The July Cup is one of the premier sprinting races in Britain and it's the feature race on Day 3 of Newmarket's three-day July Festival.
Worth £500,000, the July Cup is targetted by the major stables and it gives the Royal Ascot contestants something to chase following the carnival.
July Cup Day Card
The third day of the July Festival at Newmarket features seven races, including the Bunbury Cup Handicap and Superlative Stakes.
Race No.
Race Name
1
Maiden Fillies Stakes
2
Fillies Handicap
3
bet365 Mile Handicap
4
Bunbury Cup Handicap
5
Superlative Stakes
6
July Cup
7
Sport Trophy Handicap
July Cup Tips
We will have expert tips for the July Cup available when the final-field markets are released by bookmakers.
July Cup History
Queen Victoria bred the first two July Cup races in 1876 and 1877 with Springfield and there have been many champions win since.
Elevated to Group 1 status in 1978, the July Cup is the premier sprint race following the Royal Ascot carnival and it's also a part of the Global Sprint Challenge.
Currently the sixth leg of the challenge, the July Cup is preceded by the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and followed by the Sprinters Stakes in Japan.
Sundridge is the only horse to win three consecutive July Cups (1902-1904) and the most recent horse to win two straight was Right Boy in 1958 and 1959, with Lester Piggott in the saddle.
Success has been shared around in the July Cup, with the big breeding stables not dominating the July Cup as they would with the Classic races.
Female jockey Hayley Turner created headlines in 2011 when winning aboard Dream Ahead. It was her first Group 1 win and then three-year-old Dream Ahead would later become a successful stallion.
In 1964, champion Australian rider and five-time Caulfield Cup winner Scobie Breasley won the July Cup with Daylight Robbery.
Slade Power won the 2014 July Cup following its win in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which is a good form guide.
July Cup betting guide
Winners from 2013-2017 were all in the top three in betting, but only five of the last 12 winners were favourites.
Harry Angel had good support at 9/2 in 2017 and punters were getting great value with Limato (9/2) in 2016.
Muhaarar and Slade Power scored consecutive wins as the favourite in 2014-2015, but there have been some surprise results, such is the nature of sprint racing.
Mayson won at odds of 20/1 in 2012 for Richard Fahey and it was the second 110-rated winner in the last 12 years.
The big fields make for great odds on offer and there's rarely a short-priced favourite, unlike many of the Royal Ascot carnival races.
Bookmakers will often risk one of the well-favoured runners and punters were able to get 7/1 about Dream Ahead in 2011, despite it carrying a rating of 126 – the highest in recent history.
July Cup race trends
Nine of the last 12 winners were aged three or four, which is a common trait in British spring racing.
11 of the last 12 winners had a recent run before entering the July Cup and three horses had only one run that season before winning.
Seven of those winners had previously won a Group 1 and 11 of the 12 had won at group level.
The lowest-rated winner in recent history was Sahkee's Secret at 108. The stallion had only five wins from eight starts on the track before being retired to stud.
Following its July Cup win, it was crowned World Champion three-year-old sprinter.
