Thursday ITV Racing Tips: Three to back on the opening day of the Newmarket July Festival

• Head to Scandinavia in the opener

• Brussels the destination in the next

• Haggas sprinter could be better than a handicapper

13:50 Newmarket - Back Scandinavia @ 6/52.20

Newmarket's July Festival gets underway on Thursday with the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy over 1m 5f for three-year-olds and this is essentially the first proper St Leger trial of the summer.

The standard setter on form is Richard Hannon's Nightime Dancer, who improved when eighth in the Derby last time but wouldn't be a certainty to see out this extra furlong on pedigree.

The other four runners all contested the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot last time, with Furthur emerging best of them as he finished runner-up to Carmers. However, there are sound reasons for thinking the fifth that day, Scandinavia, can reverse the form this time around.

Aidan O'Brien's son of Justify had a wide trip and his effort can most certainly be upgraded, while he also gets first-time cheekpieces on here, which could well elicit more improvement from who still showed signs of inexperience at the Royal meeting.

While he doesn't have a stamina-laden pedigree, Scandinavia looks to be outsaying it and he can thrust himself into the Leger limelight with a win in this contest.

14:25 Newmarket - Back Brussels @ 11/53.20

Unbeaten in two starts, Maximized looks sure to be popular as he goes in search of the hat-trick in the 6f Group 2 July Stakes for two-year-olds.

Charlie Appleby's expensive breeze-up purchase was an impressive winner of a novice contest at Haydock on debut and then followed up tidily in the Woodcote at Epsom, getting the better of one who subsequently went on to land the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot.

That's clearly strong form and his chance is respected, but Aidan O'Brien can do little wrong with his juveniles this season and he has another promising type in opposition in the shape of Brussels.

This son of Wootton Bassett created a good impression when getting the better of stablemate Kansas in a maiden at the Curragh on his sole start and the form was franked by that one and the third both going in subsequently.

The timefigure was also good for a maiden and there should be plenty more to come from this one.

15:00 Newmarket - Back Realign E/W @ 15/28.50

This is an ultra-competitive sprint handicap for three-year-olds and it's hard to be too dogmatic about the draw, but recent history tells us you probably don't want to be too low. With that in mind, I'm going swerve the in-form Invictus Gold from stall one and go in the direction of one who could well be better than a handicapper in time.

The William Haggas-trained Realign has had just four career starts to date and got off the mark on the third of them in a maiden at Salisbury in May.

He was then pitched into the Palace of Holyroodhouse at Royal Ascot last time, which is probably the most strongly contested three-year-old sprint handicap of the season and he shaped better than the bare result in finishing ninth of the 24 runners.

The selection raced in the smallest of the three groups that day but still emerged best of them despite looking a little raw, as you'd expect for one with his limited experience. The exposure to that sort of environment so early in his career is sure to stand him in good stead here, though, and I'm of the opinion he'll be a Group horse further down the line.

He'll need plenty to go his way, but with five places on offer on the Sportsbook, Realign makes plenty of each-way appeal.

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