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Newmarket Thursday review: Reports, reaction and free video replays including July Stakes
A review of the rest of the pick of the action from day one of the July Festival at Newmarket.
July joy for for Cox and Crowley
The Clive Cox-trained Jasour (16/1) - tipped at 20/1 by our Ben Linfoot - came with a late rattle to win going away in the Group 2 Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes.
Jockey Jim Crowley took his time on last month's Nottingham maiden winner, settling the son of Havana Grey towards the back of the field as Purosangue and Maximum Impact took them along in the six-furlong event at what looked a good clip.
Thunder Blue laid down a challenge up the centre of the course and Malc briefly threatened more towards the far rail, but it was Jasour, who had emerged from stall one, who motored home between the Amo Racing runners Thunder Blue and Maximum Impact to pick it up from leader Toca Madera with half a furlong to travel.
He stayed on strongly to score by two lengths from another horse staying on from towards the back, Lake Forest (7/1). The 40/1 outsider Toca Madera held on for third.
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Cox said: “I'm really pleased. He always gave us a lot of promise and we felt at home that dropping in behind was going to see a big improvement. He has just run in two races where nothing has been able to lead him early.
“Stepping up to six was a step into the unknown. He had to really settle and he did – beautifully. In a race of this class, it was magical to see him do that. I’m just so pleased, so happy, so proud of him.
“I’m so pleased for Sheikh Sultan. He’s a big supporter and following on behind Golden Horde – and sadly he missed that one winning at Royal Ascot – this is a really nice horse to have and a nice one to witness in person.”
He added: “We will go to the Richmond (Stakes, at Goodwood) from here. He will have an entry in the Prix Morny and we’ll see what’s what. The natural progression, everything is possible. He has a lovely mind and is very well behaved. He has been an absolute Christian to deal with.
“What is really pleasing is the stallion, Havana Grey, is producing three-year-olds as well, so we have every bit of confidence he will hopefully continue. He is clearly a very good two-year-old.
“He has won a Group Two now, so it will be front-foot all the way.”
Castle takes Tower scalp
Castle Way (9/2) got Charlie Appleby and William Buick off to the best possible start at the 2023 July Festival when narrowly denying market leader Tower Of London in a frantic finish to the Bahrain Trophy.
Aidan O'Brien's Ulster Derby winner Tower Of London was a heavily-backed 4/6 favourite for the mile and five-furlong Group 3, but ultimately had to settle for a head second after Castle Way scampered home off what appeared to be a very slow gallop. Moore also dropped his whip inside the final furlong.
Outsider Land Legend took the six-runner field along at a crawl through the early stages, with the market principals attempting to settle on his heels. Castle Way and eventual close third Saint George (9/2) seemed to get first run when the tempo really increased, with Tower Of London momentarily stuck behind rivals, and Buick's mount repelled the grey Saint George before clinging on desperately from a fast-finishing Tower Of London closest to the stands rail.
Charlie Appleby said: “I’m delighted. He’s a horse who’s done little wrong in his career really, his only real blip was at Epsom on soft ground. We were confident at home that the step up in trip would suit him - he was last seen on the Rowley Mile over a mile and a quarter so there was a question mark there as there always is.
“It was a great ride by William, he went out to ride him as though the trip wasn’t a problem and William said for a race over that kind of trip that they went very steady and it did turn into a bit of a sprint. At one stage I thought we could nick it but he’d have to find again and to his credit he dug deep.
“I think we’ll probably go down the natural route (for the St Leger). We’ll look towards the Great Voltigeur (at York) and then that will hopefully be a springboard for him to be a St Leger contender.
“We haven’t had a run since May, I dodged Ascot because I couldn’t see us beating King Of Steel, so then the next target really would be either here or to keep an eye on the Grand Prix de Paris. We’d then have had to ship there and he hasn’t done that before, so I thought we’d test our stamina here before we go travelling.
“I think other people can answer for me (whether his three year olds are as strong as other years), but that’s just the way it is. In the spring we had people thinking that we weren’t firing on all cylinders, I was confident that what we were doing at home was right and all the horses were fit and well. We didn’t have that Guineas kind of horse like we’ve had in the years before and they’ve been more slow burners.
“You’d love to have that year in and year out but I’m sure people would find that quite boring! We didn’t have the winner of the Futurity or the Fillies’ Mile last year, so the clues were there.”
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Kevin Buckley, Coolmore’s UK representative, said of the runner-up Tower Of London: “He is clearly an improving horse, and he has run a nice race there. That performance shouldn’t deter from the future plans we have for him. He is a full-brother to Capri, who was an improving horse. He is a nice looking horse and Galileo’s have a special will to win. Hopefully, there will be big days for him in the future.”
Paddy Power and Sky Bet reacted by cutting the winner to 7/1 from 20/1 for the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday September 16, a race for which the runner-up remains shorter at 5/1 with the same two firms.
Sky Bet go 10/1 (from 20s) about the winner in their antepost market for the final Classic of the season.
Amazing six-timer for Quinault
Quinault (4/1 favourite) landed his sixth race in a row in the bet365 Handicap over six furlongs after a tight finish with Mill Stream.
Stuart Williams' horse has gone up 31lb in the handicap since the start of his winning streak and he was ridden positively by Connor Planas.
The pace held up well and although Mill Stream offered a stern challenge in the final furlong Quinault was game in the finish and held on by a nose.
Dark Thirty was another always up with the pace and he finished clear in third with Washington Heights fourth.
"He's a very tough horse and has plenty of talent as well," Williams said.
"He's getting up there in the echelons in the handicap now. He's bred to get a bit further than this and I'm hopeful he'll stay a bit further.
"We didn't have to teach him to go fast, he was going fast from the start."
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