Horses to follow: Trackside Live team with horses for My Stable tracker

Constitution River (Aidan O’Brien)

July 11 - Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes (Colts & Geldings)

Racegoers were treated to a thrilling finish of the Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes at Newmarket, a race won twelve months ago by Field Of Gold, and no matter how many times you watch it, it remains a surprise that Distant Storm got up on the line to beat Constitution River. The pair were contrasting physicals in the paddock: Distant Storm was a classic breeze-up purchase, the ready-made two-year-old in contrast to the deep-girthed Constitution River, who looked like he would only improve for age. With no further entries, it’s difficult to judge where the son of Wootton Bassett will turn up next, with a step up to longer distances later in the season well-within his remit. Bred in France, Constitution River looks a possible candidate for either the Criterium International or the Critérium de Saint-Cloud in October – races that have been successfully plundered by O’Brien over the years.

Zavateri (Eve Johnson Houghton)

July 10 – Group 2 July Stakes

There’s a fair chance that the form of Zavateri’s Group 2 July Stakes win could be subject to scrutiny over the next few weeks, with leading contenders setting impossible fractions in the early stages of the race and seemingly handing the race to the outsider of the six-runner field. It’s probably an unfair analysis based on paddock, as the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained colt earnt the comment on the live feed – ‘really catches the eye as a physical, small but deep-chested and fit. Very keen which means he has got quite warm, one for the notebook’. His level of inexperience in the preliminaries may have placed him down the pecking order on this occasion, but Zavateri has the type of physical appearance that could be make him a live contender in the top juvenile sprints races this season.

Enamorous (Hugo Palmer)

July 10 - British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes

The July Festival is the perfect place to spot promising two-year-olds and Enamorous easily fit the bill in the six-furlong maiden fillies contest on Thursday. She will have found her way into plenty of people’s notebooks but it’s difficult to not include her here – the easy moving filly was a real eye-catcher in the paddock, despite not having ‘ideal conformation’ with a long back and flat rump. She produced an equally eye-catching performance in the race, practically falling out of the stalls and always needing to make up ground before finding a late challenge to finish third. By Mehmas, there’s a bizarre mix of speed and stamina on the dam’s side, making it difficult to understand where Enamorous will be seen to best effect. Either way, she’s a filly with a future and one to take out of the July Festival.

Erzindjan (Terry Kent)

July 12 - John Smith’s Cup Handicap

Terry Kent’s runners, despite the fact he’s running at a rather incredible 34% strike rate this calendar year, continue to go under the radar somewhat and that was the case with Erzindjan, who went off the 80-1 rank outsider for the John Smith’s Handicap Cup on his first start for over a year, and also his first start for Terry, having left Paddy Twomey after just the one start.

The pre-race comment we gave him was interesting; “walking round like a lamb, he will come on for this…likeable sort (and should be followed) for the rest of the year”.

I really wasn’t expecting him to finish fourth, which on its own would have been worthy enough, but to do so in such a competitive handicap is some effort. Then you realise the first, second and third, all well fancied and at the front end of the market, were all prominent throughout and Erjindjan has done best of those held up, and you can mark it up a bit more. It doesn’t matter how you slice and dice this, this was a superb effort, and there’s surely a good handicap in him this year, given he looks nicely handicapped at present.

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