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Horse Racing Tips - Saturday 15th July

 The July Cup Weekend - Race Overview & Tips

Shaquille ahead of Little Big Bear at Royal Ascot


The July Cup: Shaquille🏀 vs Little Big Bear 🐻 II

Saturday's main race on the card at Newmarket is the 4:35pm Group 1 July Cup over 6f. It sees the rematch between last year's Ballydoyle Champion 2YO vs  live wire Shaquille, his victor at Royal Ascot. 

The 9 runners come to post & unsurprisingly it is the Commonwealth Cup Winner topping the market, The Julie Camacho trained Shaquille.   
Despite rearing up in the stalls at Ascot, Shaquille still managed to secure a victory. He has outstanding claims with a 3lb weight for age advantage over most of the field.  However, I think no Oisin Murphy on board is a negative & having reared up in the stalls at Ascot if he breaks well this time, he could be too headstrong and throw his race away by being too keen.

Little Big Bear, runner-up at Ascot also benefits from the 3-year-old allowance. However, slightly off-putting was uncertainty regarding his participation due to a bruised foot. He does line up now so the yard must be happy with him. With the 105-rated Swingalong in 3rd at Ascot, I'm not too sure he ran his true race. Now that he was declared Ryan Moore takes the ride instead of Shaquille, expectations are high for last year's champion 2-year-old.

Azure Blue has shown progress, notably defeating Highfield Princess, but she had race fitness on her side. I just think this could be a step too far for Azure Blue to handle.

Kinross has demonstrated good form in the past & the potential rain would help him, however, most of his best races seem to have been over 7f with Frankie Dettori on board, who is currently serving a ban.

Khaadeem surprised everyone with his 80/1 victory at Ascot, but duplicating that performance might be challenging, especially without Jamie Spencer in the saddle, who is an expert at delivering horses late. 

While showcasing the best form in sprints in Ireland, Art Power may not be at the required level for this race. Although he should ensure a good pace and a truly run race. 

Conclusion:

Similarly to last week, I have this race between the two horses at the head of the market, I think they are of a similar sort of ability, but I think Little Big Bear, with Moore on board, will hopefully bounce back from his defeat at Ascot and prove why he was crowned Europe's Champion 2-year-old last year. 

LITTLE BIG BEAR to win at 4/1.


The NAP, NB & Longshot

NAP (Best Bet) 🏅

Newmarket 3.25pm: Superlative Stakes (Group 2) 

The NAP comes in the Superlative Stakes over 7f and is the Ballydoyle-trained CITY OF TROY. With a cozy 2 1/2 length debut victory at the Curragh, he left Ryan Moore questioning if the horse was planning to pull up after showing smart speed in the finish. Bred nicely for middle distances, he is already making waves in the markets for next year's 2000 Guineas & Derby. 

If he stays at odds against, he looks like a solid bet to take another step forward in this race and justify exactly why he is toward the top of those markets for next year. 

CITY OF TROY to win at 13/8.

NB (Next Best) 🤞

Chester 4.27pm: Listed Race 

The Next Best this week is at Chester, it's BRAD THE BRIEF who currently leads the betting. After a 259-day break, he returned to the track at Newcastle early this month, finishing fourth behind Tiber Flow, who went on to run a fine race 3rd at Sandown in the Coral Charge. The runner-up, Spycatcher in that race has also gone on to pick up a Group 3 win in France. 

After blowing off the cobwebs & with the form of that race shaping up nicely, if he can come close to replicating his last season's form, this ground versatile horse should have a strong chance of securing victory in this race.

BRAD THE BRIEF win at 7/2. 

Longshot 🏌 

Newmarket 4.00pm: Bunbury Cup (Handicap) 

The longshot of the weekend is STREETS OF GOLD. Now, it's been a while since a 3-year-old has won this race, but I'm hoping for a change in fortune on Saturday.

Despite being officially rated 109, he will be running off a mark of 105, putting him 4Ibs well in. Additionally, 3-year-olds receive an 8Ibs weight for age allowance, which means he'll be effectively running off a mark of 97 in this race. 

With a smart third-place finish at Royal Ascot in the Jersey Stakes, STREETS OF GOLD has shown promise. If he can build on that performance, running off a winnable mark, he could provide a surprise outcome at an each-way price. 

STREETS OF GOLD each way at 9/1. (5 places)

The Bets 📑

Newmarket 4.35pm: LITTLE BIG BEAR to win 4/1. (Main Event Preview)

Newmarket 3.25pm: CITY OF TROY to win 13/8. (NAP)

Chester 4.27pm: BRAD THE BRIEF win at 7/2. (NB) 

Newmarket 4.00pm: STREETS OF GOLD each way at 9/1 (Longshot) (5 places).

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