Pursue the ‘Spanish’ look on Ladies’ Day – Thursday’s Newmarket tips

The Spanish are in the ascendancy at present, but at Newmarket today it can pay to side not with Xavi and Iniesta, but with Stoute and Moore, as they team up with Spanish Moon in the feature Princess of Wales’s sportingbet.com Stakes, live on C4 at 3.10pm.

The undoubted class horse of the race Spanish Moon hasn’t been seen in this country since winning a listed race on the All Weather at Kempton in November 2008 – soon afterwards the killjoy powers that be slapped him with a parking ticket for being a shade tricky about loading in the stalls, and his connections cleverly chose to look further afield and have been mining far better prize money all over the place ever since.

His British exile has yielded all sorts of lucrative efforts elsewhere: second in the Dubai Sheema Classic, a win in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, a win in Longchamp’s Prix Foy, fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, second in the Hong Kong Vase and another third in the Sheema Classic last time out.

This is a horse who’s achieved lifetime earnings in excess of £1.75m – not bad for a creature who sometimes has second thoughts about being bundled into the stalls!

Joking apart the six year old goes well fresh, has had a nice break since his latest spell in Dubai, is absolutely versatile as regards ground, and hails from a stable which has won this race three times in five seasons.

He passed a stalls test at Lingfield last week, so as long as he’s on best behaviour this afternoon he can do the business for us here.

Godolphin’s Holberg is the most likely challenger according to the bookmakers’ lists, but he may not be able to live with the proven class of Spanish Moon, despite hacking up in a listed race at Goodwood on his return from injury.

Of the remainder Man Of Iron is interesting – the winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Marathon when trained by Aidan O’Brien, he’s now with Luca Cumani and could well make the places, although he does have to improve on his one effort this season, when third in the listed Fred Archer Stakes over course and distance less than three weeks ago.

However the 15/8 with Coral and William Hill about Spanish Moon picking up where he left off on British soil looks about right to me.

In the opening race on Ladies’ Day, the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy, it can pay to ignore the official figures and back one of the lower rated horse in the race, one making rapid progress who can make the step up in class: step forward emphatic Edinburgh Cup winner Harris Tweed for William Haggas and Liam Jones.

This will be far harder for him racing off level weights against superior animals, with Corsica benefitting from a vast pull at the weights having given up 18lb for a five length beating last time, but that doesn’t take into account the progress being made by Harris Tweed – he’s improved measurably since Musselburgh say connections, and is well worth a shot at a better race.

You can back him early doors at 3/1 with Sportingbet who are best price.

While I strongly fancy the aforementioned tips my thoughts on the TNT July Stakes at 2.00pm are purely speculative, with a very small win bet unable to do any damage:

Only five go to post in a muddling contest, with Royal Ascot winner Approve penalised for his success there, Godolphin’s Neebras obviously dangerous after going down in a scrap with Coventry winner Strong Suit at Newbury, but then returning to rout the opposition in a Goodwood maiden, and Elzaam who is odds on after failing by the narrowest of margins against Strong Suit in the Coventry at the Royal Meeting.

There’s another one I haven’t menioned though, and that’s 9/1 shot Libranno.

The idea of backing an unbeaten Richard Hannon two year old at 9′s in a five horse race is quite appealing for a small stake, and even if the bookmakers are correct and he finishes fourth of five you haven’t got to have too much on at that price.

Essentially Liranno could be anything, but I’m having an interest at the price just in case – Paddy Power are laying the 9′s.

Good luck!

Thursday’s Newmarket tips:

1.30 – Bahrain Trophy – 3 Harris Tweed (win) @ 3/1 (Sportingbet)

2.00 – TNT July Stakes – 3 Libranno (win) @ 9/1 (Paddy Power)

3.10 – Princess of Wales’s sportingbet.com Stakes – 7 Spanish Moon (win) @ 15/8 (Coral and William Hill)