July Cup

July Cup
Group 1 race

Chief Singer, painted by Bob Demuyser
oil on canvas
Location July Course
Newmarket, England
Inaugurated 1876
Race type Flat / Thoroughbred
Sponsor Darley
Website Newmarket
Race information
Distance 6f (1,207 metres)
Surface Turf
Track Straight
Qualification Three-years-old and up
Weight 9 st 0 lb (3yo);
9 st 6 lb (4yo+)
Allowances
3 lb for fillies and mares
Purse £510,000 (2014)
1st: £289,221
Bonuses see Global Sprint Challenge
July Cup
2014
Slade Power Tropics Gregorian

The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.

It is one of Britain's most valuable and prestigious sprint races, and many of its winners have been acknowledged as the champion sprinter in Europe.

History

The event was established in 1876, and the first two runnings were won by Springfield, a colt bred by Queen Victoria at the Hampton Court Stud.

The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the July Cup was initially classed at Group 2 level. It was promoted to Group 1 status in 1978.

The July Cup became part of the Global Sprint Challenge in 2008. It is now the sixth leg of the series, preceded by the Golden Jubilee Stakes and followed by the Sprinters Stakes.

The race is currently held on the final day of Newmarket's three-day July Festival meeting.

Records

Most successful horse (3 wins):

Leading jockey (10 wins):

Leading trainer (5 wins):

Leading owner (5 wins):


Winners since 1939

Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Time
1939 Portobello 3 Tommy Lowrey Robert Colling P Dunne
no race 1940
1941 Comatas 4 Billy Nevett Ossie Bell MIss K Farrar
no race 1942–44
1945 Honeyway 4 Eph Smith Jack Jarvis Lord Milford
1946 The Bug 3 Charlie Smirke Gerald Wellesley Norman Wachmann
1947 Falls of Clyde 3 Sam Wragg E Williams Miss P Vaughan
1948 Palm Vista 3 Eph Smith Rufus Beasley E Broadbelt
1949 Abernant 3 Gordon Richards Noel Murless Reginald Macdonald-Buchanan
1950 Abernant 4 Gordon Richards Noel Murless Reginald Macdonald-Buchanan
1951 Hard Sauce 3 Gordon Richards Norman Bertie Victor Sassoon
1952 Set Fair 3 Eph Smith Walter Nightingall C Bell
1953 Devon Vintage 3 Gordon Richards Robert Colling Robert Boucher
1954 Vilmoray 4 William Snaith B Bullock A Green
1955 Pappa Fourway 3 Harry Carr Bill Dutton Elaine Goldson
1956 Matador 3 Bill Rickaby Jack Waugh Mrs J Ferguson
1957 Vigo 4 Lester Piggott Bill Dutton T Farr
1958 Right Boy 4 Lester Piggott Bill Dutton G Gilbert
1959 Right Boy 5 Lester Piggott Pat Rohan G Gilbert
1960 Tin Whistle 3 Lester Piggott Pat Rohan B Grainger
1961 Galivanter 5 Harry Carr Dick Hern Lionel Brook Holliday
1962 Marsolve 4 Bill Rickaby Reg Day Malcolm McAlpine
1963 Secret Step 4 Geoff Lewis Peter Hastings-Bass Paul Mellon
1964 Daylight Robbery 3 Scobie Breasley Arthur Budgett R Budgett
1965 Merry Madcap 3 Ron Hutchinson Freddie Maxwell Mrs H Frelinghuysen
1966 Lucasland 4 Eric Eldin Jack Waugh J Baillie
1967 Forlorn River 5 Bruce Raymond Arthur Stephenson Mrs W A Richardson
1968 So Blessed 3 Frankie Durr Michael Jarvis David Robinson
1969 Tudor Music 3 Frankie Durr Michael Jarvis David Robinson
1970 Huntercombe 3 Sandy Barclay Arthur Budgett Horace Renshaw
1971 Realm 4 Brian Taylor John Winter Bob Boucher 1:13.60
1972 Parsimony 3 Ron Hutchinson F. Johnson Houghton Ruby Holland-Martin
1973 Thatch 3 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Jack Mulcahy 1:13.10
1974 Saritamer 3 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Charles St George 1:11.80
1975 Lianga 4 Yves Saint-Martin Angel Penna, Sr. Daniel Wildenstein 1:11.80
1976 Lochnager 4 Edward Hide Mick Easterby Charles Spence 1:12.30
1977 Gentilhombre [a] 4 Paul Cook Neil Adam J. Murrell 1:11.40
1978 Solinus 3 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Danny Schwartz 1:11.90
1979 Thatching 4 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Robert Sangster 1:13.20
1980 Moorestyle 3 Lester Piggott Robert Armstrong Moores Furnishings Ltd 1:12.89
1981 Marwell 3 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute Sir Edmund Loder 1:14.10
1982 Sharpo 5 Pat Eddery Jeremy Tree Monica Sheriffe 1:11.74
1983 Habibti 3 Willie Carson John Dunlop Mohamed Mutawa 1:12.11
1984 Chief Singer 3 Ray Cochrane Ron Sheather Jeff Smith 1:11.75
1985 Never So Bold 5 Steve Cauthen Robert Armstrong Edward Kessly 1:11.86
1986 Green Desert 3 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute Maktoum Al Maktoum 1:12.25
1987 Ajdal 3 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute Sheikh Mohammed 1:11.02
1988 Soviet Star 4 Cash Asmussen André Fabre Sheikh Mohammed 1:12.55
1989 Cadeaux Genereux 4 Paul Eddery Alex Scott Maktoum Al Maktoum 1:09.82
1990 Royal Academy 3 John Reid Vincent O'Brien Classic Thoroughbred plc 1:11.46
1991 Polish Patriot 3 Ray Cochrane Guy Harwood Dick Kirstein 1:12.98
1992 Mr Brooks 5 Lester Piggott Richard Hannon, Sr. Paul Green 1:11.80
1993 Hamas 4 Willie Carson Peter Walwyn Hamdan Al Maktoum 1:13.08
1994 Owington 3 Paul Eddery Geoff Wragg Baron G. von Ullmann 1:10.96
1995 Lake Coniston 4 Pat Eddery Geoff Lewis Highclere Racing Ltd 1:12.42
1996 Anabaa 4 Freddy Head Criquette Head Ghislaine Head 1:10.63
1997 Compton Place 3 Seb Sanders James Toller 11th Duke of Devonshire 1:12.10
1998 Elnadim 4 Richard Hills John Dunlop Hamdan Al Maktoum 1:09.72
1999 Stravinsky 3 Michael Kinane Aidan O'Brien Magnier / Tabor 1:09.51
2000 Agnes World 5 Yutaka Take Hideyuki Mori Takao Watanabe 1:13.18
2001 Mozart 3 Michael Kinane Aidan O'Brien Tabor / Magnier 1:09.86
2002 Continent 5 Darryll Holland David Nicholls Lucayan Stud 1:13.00
2003 Oasis Dream 3 Richard Hughes John Gosden Khalid Abdullah 1:09.94
2004 Frizzante 5 Johnny Murtagh James Fanshawe Hopper / Grundy 1:11.51
2005 Pastoral Pursuits 4 John Egan Hughie Morrison Pursuits / National Stud 1:11.86
2006 Les Arcs 6 John Egan Tim Pitt Willie McKay 1:11.16
2007 Sakhee's Secret 3 Steve Drowne Hughie Morrison Bridget Swire 1:10.77
2008 Marchand d'Or 5 Davy Bonilla Freddy Head Carla Giral 1:11.01
2009 Fleeting Spirit 4 Tom Queally Jeremy Noseda The Searchers 1:09.58
2010 Starspangledbanner 4 Johnny Murtagh Aidan O'Brien Michael Tabor et al. 1:09.81
2011 Dream Ahead 3 Hayley Turner David Simcock Khalifa Dasmal 1:10.66
2012 Mayson 4 Paul Hanagan Richard Fahey David W. Armstrong 1:15.90
2013 Lethal Force 4 Adam Kirby Clive Cox Alan G. Craddock 1:09.11
2014 Slade Power 5 Wayne Lordan Edward Lynam Sabena Power 1:12.40

