Lucky 15 Tips: Opera will be hard to beat at Newmarket

There are six meetings taking place across Britain and Ireland on Thursday and the most significant is Newmarket’s July Festival Day 1 card.

Doncaster and Carlisle provide the afternoon entertainment, while Newbury, Epsom and Leopardstown take us through the evening. We’ve picked out four strong fancies for our Lucky 15 Tips for Thursday and they include a Charlie Appleby runner at Newmarket who looks rock-solid.

14:25 Newmarket – Brussels @ 13/8

Royal Ascot. The flow of juvenile winners has continued at a rapid rate since and he runs BRUSSELS in this race.

The son of Wootton Bassett was victorious on debut at the Curragh and he did all of his best work late on. He’s probably going to want further in the future but 6f is fine for now and the form is working out really well, as the next two horses home have both won since.

Ballydoyle juveniles tend to improve significantly from their debuts and you would imagine that Brussels is likely to do the same.

16:45 Newmarket – Opera Ballo @ 11/8

Charlie Appleby has maintained a 36 per cent strike-rate at the July Course over the last five years and that’s particularly impressive when considering the number of runners he has there. OPERA BALLO looked exceptional on debut and still has scope for improvement.

The three-year-old won a Kempton maiden by eight-and-a-half lengths on his first start in January and was equally as impressive when following up in a conditions event over the same course and distance after that.

Letting himself down in the Craven next time, he pulled far too hard in the early stages and gave himself no chance of winning. He returned to winning ways in Listed company at Sandown when last seen and a similar effort should be more than enough.

18:10 Leopardstown – Vera’s Secret @ 15/8

VERA’S SECRET remains incredibly lightly raced for a six-year-old and she has taken her form to the next level this season. This daughter of Epaulette began the season with an easy course and distance victory in Group 3 company in May.

She was always in control, making all the running, and the rest of the field had no answer once Seamie Heffernan turned the screw. A little too keen in the Lanwades Stud Stakes, the winner Porta Fortuna is exceptional and the drop back to 7f will suit.

The return to Group 3 company provides a good opportunity here and the ratings suggest the others have a bit to find in order to challenge her.

19:20 Leopardstown – Mississippi River @ 4/1

Another one for Aidan O’Brien, MISSISSIPPI RIVER took a while to get the hang of things but he managed to get off the mark in a Navan maiden back in April. He was impressive when earning a second win over a mile here last month and should have a big pot in him.

O’Brien’s colt bumped into a well handicapped horse when second in a valuable handicap over this trip at the Curragh when last seen and he was comfortably clear of the third. A 3lb rise seems pretty fair and another big run is anticipated.

The odds can fluctuate between publishing our pieces and race-time. As a guide, a £0.50p win Lucky 15 on today's selections, at the prices, and assuming all four won, would return around £141.72 for your total £7.50 stake.

Horse Racing & Greyhound bets only. Excludes Virtual Racing. 5x odds on Lucky 63. 4x Odds Lucky 31. 3x Odds Lucky 15. All selections must run. Paid in cash if only 1 winner. T&Cs Apply.

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