelled like a dream for a long way when second in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.

That form is as good as anything on offer here and, although this it too tough a race to go overboard, it’s hard to resist a small interest if Inetrobil continues to trade at [8.0] and bigger.

Last but not least for Friday, a word for Thimaar in the maiden at 16:10.

John Gosden’s strapping colt will be a fairly short price, but he has shaped like an assured future winner in both his starts thus far and if he runs up to the level he showed in two highly encouraging placed eforts at Newbury the rest could be playing for places here.

Friday Recommendations
Back Interobil win and place at [8.0] or bigger in the 16:25 Newmarket
Back Sahpresa at [3.8] or bigger in the 15:00 at Newmarket
Back Thimaar at [2.3] or bigger in the 16:10

Timeform Daily: Falmouth Stakes, Friday, Newmarket 15:00

Timeform run the rule over this Group 1 for fillies and mares……

Falmouth Stakes Betting: French raiders plot big race glory

French racing expert Isabel Mathew of Turfcom rates the prospects of Saphresa and Lily of the Valley in Friday’s feature race at HQ…

Fancy a few Royal Ascot pointers…?

…then get down to the Holiday Inn, Kensington, on Monday evening…