Newcomers to watch at Newmarket's July Festival

Thursday’s six-furlong maiden for two-year-old fillies is a valuable race of its type and Richard Hannon’s entry Gaiden, a daughter of Mehmas who ran in the Queen Mary last time, sets a good standard among those who have raced as she was beaten a length into third in the listed Marygate Fillies’ Stakes at York on her second start.

However, there are also some well-bred unraced fillies among the entries, no fewer than four of those by leading first-season sire Blue Point. Felicity takes the eye for William Haggas as she was a 350,000 guineas purchase at the Craven Breeze Up Sale on behalf of Qatari owners Wathnan Racing who had high-profile successes with Courage Mon Ami and Gregory recently at Royal Ascot.

Felicity’s dam Immediate did most of her racing in France where she was a useful sprinter, earning a Timeform rating of 108 from finishing fourth in a blanket finish in a listed race. Immediate comes from one of the speedier Juddmonte families as her own dam was a half-sister to the King’s Stand Stakes winner Prohibit who was by Oasis Dream, the same sire as Felicity’s dam.

Blue Point’s other daughters here are the Shadwell filly Raqiya (Owen Burrows), a half-sister to the useful two-year-old six-furlong winner Ribhi, Miss Information (Andrew Balding), whose dam Newsletter was beaten less than a length into third in the Queen Mary, and Sheikh Ahmed’s Rawaasi (Simon & Ed Crisford) who has much more stamina on her dam’s side as she’s the first foal of Mannaal, a useful winner at up to nearly a mile and a half.

Ornellaia holds a Moyglare Stud Stakes entry and represents the combination of Dominic Ffrench Davis and Amo Racing which have sent out some good two-year-olds already this season. At 260,000 guineas, Ornellaia cost plenty as a yearling and is by Night of Thunder out of Namhroodah (Timeform rating 106) who, despite being by Sea The Stars and being placed at up to a mile and a half, showed her best form when brought back to seven furlongs and a mile.

The other newcomer to mention is Dubai Treasure who shares her sire Exceed And Excel with her stable’s 1000 Guineas winner Mawj. The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Dubai Treasure is the first foal out of Juneau, a mile and a quarter winner out of a full sister to top-class colt Raven’s Pass.

Friday’s Weatherbys-sponsored maiden over seven furlongs has a record of throwing up colts who go on to better things. That’s been the case for the last three winners Epictetus, Noble Truth and Youth Spirit, while Naval Crown and Yibir who were beaten in the 2020 renewal both went on to win at the highest level.

The latter pair’s trainer Charlie Appleby has a good record in this contest and he could be represented here by newcomer Emperor’s Star, a €300,000 French-bred yearling by Sea The Stars. He’s bred on very similar lines to the top-class Cloth of Stars (by the same sire) as his dam is a half-sister to that colt who was runner-up in Enable’s 2017 Arc.

Aidan O’Brien adds interest with a couple of unraced entries Navy Seal and Capulet who both hold Group 1 engagements in the National Stakes. Dubawi colt Navy Seal is a full brother to Ballydoyle’s smart three-year-old filly Never Ending Story who was a Group 3 winner at two and runner-up in last month’s Prix de Diane, while their smart dam Athena (Timeform rating 113) won the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks over a mile and a quarter. Capulet is by US triple crown winner Justify who had a very promising debut winner for the same stable at the Curragh last week with City of Troy. Capulet is also out of a smart mare, Wedding Vow (also rated 113), who was runner-up in the Nassau Stakes and a sister to her stable’s 2020 Derby winner Serpentine.

Dubawi has a near 38% strike-rate with his two-year-old runners on Newmarket’s July course in recent seasons and besides Navy Seal his other potential newcomer here is Arabic Legend for Andrew Balding in the Sheikh Obaid colours. His dam Sheikha Reika was a smart filly (rated 116) over a mile and a quarter for Roger Varian, gaining a Grade 1 win in the E. P. Taylor Stakes in Canada. She’s already produced a winner by Dubawi, Youngest, successful over seven furlongs on her debut at two at Leicester last year.

Finally, William Knight’s entry Khisah Bu Thaila is unusual for having the ‘QA’ suffix denoting he’s bred in Qatar but the son of Cracksman has a very familiar name in his pedigree. The clue is that his dam Saraha won for William Haggas in Hamdan Al Maktoum’s colours, landing a mile and a half handicap at Lingfield. She’s out of a half-sister to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Lahudood, better known now as the grandam of Baaeed.

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