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ITV Racing Tips on July 11th - Best bets on day one of the July Festival

Jon Vine

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Last updated: Wed 10 Jul 2024 11:57

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Jon Vine 10 Jul 2024

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Tips for the ITV races on Thursday 11th July
The July Festival begins at Newmarket on Thursday
Ain't Nobody, Sergeant Wilko and Lead Artist feature in our selections

Expired

Space Legend (centre) stays on for second behind Calandagan (right) in the King Edward VII Stakes. (Getty)

July Festival Day 1 Tips

1:50pm Newmarket - Bahrain Trophy Stakes Tips
2:25pm Newmarket - July Stakes Tips
3:00pm Newmarket - bet365 Handicap Tips
3:35pm Newmarket - Princess Of Wales's Stakes Tips
4:45pm Newmarket - Sir Henry Cecil Stakes Tips

Newmarket's popular July Festival kicks off on Wednesday afternoon. ITV Racing will be showing three pattern races and a red-hot three-year-old handicap live from flat racing HQ, with a Listed race featuring later on the day one card.

Here are my best betting tips for Thursday's ITV races, plus a bonus tip for the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes.

ITV Racing Tips - Thursday 11th July

1:50pm Newmarket - Bahrain Trophy Stakes Tips

Kinesiology's withdrawal means that just four runners will contest the opening race of the July Festival. Soft ground will certainly suit Ancient Wisdom, who won the Futurity Trophy on heavy last autumn, but I'd still rather take the favourite on with the progressive SPACE LEGEND (9/4).

William Haggas' colt kicked off this season with a hugely impressive maiden triumph on soft ground at Leicester. Space Legend has since suffered a narrow defeat in the Cocked Hat Stakes, before following the superb Calandagan home in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Space Legend still looked very green during both of those defeats, so I'm happy to mark up his performances. This extended trip should be no problem for James Doyle's mount and returning to softer conditions should suit too.

2:25pm Newmarket - July Stakes Tips

An interesting renewal of the July Stakes, despite just six featuring in the field. Whistlejacket - the beaten odds-on favourite in the Norfolk Stakes - is the only runner in the field with proven form on genuinely soft ground, so it's no surprise to see Aidan O'Brien's juvenile topping the market.

I've come down on the side of AIN'T NOBODY (4/1), who beat my two selections when scoring in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. Kevin Ryan's star went into that Listed sprint on the back of an impressive maiden win at Carlisle and built on that performance with a one-length triumph over Gabaldon and Aviation Time.

Sands Of Mali won the Champions Sprint on soft ground and Ain't Nobody's Dam was a six-furlong specialist too, finishing a close second in the 2020 Silver Wokingham. I'm expecting Tom Eaves' mount to relish this step up in trip.

3:00pm Newmarket - bet365 Handicap Tips

A low weight and a high draw have often been the recipe for success in this three-year-old sprint handicap. I like the chances of SERGEANT WILKO (12/1), who'll carry just 8-10 and has been drawn nicely in stall nine.

A winner on soft ground as a juvenile, Kevin Ryan's sprinter kicked off his three-year-old campaign with a four-length demolition on the all-weather at Newcastle. Sergeant Wilko was last seen winning a competitive little race at Leicester in May, where Oisin Murphy's mount again seemed to relish a cut in the ground. Off just a three-pound higher mark, I'm hoping to see Sergeant Wilko challenge.

3:35pm Newmarket - Princess Of Wales's Stakes Tips

Read our full guide to the 2024 Princess Of Wales's Stakes to find out who we've backed in Thursday's feature.

Visit our Princess Of Wales's Stakes Live Stream page if you plan on watching any of Thursday's races via a mobile or tablet.

Bonus Tip

4:45pm Newmarket - Sir Henry Cecil Stakes Tips

Given how well he asserted in the closing stages of his maiden win at York, LEAD ARTIST (2/1) looks well up to Listed class.

John and Thady Gosden's colt ran well when second on debut in the Wood Ditton, before trouncing a classy field - which included Wood Ditton winner, First Conquest - on his most recent outing. Kieran Shoemark's mount always travelled well and powered five lengths clear of his rivals during the final two furlongs at York.

The form of that race hasn't worked out that well, but I thought it was a really smart performance from Lead Artist. Dubawi's progeny go on any sort of ground and his dam, Obligate ran up to a high level in France as a three-year-old, claiming both of her victories on juicy turf. He's most certainly the one to beat.

Verdict

ITV Racing Tips at Newmarket

July Festival Day 1 Top Tips:

Lead Artist

4:45pm Newmarket

@2/1 - 10 Units

Bet £10 Get £40

in free bets

18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply.

Bet at BOYLE Sports

Space Legend

1:50pm Newmarket

@9/4 - 10 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad

Bet at bet365

Aint Nobody

2:25pm Newmarket

@4/1 - 10 Units

Bet £10 Get £10

with promo code NEWBONUS

Join betgoodwin with promo code NEWBONUS and get access to their Bet £10 Get £10 as a free ACCA welcome offer. 18+ only. T&Cs apply.

Bet at Betgoodwin

Sergeant Wilko E/W

3:00pm Newmarket

@12/1 - 5 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad

Bet at bet365