Newmarket 'in seriously good shape' Newmarket clerk of the course Michael Prosser could not be happier with the condition of the track ahead of the July Meeting on Thursday. Considering the last meeting saw the going turn heavy after thunderstorms, it has dried out remarkably quickly and is currently described as good to firm, good in places. "I've just changed the going to good to firm, good in places, it's 8.0 on the going stick from 7.8, so it has tightened up a notch," said Prosser. "We'll reassess the watering situation nearer the time. If there's no rain on Thursday, and it doesn't look like there will be, Friday is supposed to be dry, too, then we may consider watering to keep it on the top side of good. "At the moment the track is in seriously good shape and I could not be happier with it before the first day. "When you consider what it was like for the Criterion meeting a little over a week ago - we had three inches of rain last month - in the last five days it has dried out very well." The highlight of the opening day is the Princess of Wales's Arqana Racing Club Stakes, for which seven have been declared, including Kevin Ryan's 2014 French Derby winner The Grey Gatsby, who will be trying a mile and a half for just the second time. Royal Ascot flop Exosphere, Roger Varian's Battersea and Michael Bell's Big Orange, successful 12 months ago, are among his rivals. In the Arqana July Stakes, Coventry runner-up Mehmas tackles impressive Windsor Castle winner Ardad with the promising Broken Stones and Love Dream in opposition, along with Aidan O'Brien's Intelligence Cross. O'Brien runs Housesofparliament in the Bahrain Trophy which sees the reappearance of Prize Money, second to subsequent Eclipse winner Hawkbill at Royal Ascot. In the Plusvital Sir Henry Cecil Stakes Mark Johnston's Lumiere goes on a retrieval mission after disappointing in the 1000 Guineas.
