The 1-2-3 from the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the first, second and fourth home in the Commonwealth Cup the previous afternoon are among 14 runners for the Group One July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday, while King Hermes, a lightly-raced three-year-old, is another intriguing runner as he attempts to give Japan a first win in the midsummer sprinting championship for 22 years.
Perfect Power had a comfortable length-and-a-quarter to spare over Flaming Rib in the Commonwealth Cup and should confirm his superiority in the three-year-old division, but the older horses could prove to be more of a problem as Christophe Soumillon, his jockey, aims for a second British Group One win in eight days.
Richard Fahey’s colt is the likely favourite but five of the six Commonwealth winners to attempt the Ascot-Newmarket double have been beaten and the Platinum Jubilee form looks a little stronger, with several previous Group One winners close behind the 33-1 winner, Native Crown.
Artorius (4.25) was third there on his first start since mid-March and finished best of all, having taken a while to reach top gear. He should be a little sharper for the run and is a fair price at around 4-1 to give Australia a first-ever success in this race.
York 1.45: Eilean Dubh had little chance from a wide draw at Pontefract last time but remains feasibly handicapped on his winning form over track and trip in May.
Newmarket 2.05: A slow pace did not do Truely Aclaimed any favours at Ayr last month but she still came home a worthy winner and can continue her progress here.
York 2.20: A poor turnout and Thunderous could benefit if Franny Norton gets a soft lead.
Newmarket 2.40: The form of last month’s Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot looks as strong as always and Jimi Hendrix, third home there, can give it another boost here.
Ascot 3.00: Tone The Barone has been a regular scorer on the all-weather over the last two seasons but the 16-1 shot was a dual winner over this course and distance in 2020 and is now just 1lb higher than for the second of those wins.
Newmarket 1.30 Frankness 2.05 Truely Aclaimed 2.40 Jimi Hendrix 3.15 Isaac Shelby 3.50 Samburu 4.25 Artorius 5.00 Adjuvant
York 1.45 Eilean Dubh 2.20 Thunderous 2.55 Ghadbbaan 3.30 Explicit 4.05 Intellogent (nb) 4.40 Royal Aclaim 5.15 Jordan Electrics
Ascot 1.50 Kyeema 2.25 Inverness 3.00 Tone The Barone (nap) 3.35 Best Lightning 4.10 Wild Crusade 4.45 Isola Rossa 5.20 Sayifyouwill
Chester 1.58 Liamarty Dreams 2.33 Paddy Brunty 3.08 Poet’s Magic 3.43 Great Max 4.18 Mugader 4.53 Bang On The Bell 5.30 Innse Gall
Salisbury 5.45 Lumley 6.15 Marbaan 6.45 Leuven Power 7.15 Rousay 7.45 Gilbert 8.15 Croeso Cymraeg 8.45 Bugle Major
Hamilton 6.00 Florida Filly 6.30 Refuge 7.00 Muhtashim 7.30 Pons Aelius 8.00 Clan Jock 8.30 Cosa Sara
Newmarket 3.15: Brian Meehan’s juveniles generally find plenty for a run so the fact that Isaac Shelby ran out an impressive winner first time up at Newbury in May is encouraging ahead of his move into Group Two company here.
Ascot 3.35: The eye-catcher in a tight race is Best Lightning, the 20-1 outsider, a smooth Group Two winner in Germany last time and only the second horse that former Group One-winning jockey Andreas Suborics has sent to Britain since turning to training in 2016.
Newmarket 3.50: Samburu lost little in defeat in the Group Three Jersey Stakes last time when he perhaps made his effort a little earlier than ideal, and he remains well-weighted judged on his handicap debut win at York in May.
York 4.05: Intellogent has been another fine advertisement for Jane Chapple-Hyam’s stable in three runs since arriving from France and his Royal Ascot form makes him a big player at around 9-1.
York 4.40: The return to York’s five-furlong track could see Winter Power rediscover something close to her best form but after four straight subpar performances, she is an unappealing favourite. Three-year-old Royal Aclaim has something to find on the ratings but more than enough scope to do so after two easy wins so far.
Inspiral not so Prosperous
John Gosden’s renewed relationship with Frankie Dettori suffered its first significant setback at Newmarket on Friday as Inspiral, the Coronation Stakes winner at Royal Ascot, lost her unbeaten record behind Prosperous Voyage in the Group One Falmouth Stakes.
Inspiral was sent off at 1-7 but Gosden suggested afterwards that he was not happy with the way she was travelling from an early stage as Prosperous Voyage, at 16-1, made much of the running to beat Inspiral by nearly two lengths.
“Normally you wouldn’t go from a huge performance at Ascot and come here but having run only the once [this season] it made sense,” Gosden said. “But she’s just run a little flat and that can happen when you go to Royal Ascot and the July meeting, particularly when you’ve been off since the previous October. You could tell early on, little bit flat and the ground probably quick enough. We’ll freshen up and go again.”
Prosperous Voyage was only 10th behind Inspiral at Royal Ascot but Ralph Beckett, her trainer, believes a straight track helped her to reverse the form. “Maybe Inspiral didn’t turn up today, maybe she bounced but this filly ran her race and that is all that really matters if you are me,” Beckett said. “I think the key to her really is a straight track. The Sun Chariot [at Newmarket in October] is the obvious race for her. We will keep bringing her back to Newmarket.”
Inspiral is the joint shortest-priced beaten favourite in a Group One Flat race in Britain or Ireland since Order Of St George failed to justify odds of 1-7 in the Irish St Leger in 2016. The last horse beaten at a shorter price in any British race was Last Hoorah, at 1-10, in a three-runner juvenile contest at Chepstow in August 2021.
