England World Cup star Reece James is a winner as racehorse scores on track

The Chelsea defender Reece James is co-owner of Scomessa Sicura who won her first race on her fourth start on the opening day of the prestigious Newmarket July Festival

England World Cup star Reece James is a winner after one of his racehorses scored on the track on Thursday.

The Chelsea right-back, a key member of Thomas Tuchel’s squad, is not certain to be available for Saturday’s huge quarter-final clash with Norway after injuring a hamstring in the second Group match against Ghana. But while his team was preparing for the showdown in Miami, Scomessa Sicura, a two-year-old filly, recorded her first victory at the fourth attempt.

Owned by James and Opulence Thoroughbreds, the Andrew Balding-trained youngster began to pay back a significant chuck of her £105,000 purchase price by capturing the £40,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Ridden by champion jockey Oisin Murphy, wearing James’s own racing colours of dark blue with light blue epualets, the 2-1 chance was well on top at the finish as she defeated outsider Tall Trees by a length. Hot favourite, Godolphin newcomer Peaceful Charm who cost £1.7 million, finished a well beaten fourth in the race.

Previous winners of the race include Desert Flower, who landed last year’s 1,000 Guineas, so Scomessa Sicura, which translates from Italian as ‘sure thing’, could have an exciting future ahead.

James has had shares in other horses and has visited Andrew Balding’s yard near Newbury, Berks. His World Cup commitments obviously prevented him attending the race at Newmarket on Thursday, but he could have watched the race run at 9.10am Florida time.

Opulence Thoroughbreds racing manager Edward Brown told Mirror Racing: “It was great to see the filly get her head in front at last. She had three seconds before.

“We were quietly confident before because, if you look at the form, the first horse that beat her ran in the Albany at Royal Ascot, then she was beaten by a horse that ran in the Chesham and Musical Times, who beat her last time, has won again since.

“We knew we were the form pick but whenever Godolphin run a big purchase horse there is always a slight worry, but we had a chat with Oisin before and on the day, so we had a solid idea of tactics.

“Oisin made the decision to stick to the standside rail and go from the front and let them come and get us if there is something good enough to beat us.”

The filly is set for a step up in class next. “The natural progression would be to go into Listed company and she could even go up to a mile, provided she comes out of the race well,” Brown added.