Newmarket July Festival Day 2 2025 Preview – Falmouth Stakes the Friday Feature at Headquarters

Group 1 action headlines Newmarket July Festival day 2 on Friday, 11th July with the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes for fillies and mares. This top-level race over the Bunbury Mile has lots of handicaps in and around it.

Also on the supporting card from Headquarters on the middle day of this three-day meeting is the juvenile fillies only Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes. It features Albany Stakes heroine Venetian Sun seeking her hat-trick.

Among the handicaps on this day, meanwhile, is the bet365 Trophy over a mile-and-three-quarters. Punters looking for possible Ebor clues should pay close attention to this contest, that’s for sure.

Everything on Newmarket July Festival day 2 begins with a mile-and-a-quarter Heritage Handicap for three-year-olds. Later on, there is also a 7f event open to horse of that age and up.

We look to our horse racing experts for their views on all the big meetings. This one is no different and we had them studying the form of contenders from before final declarations came out.

Now that we have them, and prices with online horse racing bookies for all the action from Suffolk, let’s see what their Friday fancies are. Read detailed race analysis on five races from the card below…

Newmarket July Festival Day 2 2025 Preview for Friday, 11th July

1:50 – 1m 2f Heritage Handicap

A tricky opener again with some unexposed and potentially still well-handicapped three-year-olds on show. It’s impossible to ignore the powerful Middleham yard of the Johnston family, however, and their fabulous record in the race. Between them, father Mark and son Charlie have won it five times in the last decade.

While first-time cheekpieces go on the stable’s bottom weight Cayman Dancer, the selection is MARHABA GHAIYYATH. He’s up 5lb for turning away a useful yardstick in Cruyff Turn at Redcar, but should appreciate tackling a longer distance once again. James Doyle now takes the ride.

There are plenty of dangers to Marhaba Ghaiyyath, however, and Godolphin’s handicap debutant King’s Charter could be the biggest. He has joint-topweight alongside Palazzo Blu, but an opening mark of 92 certainly may not be beyond the Charlie Appleby inmate.

Urban Glimpse bumped into a next time out winner at York when last in action for the Andrew Balding stable, so has seen his Knavesmire form franked. Hat-trick seeking pair Kurakka and War Hawk obviously arrive in good heart, meanwhile, with Ryan Moore riding the latter.

William Haggas’ Regalian should also appreciate the extra furlong after just failing to get up in the Edinburgh Cup around Musselburgh the last day. It’s hard to rule any of the eight runners out completely.

2:25 – 6f Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes

VENETIAN SUN wins The Albany Stakes! @CliffordleexLee wins for @karl_burke, congratulations to Tony Bloom & Ian Mcalvey. #RoyaalAscot pic.twitter.com/FmlgoVCe1P

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 20, 2025

Half-a-dozen juvenile fillies on show on Newmarket July Festival day 2 where the clear form pick is VENETIAN SUN. Karl Burke’s charge escapes a penalty for her Group 3 Albany Stakes success during Royal Ascot, so sets an obvious standard.

Venetian Sun beat re-opposing rival Argentine Tango before that around Carlisle. Although 6lb worse off with the runner-up, who has scored twice herself since including in Listed company over course and distance, that one now looks relatively exposed after five career starts.

Archie Watson’s Shine On Me could have more to offer upped in trip, meanwhile. Mood Queen is the other course and distance winner in the line up for Richard Hughes with Spicy Marg scoring on the Rowley Mile, but the field simply looks as though they’re playing for places in-behind the red-hot favourite.

3:00 – 1m 6f bet365 Trophy Heritage Handicap

Ian Williams seems hellbent on winning this long-distance handicap for older horses on Newmarket July Festival day 2 and runs three. Of those, last year’s rnner-up Oneforthegutter has Moore taking the ride. DANCING IN PARIS is really knocking on the door in races of this type, however, after a narrow third around Goodwood and an even closer second up at Newcastle.

He drops back in trip from the Northumberland Plate now. Dancing In Paris is 4lb well-in now and also 1lb better off with re-opposing Shergar Cup rival Insanity, who beat Oneforthegutter in the Johnstone Rose Bowl at Ayr last time out. Alan King’s charge is up 3lb for that length success in Scotland.

As the Johnston stable has three wins in this, their pair Align The Stars and last year’s fifth Artisan Dancer can’t be ignored either. Godolphin frame the weights with Endless Victory, who needs a better start than when seventh in the Copper Horse during Royal Ascot.

Finishing either side of William Buick’s mount that day were Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Champagne Prince and the third Williams runner Real Dream (now 6lb well-in on future assignments). Preferred to either of those, however, is Rowley Mile distance winner Story Horse for William Knight and Saffie Osborne.

3:35 – 1m Group 1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes

Crimson Advocate wins the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes under @mcacajamez 🏆

Another big win for Wathnan Racing 💪#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/bGirZfrxtD

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 18, 2025

The way in which leading contenders Cinderella’s Dream and January shape in their races for Godolphin and Coolmore respectively suggest they want further than a mile. As a result, the value in the Newmarket July Festival day 2 feature is Duke Of Cambridge heroine CRIMSON ADVOCATE.

Since joining the Gosden stable, she has clearly reinvented herself as a miler after sprinting when trained in America. Crimson Advocate picked up Cinderella’s Dream nicely at the Royal meeting and, although 3lb worse off with the re-opposing runner-up, she has the speed for this test.

Both main market rivals look very much as though they have greater potential as middle-distance fillies. The Gosdens also have in-and-out performer Running Lion in the line-up. She’s difficult to catch right, however.

Roger  Varian again tries Elmalka at a mile, but she simply hasn’t delivered again since a 28/1 shock in the 1000 Guineas last season. Donnacha O’Brien filly Atsila beat subsequent Coronation Stakes scorer Cercene earlier in the season and finished ahead of January last time.

At a huge price, she could run into the frame if recapturing the earlier promise of her Classic trial success. Shadwell’s lightly-raced Elwateen drops back in distance, meanwhile, and still has potential on her 1000 Guineas fourth here in the spring.

4:45 – 7f Class 3 Handicap (0-90)

A major dip in quality once the ITV cameras stop rolling. The only horse in any real form in this line-up on Newmarket July Festival day 2 is the three-year-old Up The Pace. He and three others benefit from 8lb weight for age.

Although up 9lb for wins at Ascot and Doncaster, Edward Smyth-Osbourne’s horse has a good record on turf over this trip and could well land the hat-trick. Juddmonte have an unexposed rival to Up The Pace, however, in Brave Mission.

Ralph Beckett’s runner can be forgiven finishing down the field during Royal Ascot from against draw bias. This is a return to much calmer waters and the assessor is kind in easing Brave Mission by 1lb from the Britannia Stakes.

Godolphin still haven’t got to the bottom of Olympus Point either. He’s never finished outside the first three on turf and this is effectively his reappearance bar an All-Weather debut in February.

The Johnston stable sends last time out winner Saxonia down to Headquarters off bottom weight, meanwhile. Of the older horses, Michael Bell’s Dorney Lake could have more to offer over this trip, but seems best caught in the springtime.

Michael Lee

Betting Expert

Michael Lee

Betting Expert

Michael has worked in the sports betting industry for many years. Following football, horse racing and track and field athletics, he has covered the last three Olympic Games, World Cups and other major sporting events.

All posts by Michael Lee