Antepost Angle: Free racing tips and weekend preview including July Cup at Newmarket

Recommended bets

1pt win Christopher Wood in 3.00 Newmarket (Friday) at 20/1

1pt win Lucander in 3.35 Newmarket (Friday) at 12/1

2pts win Threat in 3.35 Newmarket (Saturday) at 10/1

1pt e.w. Cardsharp in 4.10 Newmarket (Saturday) at 33/1

For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record

Another packed week in store and loads of races are priced up ahead of York on Thursday, plus the three-day July Festival at Newmarket, starting on the same afternoon.

Highest Ground is on course for the rescheduled Dante Stakes on the Knavesmire, where he could meet Thunderous who made a really encouraging return after injury setbacks when second to Volkan Star recently.

It’s one of several eyecatching match-ups but for now I’ll concentrate on Newmarket and the big betting heats across Friday and Saturday.

Kicking off with the bet365 Trophy – a classy handicap over a mile and three-quarters – where CHRISTOPHER WOOD (20/1 bet365) is fancied to give Paul Nicholls a first taste of success at Flat racing’s headquarters.

Put up to a NH mark of 145 after absolutely bolting up in a handicap hurdle at Musselburgh in February, he’s only run twice since – finishing well held in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham before returning to the level with a cosy win at Pontefract last month.

That came over a mile and a half but he needed every bit of the trip, on top of the stiff finish, and should be even more at home over this longer distance.

He wouldn’t want the ground to be too lively, and they’ve been watering the July Course ahead of a welcome return to the venue, but there are showers forecast before the weekend which should keep it suitable enough for the five-year-old.

The narrow margin of his win in West Yorkshire means he’s only been raised 3lb to 88 which might just see him squeeze in here under Megan Nicholls, and he’s definitely got scope to keep progressing at this discipline.

Friday's 10-furlong, three-year-old-only, bet365 Handicap has proved to be a bit of a playground for Mark Johnston, who has won five of the last seven runnings.

He’s got five entered at this point, three of which are jocked up, and the penalised Windsor winner Overwrite has to be of significant interest with Dettori next to his name.

The grey looks to be improving fast and may be able to overturn Royal Ascot form with Enemy from the Britannia with the step up in trip expected to suit, but without knowing exact running plans I’ll swerve him in favour of LUCANDER (12/1 Hills, bet365).

He’s one of two potential runners for Ralph Beckett but stablemate Mascat has the mile and a half option too, which looks more sensible for him, and Lucander makes plenty of appeal anyway.

He was pretty productive last year but never struck as the type to reach his peak as a juvenile which clearly bodes well and he picked up where he left off when beaten a neck into third at Haydock recently.

That race contained some well-regarded horses in Brunch, Canagat and Angel Power, while Jedd O’Keeffe’s new recruit Strait Of Hormuz looked anything but a lucky winner in a truly-run race.

Lucander was easy enough in the market at 10/1 so there’s a good chance he’ll improve for the run physically and if doing so he looks worth sticking with at the antepost price, in spite of a 5lb hike in the weights.

No prizes for originality in the Darley July Cup but THREAT appears open to enough potential to warrant a decent bet at 10/1 (General) dropping back to six furlongs in Saturday's big Group One.

He was a strong-staying sprinter at two, even winning the Champagne Stakes over seven at Doncaster in September, so few would argue he didn’t merit a shot at one of the early, top mile races for three-year-olds this time around.

He was reported to be a bit behind in terms of fitness so skipped the Guineas and reappeared in last month’s St James’s Palace where he looked every inch a sprinter, racing keenly and looking like he wanted to go much faster through the initial stages.

He was conceding match-practice to some of the best three-year-old colts around in Palace Pier, Pinatubo and Wichita so there was no disgrace in the performance as he was one of the last off the bridle, still in there pitching until the final furlong and a half.

Richard Hannon has always rated him highly and he appears obvious value against Commonwealth Cup winner and market leader Golden Horde.

Clive Cox’s horse beat Threat in the six furlong Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last summer but there was only a quarter of a length between the pair and the much stiffer finish at Newmarket could play more to Threat's strengths than the relative speed test on the Sussex Downs.

We’ve seen three-year-old winners for the past three seasons (four of the last five) and while there’s only four for the Classic generation this year, these two look serious players with Southern Hills – Aidan O’Brien’s sole entry – and the Karl Burke-trained, Champagne Stakes runner-up Lord Of The Lodge, both having too much to prove.

Recent winners of the Bunbury Cup winners have tended to have hairs on their chest and it could pay to look beyond the eyecatching, sexy profiles of Godhead, Motakhayyel, Mutamaasik and Nahaarr.

Roger Varian’s Spanish City, something of a veteran now at seven, ran another great race in the Wokingham and will land on one of these pots at some point, while Keyser Soze is plummeting in the weights and another likely to attract a bit of supporting if lining up.

But I can’t resist CARDSHARP back on what is arguably his favourite track.

Winner of the Group Two July Stakes here at two, he was beaten just a length when fourth in the Bunbury Cup from a taxing mark of 111 two summers ago.

He was presumably in line for another go before hurting himself when down the field in the Criterion Stakes on the other course last year, and he’s returned in reasonable heart this term.

He wasn’t up to the job in a Listed race at Windsor last time but ran a bit better than the bare result when drawn on the wrong side (100/1, stall one) in the Royal Hunt Cup.

He may well need a bit more help from the assessor before he’s winning but 105 isn’t beyond him having won twice off 107 last season – both at seven furlongs – and this meeting will most likely have been among his main targets when the year began. Johnston's experienced campaigner is over-priced at 33/1 (take the five places on offer with Betfair, Paddy Power).

Posted at 1700 BST on 06/07/20

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