a Marinsky finished first in 1977, but he was relegated to second place following a stewards' inquiry.

Earlier winners

  • 1876: Springfield
  • 1877: Springfield
  • 1878: Trappist
  • 1879: Phenix
  • 1880: Charibert
  • 1881: Charibert
  • 1882: Tristan
  • 1883: Clairvaux
  • 1884: Geheimniss
  • 1885: Energy
  • 1886: Melton
  • 1887: Ormonde
  • 1888: Fullerton
  • 1889: Mephisto
  • 1890: Queen of the Fairies
  • 1891: Memoir
  • 1892: Workington
  • 1893: Prince Hampton
  • 1894: Best Man
  • 1895: Woolsthorpe
  • 1896: Worcester
  • 1897: Kilcock
  • 1898: Ugly
  • 1899: Eager
  • 1900: Running Stream
  • 1901: Lord Bobs
  • 1902: Sundridge
  • 1903: Sundridge
  • 1904: Sundridge
  • 1905: Delaunay
  • 1906: Thrush
  • 1907: Dinneford
  • 1908: Lesbia
  • 1909: Jack Snipe
  • 1910: Amore
  • 1911: Sunder
  • 1912: Spanish Prince
  • 1913: Spanish Prince
  • 1914: Golden Sun
  • 1915: Volta
  • 1916: Torloisk
  • 1917: no race
  • 1918: Irish Elegance
  • 1919: Diadem
  • 1920: Diadem
  • 1921: Tetratema
  • 1922: Pharmacie
  • 1923: Golden Corn
  • 1924: Drake
  • 1925: Diomedes
  • 1926: Diomedes / Phalaros *
  • 1927: Highborn II
  • 1928: Golden Oracle
  • 1929: Tiffin
  • 1930: Sir Cosmo
  • 1931: Xandover
  • 1932: Concerto
  • 1933: Myrobella
  • 1934: Coroado
  • 1935: Bellacose
  • 1936: Bellacose
  • 1937: Mickey the Greek
  • 1938: Shalfleet

* The 1926 race was a dead-heat and has joint winners.

See also

References