Tony Calvin: Newmarket's July Festival the highight of a great week

With the Newmarket July meeting starting on Thursday, it is a busy week on the ante-post front, so no messing about with word-hungry, dodgy intros and let's attack the races in chronological order.

As it stands, I won't be putting anything up as a bet, but I'm more than happy to walk you through the three days from Thursday onwards.

Thursday

There is a small window of ante-post opportunity with Thursday's races - the final declarations are at 10am on Tuesday morning, when they become day-of-race markets - starting with the July Stakes.

The race used to be a poor relation of the Group 2 juvenile calendar but it has improved in quality in recent seasons, and this year's renewal promises to be bang up to scratch, with Coventry runner-up Mehmas and runaway Windsor Castle winner Ardad setting the form standard - and a very high one, at that - and they unsurprisingly head the market at 3.185/40 and 4.216/5 respectively.

However, with the likes of Curragh winner Intelligence Cross and impressive York scorer Broken Stones, as well as plenty of other possibles, in opposition it is not a race that appeals as a betting medium at this stage.

The Princess Of Wales Stakes could revolve around whether the market leader Exosphere can bounce back to form after his eclipse when 6-4 favourite for the Hardwicke.

But even if he does come back to the form of his earlier Newmarket win, which hasn't worked out well, then he doesn't make a great deal of appeal at 3.613/5.

He carries a 3lb penalty for that Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes win for starters, and if The Grey Gatsby stays 1m4f, and the expected good ground will help there, then he is obviously a very big player at 6.611/2. I'm happy to wait until the final declaration stage, though.

Friday

Friday's Group 1 Falmouth Stakes has an attractive shape to it, with 1.9110/11 chance Usherette making the market and allowing some high-class fillies to trade at each-way prices.

I say Usherette makes the market, but don't get me wrong. She is the justifiable short-priced favourite after her Duke Of Cambridge win - and the second there was arguably an unlucky loser in the Lancashire Oaks on Saturday - and she could well improve again on the expected better ground this week.

But I just wonder whether the "one of the best fillies I've trained" line from Andre Fabre is more than factored into her price, and last year's winner Amazing Maria, the Coronation Stakes-placed duo of Nemoralia and Alice Springs, and Lockinge runner-up Euro Charline are all fillies proven in the highest grade.

I think you could get some odds-against Usherette on Friday morning if you fancy her, such is the strength of the opposition, who are all expected to stand their ground.

Saturday

Saturday's July Cup looks a proper 5-1 the field race to me, with the likes of Diamond Jubilee winner Twilight Son, stablemate Limato, Magical Memory and the supplemented King's Stand winner Profitable rightly taking out a big chunk of the market.

But there are 15 other entries, all with varying claims, and I am sure that the big prices about unlucky King's Stand third Goken and the down-in-trip Arod could tempt some in. More of this race on Friday.

Librisa Breeze is vying for favouritism with Buckstay for the Bunbury Cup but he is far from certain to get a run.

In fact, the Hunt Cup runner-up, arguably the punt of the Royal Ascot meeting, looks unlikely to, unless there are mass withdrawals from the 62 five-day entries. It seems that getting into these big handicaps is harder than winning them these days.

Of course, you get your money back if he is balloted out, but little wonder that connections have also entered him in the 7f handicap at Newmarket on Friday.

You probably don't need me to tell you that this weekend is not short on punting opportunities on "Saturated Saturday" - the action certainly comes thick and fast, that's for sure - and there is the small matter of the John's Smith Cup at York, too.

Now, that is a competitive race, as the fact that it is 12-1 the field in the marketplace underlines.

My head hurts just even listing the ante-post action this weekend, so I will be back from Wednesday night onwards dissecting the racing day-by-day.

Good luck, if you are getting involved now.