Racing
Newbury Place 6 Preview | 18th July
13.55 BetVictor Steventon Stakes
PERSICA has only found one too good in two of his last three starts and the class act should take some beating. However, OCEANS FOUR outran his odds when fourth in the Hampton Court last time out and has a chance, along with SILAWI. He wasn’t at his best in Saudi when last seen but his previous second in a Group 1 behind Opera Ballo would undoubtedly give him outstanding claims. He is fresh and can have a big say in the matter.
Tips: PERSICA, OCEANS FOUR & SILAWI
14.25 Pertemps Network Handicap
RIDE THE THUNDER wasn’t disgraced when sixth in the Northumberland Plate last time out and has been eased a pound. The four-year-old is totally unexposed over two miles and is likely to prefer being back on the grass, with his form on it reading 22214422. Roger Varian’s charge is strongly fancied to make a huge impact this time. The hat-trick seeking BAILEYS KHELSTAR is the other one to note.
Tips: RIDE THE THUNDER & BAILEYS KHELSTAR
15.02 Hallgarten And Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes
In the Hackwood, James Owens’ SOLDIERS TREE is a big fancy. He has made a solid start to his career, with a win and four placed efforts from five starts. He finished a close-up third behind a subsequent Group 1 winner at Salisbury on his penultimate start and caught the eye with a third-place finish in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. He’s well worth a crack at this level and can make his mark.
Tips: SOLDIERS TREE
15.37 Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes
In the big sprint event, I will take a swing at ETIENNE. I thought he shaped very well when just touched off on debut at Newmarket and is open to a lot more improvement. It seems as though Richard Spencer has targeted him at this prize, so with the right sort of profile, and being thrown straight into the deep end, a big performance could well be on the cards.
Tips: ETIENNE
16.12 Darley EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes
MANAAR is related to several top-class horses and made a winning debut when seeing off MISS SCOTT here last month. The latter is 7lb better off with the winner, so there shouldn’t be a lot between them. It’s hard to pick out which one will win so we might as well cover with both!
Tips: MANAAR & MISS SCOTT
16.47 Back The Super Boost At BetVictor EBF Novice Stakes
SATELLITE OF LOVE stuck to the task well when making a winning first appearance at Windsor and he is open to a lot more improvement, so he’s fancied to go well. Newcomer FIRST MATE could surprise a few at bigger odds and is played as cover.
Tips: SATELLITE OF LOVE & FIRST MATE




