Romance is within the air at Newmarket’s July assembly on Thursday, says Jason Heavey

The Daily Star’s chief tipster Jason Heavey thinks Charlie Appleby’s much-loved veteran will enjoy success at Newmarket’s July meeting on Thursday

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GLOBETROTTING star REBEL’S ROMANCE (3.35, trb) is difficult to oppose on his return to home turf on the opening day of Newmarket’s July meeting.

The pride and joy of Charlie Appleby needs little introduction at this stage of his career, having won 21 of his 31 starts including big-race victories in Dubai, America, Hong Kong, Qatar and Germany, as well as in Britain.

While he has come up slightly short in Group One races at home and is not getting any younger at the age of eight, there is nothing to suggest Rebel’s Romance’s powers are on the wane.

The only real question mark hangs over his fitness on what will be his first start since winning in Dubai in February, but he can allay those fears in the Group Two in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.

The ITV cameras are showing four races from HQ and the big betting event is the Betway Handicap.

The big three-year-old sprint handicap at York last month looks the key piece of form here, with the highly progressive THUNDER CALL (3.00, nb), trained by William Haggas, taken to confirm his superiority over Red Spells Danger.

The day starts with the Group Three Bahrain Trophy Stakes and the preference is for another Appleby charge in DEL MARO (1.50).

Oddly, the son of Camelot has only won once in eight starts.

But that record doesn’t nearly do justice to his level of ability, underlined when beaten by only the narrowest margin for the second start in succession in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.

ADAAY IN SCARLET (2.25) can put the bookies in the red in the Group Two Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes.

This four-runner juvenile event looks a straight shootout between Inner City Blues and the charge of Hugo Palmer, and the latter gets the nod for improved showing at Royal Ascot, when he tackled six furlongs for the first time and was beaten just half-a-length by Great Barrier Reef in the 21-runner Coventry Stakes.

The ITV cameras are also showing two races from Doncaster and COUNT BEZUKHOV (2.45) catches the eye as Joseph O’Brien’s only runner on the card.

An eye-catching third on his Leopardstown debut, the Wootton Bassett colt confirmed that promise when obliging as an odds-on favourite on his second start at the Curragh a fortnight later.

He carries a 6lb penalty, but is heading across the Irish Sea for a reason and can add to his tally under Billy Loughnane in the Betfred St Leger Trial Novice Stakes.

Today’s top selection can be found in the Pump Technology Engineered To Perform Handicap at Newbury.

The Ed Walker trainee STORM POINT (7.27, nap) should follow up on his improved C&D success a month ago, having looked better the further he went.

Thursday tips

NEWMARKET

1.50 Del Maro

2.25 Adaay Of Scarlett

3.00 Thunder Call (nb)

3.35 Rebel’s Romance (trb)

4.10 Peaceful Charm

4.45 Morris Dancer

5.20 Shipbourne

DONCASTER

2.10 Ottoman Chief

2.45 Count Bezukhov

3.20 Golden Flame

3.55 Room Fourteen

4.30 The Anthony Gover

5.05 Wrydcroft

5.40 Bayraat

CARLISLE

2.00 Wid

2.35 Pequenita

3.10 Ottoman

3.45 Catalyse

4.20 Cotai Belle

4.55 Yaaser

NEWBURY

5.13 Angel Sense

5.45 Sugar Yes Please

6.17 Mirzimaan

6.52 Thunderous Love

7.27 Storm Point (nap)

8.02 Windbreaker

8.37 Kakirra

EPSOM

6.05 Darkest Red

6.40 Minnal

7.15 Panelli

7.50 Aberama Gold

8.22 Swiped

8.52 Sail On Sailor

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