Newmarket July Meeting

Hoping we can all be sitting pretty with Polly in the July Cup

NAP – Walkinthesand 1:50 Newmarket Friday 10/1

My Nap of Newmarkets July Meeting is the Richard Hannon trained colt Walkinthesand. He’s a horse that has been well regarded by the Hannon team and has been highly tried in a few starts this year and has just come up a shade below that level. It is his first run in a tightly knit handicap and although he will be running off top weight with a mark of 105 it is justifiably so as he brings solid pattern form to the table in a field full of top handicappers. My feeling is he could be a cut above these rivals if bring his pattern form to the table and its likely he could be ahead of this mark. Connections have managed to book the services of Ryan Moore on this occasion and the Hannon/Moore combination has often proved to be fruitful at these big meetings.

He is a very solid each way selection at an opening show of 10/1 with conditions to suit and improvement still to come.

NB (Next Best) – Pretty Pollyanna 4:40 Newmarket Saturday 16/1

My next best of the Newmarket July Meeting is Michael Bells filly Pretty Pollyanna. The champion two year old filly of last year has put up some promising performances this season at the top level over a mile, a trip that ultimately stretches her. She drops back to 6f on Saturday, a distance she excelled at as a two year old when winning the Duchess of Cambridge stakes at this meeting last season and a powerful display in the Prix Morny. This years July Cup does not look to be vintage renewal at this moment in time and if Pretty Pollyanna could return to anything like her juvenile form, she has every chance of being bang there in the finish. The galloping straight track at Newmarket’s July Course has already to proven to suit her well and the forecast quick ground can only enhance her chances.

Oisin Murphy does the steering today and at an opening show of 16/1, there is far worse bets at the prices than this proven group 1 filly.