This weekend belongs to Newmarket's July Festival, with two Group 1 races taking centre stage across Friday and Saturday. The Falmouth Stakes opens the top-level action on Friday before the spotlight turns to the July Cup, one of Europe's premier sprint races, on Saturday afternoon.
Friday's racing also includes quality cards from York, Ascot and Chester, while Ireland's feature comes on Friday evening with the Midlands National Handicap Chase at Kilbeggan. At Newmarket, Aidan O'Brien's Precise heads the market for the Falmouth Stakes and looks set to go off a warm favourite.
Saturday builds on the quality with meetings from York, Ascot, Chester, Hamilton, Salisbury and Newmarket. The headline event is undoubtedly the July Cup, where another high-class field of sprinters will battle for one of the most prestigious prizes of the season.
Sunday is much quieter, although racing fans can still enjoy action from Sha Tin, where the Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy tops the card. Closer to home there are meetings at Perth, Stratford, Sligo and Dundalk.
The week ahead is relatively low-key, with meetings from Ayr, Newton Abbot and Windsor on Monday. Tuesday brings racing from Ffos Las and Leicester, while Killarney hosts an evening meeting in Ireland.
Looking ahead, attention will soon turn back to the Curragh for the Juddmonte Irish Oaks on Saturday 18 July, one of the highlights of the midsummer flat racing calendar.
Big races this week
2:25pm Newmarket (July), Friday (ITV)
Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2)
6f, Flat Turf
2:45pm York, Friday (ITV)
William Hill Summer Stakes (Group 3)
6f, Flat Turf
3:00pm Newmarket (July), Friday (ITV)
Betway Trophy (Heritage Handicap)
1m6f, Flat Turf
3:35pm Newmarket (July), Friday (ITV)
Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Falmouth Stakes (Group 1)
1m, Flat Turf
6:32pm Kilbeggan, Friday
Kilmurray Group Midlands National Handicap Chase (Listed Race)
3m1½f, Chase
2:27pm Ascot, Saturday (ITV4)
Juddmonte Summer Mile Stakes (Group 2)
1m, Flat Turf
3:12pm York, Saturday (ITV4)
John Smith's City Walls Stakes (Listed Race)
5f, Flat Turf
3:52pm Chester, Saturday (SKY)
Memorial City Plate Stakes (Listed Race)
7f, Flat Turf
4:35pm Newmarket (July), Saturday (ITV4)
Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup Stakes (Group 1)
6f, Flat Turf
10:39pm Saratoga, Saturday (SKY)
Bowling Green Stakes (Grade 2)
1m3f, Turf
12:35pm Sha Tin, Sunday (SKY)
Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy (Class 1 Handicap)
1m, Flat Turf
*All races above are listed in UK time.
Race Notes
4:35pm (Saturday 11th July) July Cup Stakes - Newmarket
The Dubai July Cup brings together leading sprinters from Britain, Ireland and Japan for Saturday’s feature race at Newmarket.
Royal Ascot form plays a major part, with four winners from the meeting in the field. Three won at Group 1 level, but the July Cup often produces surprise results.
Only eight of the 26 winners since 2000 started favourite, while nine returned at 10/1 or bigger. Last year’s winner, No Half Measures, was sent off at 66/1.
Venetian Sun is likely to start favourite after keeping her unbeaten sprint record intact in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
She beat Division in that six-furlong Group 1 and had already finished ahead of Coppull in France last season. She receives weight from the older runners and sets a strong standard.
Division may be capable of getting closer this time. The William Haggas-trained colt remains lightly raced and showed enough at Ascot to suggest the gap between himself and Venetian Sun is not large.
Mission Central is another serious three-year-old contender. He won the King Charles III Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot, although the extra furlong at Newmarket gives him a different test.
The older sprinters are led by Almeraq and Satono Reve, who were separated by only a nose in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Almeraq showed plenty of courage to win at Ascot and has raced only seven times. He could still improve, but Satono Reve may turn the result around.
The Japanese seven-year-old has a long record of high-class form and holds the best peak rating in the field. He also finished second in the Jubilee Stakes in both 2025 and 2026, proving that he handles British racing conditions.
Big Mojo is another runner worth considering at a larger price. He finished second in this race last year before winning the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock. His latest run came over five furlongs, and the return to six should suit him better.
Double Rush has won three straight races for Andrew Balding, including the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. This is a major rise from handicap company, but he has improved quickly and deserves his chance.
Comanche Brave was not beaten far at Ascot, while Coppull, Prince Of India and Quinault all need to produce career-best efforts.
Venetian Sun is the clear three-year-old standard-setter, but Satono Reve may offer the best value. He was beaten by the smallest possible margin at Ascot, has proven Group 1 form and could be better suited by Newmarket.
Selection: Satono Reve
Main danger: Venetian Sun
Each-way contender: Big Mojo
Antepost Watch
The ante-post market for the Juddmonte International at York has remained fairly steady over the past week, but it is already shaping up to be one of the races of the season.
Ombudsman heads the betting at around 11/10 after another outstanding campaign and looks the one they all have to beat. The John and Thady Gosden-trained star has already proved himself at the highest level and is the deserved market leader.
Lurking just behind is Constitution River at 5/2. Aidan O'Brien's brilliant three-year-old enhanced his reputation with a dominant victory in the Coral-Eclipse.
Calandagan is next in the market at around 5/1. The five-year-old has developed into one of Europe's leading middle-distance performers and would add another fascinating dimension should he make the trip to York.
The market then opens up, with Benvenuto Cellini and Minnie Hauk both available at around 12/1, while Almaqam, Diamond Necklace, Gstaad and More Thunder head the chasing pack at 14/1.
With more than a month still to go, there's plenty of time for the picture to change. For now, though, the market points towards a mouthwatering clash between Ombudsman and Constitution River, a race that could easily become one of the highlights of the summer.
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Racing News
Here are a few racing updates that caught the eye this week.
Racing Legends - Neptune Collonges
Neptune Collonges’ 2012 Grand National victory produced the closest finish in the race’s long history, a nose verdict at the end of 4 miles 4 furlongs that delivered Paul Nicholls his first Aintree National and the first grey winner since 1961.
Thanks for reading! Let’s catch up again next week.
Regards
The Newsletter Team
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