Newmarket Friday Preview - 12/07/19

The Bet365 handicap gets things underway on day two of the July meeting and it is the two top-weights Dark Vision (14/1) and Walkinthesand (12/1) that catch our eye.

Firstly, Dark Vision has been crying out for this step up in trip this season and he should build on his terrific 2-y-o promise with his stamina drawn out. Mark Johnston has won the race five of the last six seasons and James Doyle is in the saddle.

Secondly, right at the top of the weights is Walkinthesand for Richard Hannon and Ryan Moore. This aptly named son of footstepsinthesand has finished second on both visits to Newmarket and both of those races were stronger than this.

Royal Ascot winners Raffle Prize and Daahyeh are likely to be popular with the punters but at the prices the Godolphin duo Divine Spirit and Final Song look the pair to follow.

Charlie Appleby’s Divine Spirit will be better for the return to a sounder surface and looks overpriced at 10/1, though Final Song had her well back in the Queen Mary and is our selection to serve it up to the favourite.

Her multiple Group1 entries suggest she is held in high regard and Ryan Moore is in the saddle.

Frankel holds a strong hand as a sire in this year’s bet365 trophy with both Collide and Outbox being the pick of the bunch.

Outbox, who is unbeaten on UK shores will be all the better for his seasonal reappearance and we believe he is a lot better than a 102 rated handicapper. He holds some fancy entries and is still lightly raced.

Collide, who finished strongly for 5th in a muddling renewal of the Duke Of Edinburgh, will relish this increase to 1m6f and has the services of Oisin Murphy.

This isn’t a vintage renewal of the Falmouth and we feel as though Aidan O’Brien’s I Can Fly will be good enough to come out victorious, despite drawing blank whenever stepped up to Group1 level.

She had to come from off the pace when second to Beshaayir on her penultimate start so you would fancy her chances of reversing that form, and her latest third at Ascot can be marked up; having travelled well before being caught out by the burden of top weight.

No Bet Advised

Paul Cole’s Medieval has a good record around here and he has now slipped to a career low mark of 79. His latest effort wasn’t discouraging (veered to the left at a crucial stage) and he should be in the mix re-united with PJ McDonald.

No Bet Advised