ITV Racing tips: Friday – Newmarket July Festival and York
ITV Racing tips: Friday – Newmarket July Festival and York
Ron WoodFri, July 10, 2026 at 8:11 AM UTC
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Friday’s nap selection runs in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket
It’s the second day of the July Festival at Newmarket on Friday and the first four races are on ITV1, the highlight being the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes (3.35pm). A couple of races from York make up the free-to-view coverage.
Additionally, if you’re following the World Cup 2026 – and it’s Spain vs Belgium in the quarter-finals tonight – you might want to look over these free bets and betting offers.
Racing tips – Friday
Here are my top three selections, followed by tips and analysis for all ITV races below.
Odds provided by bet365 and correct at the time of publication.
RON WOOD'S TIPS
2.25 Newmarket
Libertango ⭐⭐⭐⭐ @ 8/11
Go to bookmaker
3.00 Newmarket
Wine Dark Sea ⭐⭐⭐⭐ @ 5/6
Go to bookmaker
3.35 Newmarket
Precise (nap) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ @ 4/5
Go to bookmaker
Read on for further analysis and tips:
1.50 Newmarket – Heritage Handicap (1m 2f)
There’s a disappointing numerical turnout for this £100,000 heritage handicap for three-year-olds, with only six runners having been declared. It’s still a decent race, though, and my tentative choice is the Jack Channon-trained Decade Of Time.
I was a fan of his dam, Opal Tiara, who progressed to win three Group races for the same stable.
Decade Of Time has had three starts and has won his last two – in novice company at around a mile – in convincing fashion. The first of his wins came at the expense of Heraldry, who he meets again now.
The selection shapes as though this longer trip will suit him and he could be smart, as his dam was.
Selection: 1.50pm Newmarket – Decade Of Time ⭐⭐
2.10 York – Class 3 Handicap (7f)
A really competitive handicap but none of these runners fully convince and maybe it could be worth taking a flyer on the ex-Hugo Palmer-trained King Casper.
This is his debut for Antony Brittain, a trainer who tends to operate at a modest strike-rate, but this horse won on his reappearance last season, albeit for his former stable, so maybe first up is a good time to catch him.
That win came over a mile, but he can be headstrong and he has a speedy pedigree, and he didn’t progress, so it may be that this drop in trip suits him. The first of his two wins came over 7f and he’s suited to fast ground.
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Selection: 2.10pm York – King Casper ⭐⭐
2.25 Newmarket – Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (6f)
A good race for two-year-old fillies. The standard is set by Libertango, who has won both of her starts, most recently the 6f Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, earning her official rating of 109.
This race was won last year by subsequent Group 1 winner Venetian Sun, who had taken the same Ascot race and arrived with an official mark of 105. She was sent off 2/5 favourite for this contest.
Libertango cost 400,000 guineas at the breeze-up sales in April and is trained by George Boughey.
There’s also Senorita Bonita, who was runner-up in the 5f Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Ascot, but her official rating, 98, leaves her with 11lb to find.
Selection: 2.25pm Newmarket – Libertango ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2.45 York – Group 3 Summer Stakes (6f)
The standard in this fillies’ sprint is set by Flora Of Bermuda, who won this in 2024, as well as Royal Fixation and Spicy Marg, all three of those being officially rated 111.
Also in the conversation is the 107-rated America Queen for last year’s winning trainer, Richard Hughes. This filly was runner-up to Royal Fixation in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes over course and distance in 2025.
My preference, though, is for the Michael Bell-trained Spicy Marg, who has the best most recent form, having finished runner-up in the 6f Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
Selection: 2.45pm York – Spicy Marg ⭐⭐
3.00 Newmarket – Heritage Handicap (1m 6f)
There’s no getting away from the highly progressive Wine Dark Sea, who has won handicaps on both of his starts this season.
The first came over 1m 4f at Ascot and that form has worked out exceptionally well. The third has won both starts since, including at Royal Ascot, the fourth won at Epsom on Derby day, the sixth (Valedictory, who re-opposes here) won at Goodwood and the seventh was runner-up in the Northumberland Plate.
Wine Dark Sea, trained by Harry Charlton, then won at Carlisle by 13 lengths, lowering the 1m 3f track record. He has a 6lb penalty, so he races off a mark of 89, but his revised official rating is 100 so he is 11lb ‘well in’.
His pedigree points to this longer trip suiting, so he should be winning.
Selection: 3pm Newmarket – Wine Dark Sea ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🚨3.35 Newmarket – Group 1 Falmouth Stakes (1m)
Blue Bolt and Precise (nap) share the same official rating, 115, after wins at Royal Ascot, and the pair marginally set the standard in this top-level fillies’ contest.
However, Blue Bolt might have been fortunate to win her Ascot race – I think the third-placed runner would have won with a clear run – whereas, for my money, Precise is better than she showed.
Yes, one of Precise’s Ascot rivals, the runner-up, also found trouble, but the winner was stuck a bit wide and committed for home sooner than was ideal, digging in well to hold on.
Precise, trained by Aidan O’Brien, is a four-time top-level winner, whereas Blue Bolt’s Ascot success came in a Group 2 and she was comfortably beaten into second at this level in October.
Selection: 3.35pm Newmarket – Precise (nap) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Friday racing tips – in brief:
1.50pm Newmarket – Decade Of Time2.10pm York – King Casper2.25pm Newmarket – Libertango2.45pm York – Spicy Marg3.00pm Newmarket – Wine Dark Sea3.35pm Newmarket – Precise (nap)
Friday July 10 – UK and Irish racing fixturesFlat -
Newmarket (1.50-5.20, Racing TV)
Ascot (2.00-4.55, Sky Sports Racing)
York (2.10-5.40, Racing TV)
Chester (5.15-8.50, Sky Sports Racing)
Jumps -
Kilbeggan (4.50-8.17, Racing TV)
Worcester (5.00-9.00, Sky Sports Racing)
Cork (5.10-8.30, Racing TV)
Free-to-view coverage
ITV1 – 1.30-3.59pm: Live Racing from Newmarket and York
Star ratings – and alert – explained
Stars denote strength of selection (maximum five). The odds are provided by Sky Bet and correct at the time of writing – and you can find out where they rank in our table of the best betting sites in the UK.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Confident selection⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong fancy⭐⭐⭐ Fair claims⭐⭐ Tentative choice⭐ Minimum confidence🚨= G1 race
Source: “AOL Sports”
