Kevin Blake's Saturday Racing Tips: Romantic Proposal has plenty of appeal at generous price

The July meeting at Newmarket is one of the summer highlights of the racing season for many and this Saturday's card looks to be a belter. There is a wide spread of race types, but two contests in particular have caught my eye.

Lion of War to make it three from three

The Bet365 Superlative Stakes (15:15) is always a very informative contest and this year's renewal promises to be just that. Victory Dance is sure to be the choice of many, but the one I prefer is the Charlie & Mark Johnston-trained Lion Of War.

A representative of the one and only crop of Roaring Lion that was purchased for just 7,000gns as a yearling, he made a winning debut at Leicester last month. While it may have looked just a solid start at face value, deeper analysis revealed it was a strong performance on the clock.

He had a straightforward task on his second start in a novice stakes at Newcastle and duly got the job done by 10 lengths, but it is his debut effort that makes him of note at this stage.

He was ridden with patience on debut and made all to win last time, so he is tactically versatile enough to adjust to however this race plays out.

The prevailing conditions will suit and it wouldn't at all surprise if he was to make it three wins from three starts in good style.

Romantic Proposal looks overpriced

The main event of the weekend is the Darley July Cup (16:25) and it has attracted a very competitive field. Artorius is a horse I was keen on for the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and he ran an excellent race to finish a slightly unlucky third, but this course and distance is a sharper test of speed and that won't necessarily suit him as well as Ascot did.

The one I like is the Eddie Lynam-trained Romantic Proposal. The six-year-old was a slow burner, but really came to life last season culminating in victory in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh.

She made a winning return in the Woodlands Stakes at Naas back in April and that performance suggested that she retains all of her ability.

While it is slightly concerning that she has been absent for almost 11 weeks, Lynam would be unlikely to throw her into such deep waters if he didn't think she was in condition to do herself justice. This fast six furlongs will suit her well and she appeals as being overpriced.