Newmarket July Festival Day 1: Best bet, each-way selection and treble
Recommended bets include:
There are several top-class summer festivals taking place across the coming months and Newmarket’s July Festival is next on the agenda.
The three-day fixture kicks off on Thursday and we have an excellent seven-race card to look forward to.
Our race of the day is the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and there is a small but select field of five confirmed for that event.
It could be a good day for Newmarket specialist Charlie Appleby and he trains the most likely winner in the Princess Of Wales’s and the July Stakes earlier on the card.
We have got you covered, so here is everything you need to know about Newmarket’s Thursday card, as well as some strong fancies, three of which can be combined to form a treble.
Day 1 - Key info
First race: 13:50 Bahrain Trophy Stakes
Feature race: 15:35 Princess Of Wales's Stakes
There’s Group 1 action on offer on Friday and Saturday but Thursday’s card is no footnote, with a nice mix of Group and Listed races.
Charlie Appleby runs a two-time Breeders’ Cup winner, Rebel’s Romance, in the big race of the day, the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (15:35), and he was last winning in Dubai over the winter.
The Group 3 Bahrain Trophy Stakes (13:50) gets us underway and Gold Cup winner Scandinavia landed it last year. Will a smart staying prospect emerge this time?
oD not Miss the July Stakes (14:25), as the Coventry Stakes runner-up is amongst the field, whilst we also have a couple of handicaps, including the Betway Handicap (15:00), the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes (16:45) and an intriguing fillies’ maiden (16:10).
Best bet of the day
Rebel’s Romance to win the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (15:35) @ 11/10
Charlie Appleby will be a little disappointed with how his season has gone so far and no Royal Ascot winners will be a blow to Godolphin. It is always the summer months when the Newmarket trainer fully hits his stride though and he tends to do well at this venue.
Rebel’s Romance brings some elite Group/Grade 1 form to the table, most notably two Breeders’ Cup Turf successes and a Dubai Sheema Classic. This globetrotting star makes his first start on home soil in 2026 in this race and victory could well be on the cards.
There was plenty to like about his smooth success at Meydan on seasonal debut back in February and he has had a break since.
This son of Dubawi is the only horse in the race to have won a Group 1 before and he should be too good for them with that in mind.
Best each-way bet of the day
River Spey in the Betway Handicap (15:00) @ SP
You can get four places instead of the usual three with LiveScore Bet for this competitive-looking 6f handicap and look no further than Ed Walker’s lightly raced gelding, River Spey, who has won two of his last three starts and there could be more to come.
Walker’s three-year-old was an impressive winner of a Chelmsford maiden over this trip back in October, where he kicked clear to score by just shy of three lengths. The form is a bit of a mixed bag but the third has provided a boost by winning a couple of times since.
A narrow fourth in a competitive nursery at York last summer, he landed a competitive race at Windsor in handicap company last month and has been raised just 3lb as a result.
We have not seen the best of him yet and another big run is expected here.
Day 1 acca
Accumulators are always popular so here are three horses with massive chances on Thursday and they combine to form a 46/1 treble.
Bet 1: Back Point Of Law to win the Bahrain Trophy Stakes (13:50) @ 9/4
Point Of Law only made his debut in April and he produced a smart effort to finish second at the hands of Del Maro before improving to win well at Newbury. A little unlucky at Royal Ascot, he would have learnt plenty from the experience and should progress.
Bet 2: Back Rebel’s Romance to win the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (15:35) @ 11/10
It is hard to oppose the brilliant Rebel’s Romance, even though he is getting on a bit in age, as his most recent success suggests that he retains enough ability to win this.
Bet 3: Back Madam Secretary to win the EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes (16:10) @ 13/2
It is always worth taking note when Aidan O’Brien sends a runner over for a maiden and Madam Secretary is his only representative at Newmarket on Thursday. She looked very green when third on debut and is likely to take a big step forward on this occasion.
