Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on Day 2 of Newmarket’s July Festival.
Three points of interest
Fortuna doesn’t favour Marquand
Though Marty McFly and Doc Brown suggested otherwise, you can’t be in two places at the same time, and so it is that leading rider Tom Marquand has to forgo the ride on Porta Fortuna in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in order to ride Unequal Love in the Summer Stakes at York for his boss William Haggas.
Despite the good relationship built up between Marquand and Porta Fortuna in their two Group 1 starts together this season, which have yielded a runner-up finish in the 1000 Guineas and a gritty win in the Coronation Stakes, fans of the Falmouth favourite are unlikely to be too concerned given the deputy; Ryan Moore.
Though likely to have done his homework, Moore will be in the rare position of not having previously ridden any of the horses in a Group 1, bar an eighth (of nine) finish on Sirona in a York handicap last August.
Contrastingly, Oisin Murphy will have a very good idea of what he has to beat and how he has to do it. He rode Porta Fortuna three times last term, including a win in the Cheveley Park, as well as Sirona last time out at Haydock.
Murphy gave the enigmatic Running Lion a peach from the front when winning the Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot – can he repeat the feat here and see off not just Porta Fortuna, but the Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up A Lilac Rolla as well?
The need for speed
Focusing back on the Summer Stakes on the Knavesmire for a moment, and it looks a good opportunity for the impressive Wokingham winner Unequal Love to prove that she is more than a handicapper (though what a handicapper she looked that day at the Royal meeting!)
She has an official rating of 107, is 7lb clear of her rivals on Timeform weight-adjusted-ratings, and connections will be hoping that the large field provides the strong pace which suits her best.
But – and there is always a but – it’s not guaranteed.
Adaay In Devon is the only filly in the 12-strong field who recorded a Timeform In-Play Symbol of 1 (when winning at Sandown last month) and though Pandora’s Gift sometimes front-runs, she didn’t when well-held in the Commonwealth Cup.
Like Unequal Love, her stablemate Pink Crystal – who races in the same silks as last year’s winner Swingalong – is usually held up, as is Funny Story who often doesn’t help herself with slow starts.
The recent Ripon winner Marine Wave should be ridden more prominently and is respected after getting her head in-front last time (despite it only being off a mark of 90 in a handicap), but I’m more interested in her stablemate Pretty Crystal. She didn’t stay in the 1000 Guineas when last seen but had looked to have done well from two to three when landing the Nell Gwyn from the front; she could prove hard to peg back.
Tight at the top
At the time of writing, just one winner separates Rossa Ryan and Oisin Murphy at the top of the jockeys’ standings, with the pair more than 30 clear of the next best. Both Murphy and Ryan have a strong book of rides on Friday, with Murphy looking to hold the upper hand in terms of leading contenders spearheaded by Running Lion in the Falmouth.
However, Metabolt provides Ryan with his strongest chance in the 7f handicap at 4.45. The pair have teamed up for success twice already this season, improving upon a messy reappearance at Chester with victories at Leicester and Windsor.
Clearly this is a step up in grade but the progressive five-year-old has been winning by slim margins and as a result the handicapper has only allotted a 4lb rise for his latest success meaning that he can still run in a 0-90. For the time being at least…
Timeform Tip of the Day
Bague d’Or – 15:00 Newmarket
Flag: Hot Trainer
Having proved as good as ever when successful over this trip on the Rowley Mile course in May, Bague d’Or seemed to find the drop back in trip against him when finishing midfield in a big-field Royal Ascot handicap three weeks ago. Boasting an excellent record here, with two wins from two starts, he is worth siding with to come out on top back at 1¾m.
Bague d’Or’s trainer James Ferguson has his horses in good form (64.8% Run-to-form) despite the fact they haven’t been winning and with the horse having run well on a variety of underfoot conditions, he shouldn’t be fazed by whatever the great British summer throws at us.
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