Key Races at Newmarket this Thursday

Restricted to three-year-olds, the Bahrain Trophy is one of the most valuable races on the opening afternoon that regularly attracts promising middle-distance performers.

Among this year's contenders, Del Maro looks like one of the most interesting runners. The Charlie Appleby-trained colt has built a reputation for consistency, recording one win and six placings from just seven career starts.

His recent form figures of 2323142 underline his reliability at a good level, with notable runner-up finishes in both the Chester Vase and the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood. Those performances came in recognised staying trials, indicating that Del Maro has already proven himself against quality opposition.

Another fascinating contender is Point Of Law, a lightly raced colt with significant improvement still to come. The Royal runner has raced only three times, compiling a record of one win, one second and one fourth.

His breakthrough success came at Newbury in May, defeating Hatteen by a length and a quarter. Earlier in the season, he had finished second over the same trip at Yarmouth, with that race providing a link to Del Maro, who finished ahead of him. Most recently, Point Of Law stepped into a stronger company at Royal Ascot, finishing fourth in the competitive Group 2 Queen's Vase, which offered further encouragement ahead of this Group 3 assignment.

Attention then turns to the Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes, a Group 2 contest over six furlongs for two-year-old colts and geldings. Run on good to firm ground, the race is one of the premier juvenile events of the Newmarket July Festival and has earned a reputation for attracting highly regarded youngsters from the leading training yards.

Among the exciting youngsters lining up for the July Stakes, Inner City Blues stands out as one of the least exposed but potentially most talented contenders. He arrived at Newmarket making an impressive winning debut just a few weeks earlier, landing a six-furlong maiden at York on 13 June.

With Charlie Appleby and William Buick combining for one of the meeting's strongest partnerships, and an authoritative first victory, Inner City Blues looks like a fascinating prospect.

Adaay Of Scarlett also brings an appealing profile into the July Stakes, having established herself as one of the more progressive juveniles of the season. Lightly raced but already highly regarded, she arrived at Newmarket with two wins from her first two Flat starts, and demonstrated the speed that is so often required in this prestigious Group 2 contest.

In 2026, the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes brings together proven middle-distance performers and features just six runners, a small field that can often develop into fascinating strategic battles, with riders forced to judge the tempo carefully before the race unfolds in the closing stages.

The star attraction in the Princess Of Wales's Stakes is undoubtedly Rebel's Romance, whose remarkable international career has established him as one of the world's leading middle-distance performers. He returns to Newmarket as the horse to beat after beginning his 2026 campaign with victory in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold at Meydan, proving that he remains a force at the highest level despite his advancing years.

His achievements also include two Breeders' Cup Turf triumphs, in 2022 and 2024, while by the middle of 2026, he had amassed an extraordinary collection of nine Group or Grade 1 victories around the world. His versatility has also been a defining feature, with major successes on both turf and all-weather surfaces across multiple countries.

At a stage when many top-class horses have long since retired, Rebel's Romance continues to perform at an elite standard, and he heads into the Princess Of Wales's Stakes with the strongest credentials in the field.

While Rebel's Romance dominates the headlines, Convergent has the credentials to emerge as his chief challenger in the Princess Of Wales's Stakes.

Convergent earned his biggest success in the John Porter Stakes, Group 3 victory that confirmed his quality over middle-distance trips and demonstrated his stamina.

His most recent outing, however, came in the Coronation Cup at Epsom, where he failed to reproduce his best form on ground that appeared unsuitable. Given the strength of his earlier performances, there is every reason to believe he is capable of bouncing back.