Newmarket July Festival 2022 Day 1 Tips: Check out Thursday's best bets for the ITV action

It's day one of Newmarket's July Festival on Thursday afternoon, and there's some stunning Flat action in front of the ITV cameras, and our man Steve Chambers has picked out his best bets for the day here...

13:50 Newmarket - Bahrain Trophy

Six will go to post for the Bahrain Trophy, which is the first race at 13:50 and is often used as a springboard to the St Leger at Doncaster later in the season, and it's Andrew Balding's Masekela that heads the betting and the Derby fourth is entitled to run a huge race at Flat HQ. However, the Charlie Appleby-trained WALK OF STARS is the most intriguing runner of the sextet, as he looks to recapture the winning thread having flopped in the aforementioned Derby.

A decent winner at Newbury three starts ago, the Godolphin raider was then just touched off in the Lingfield Derby Trial before he ran no race whatsoever in the Derby at Epsom, as he finished a tailed off last. Gelded since that run, the son of Dubawi will be on a recovery mission on Thursday afternoon, and connections will hope that the gelding operation will do its job, as he has shown that he could be a real talented performer, and with the step up in trip possibly to bring on some improvement then he is the tentative selection in the opener.

14:25 Newmarket - July Stakes

There's a mouth-watering duel between two exciting juveniles in the Group 2 July Stakes at 14:25 with the Aidan O'Brien-trained LITTLE BIG BEAR doing battle with the Richard Hannon-trained Persian Force and the pair can't be split with the bookmakers with 7/4 available about the pair of them.

Little Big Bear was heavily backed for the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot a few weeks ago and the Ballydoyle raider duly obliged with an impressive display and he will look to kick on from that now stepped up in grade. A fine winner of the Brocklesby at the start of the season, Persian Force was last seen finishing a fine runner-up in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he was beaten by Bradsell. Both have shaped like really top notch speedy juveniles and Persian Force has shown his class over six furlongs and Little Big Bear will need to step up from five. However, the manner in which the O'Brien charge dominated the field that day showed he could be the next start of the production line and he can outclass his market rivals here.

15:00 Newmarket - Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap

Khanjar was a mightily impressive winner at Ripon last time out and is entitled to head the betting here as he looks to defy a 9lb rise for that taking success. A hugely progressive performer, the William Haggas-trained raider beat AZURE BLUE by three lengths that day, and it's that contender that catches the eye at 20/1.

Well beaten that day by the Haggas raider, Azure Blue has taken a notable hike in the weights, but she's much better off at the weights this time with Khanjar and having previously stormed to a fine three-and-a-quarter length victory at Hamilton Park, she has shaped like there's still more to come over the coming months. This is an extremely hot three-year-old handicap, but Azure Blue should be able to finish a little closer to the favourite on this occasion and at eye-catching double-figured odds she can make the frame, and with some firms paying six places then she makes huge appeal.

15:35 Newmarket - Princess Of Wales's Stakes

Another potential match with Yibir and Mostahdaf locking horns in the Princess Of Wales's Stakes at 15:35, and it's worth siding with YIBIR, who was a fine winner of the Bahrain Trophy on this card 12 months ago and the Godolphin raider can taste more success at Newmarket in this Group 2 contest.

Charlie Appleby's charge used his Bahrain Trophy win as a springboard to glory in the Great Voltigeur, and he showed he still oozes class when second in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket back in April. Last seen finishing third at Belmont Park, he will return to British shores on Thursday and he can outclass Mostahdaf, who was last seen chasing home Broome in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. Both have rock solid Group form on their CVs, but the track could just help out Yibir, who can land the spoils in the 1m 4f event.