Newmarket-July Cup week

Lillie nap of the week


Three days of great racing Wednesdays card is superb and the clash between Special Duty and Lillie Langtry makes my mouth water.

The race is full of Group1 winners with the stewards Favourite horse Special Duty(awarded both Guineas in the stipes room),Lillie Langtry who bounced back from a serious injury to impressively win the Coronation stakes last time.Stoute and Moore saddle the impressive grey Strawberrydaiquiri she won over a mile last time ,but might prefer a little further .Spacious(2nd to Strawberrydaiquiri) could end up being the main danger to Lillie,she travelled like a dream at Ascot and this easier Mile might just suit.. Throw in the Unlucky Music Show the Guineas 3rd Gile Na Greine and Royal Ascot winner Rainfall an we have a cracking field.. Wednesdays Card

Coronation Stakes Replay

Some great racing Bob just have to find the winners will get my head around it tonight.

txs

Will be taking a double Memory and Lillie

good racing good punting!

Gheest-bound War Artist to bypass July Cup bid


WAR ARTIST will miss a rematch with Golden Jubilee Stakes rivals in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Friday andwill be targeted at the Prix Maurice de Gheest instead.


The six-year-old, who was a 20-1 shot for Friday's highlight, finished sixth on his debut for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre at Royal Ascot, was to have joined stablemate Varenar in the 6f July festival sprint.

However, Paul Harley, racingmanager to owner Rupert Plersch, said on Tuesday: "Mr De Royer-Dupre has decided to wait until the Prix de Ris-Orangis in eight days time with the intention to go for the Prix Maurice de Gheest afterwards (August .

"He is very happy with War Artist but has decided against travelling him again to take on such strong opposition."

Varenar, who finished eighth in the Golden Jubilee, was due to be ridden by Christophe Lemaire in Friday's Group 1 but, due to the jockey's injury, Gerald Mosse now takes the ride.

Special Duty back for more in the Falmouth


SPECIAL DUTY bids to claim her third Group 1 contest of the season in a mouthwatering Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday, despite failing to pass the post first in 2010.

The Criquette Head-Maarek-trained filly has had a remarkable season. She wintered as the 1,000 Guineas favourite but needed the Newmarket stewards to step in to award her the first fillies' Classic after Tom Queally, who ironically takes the ride on her on Wednesday, had forced Jacqueline Quest home a nose in front but was adjudged to have caused interference.


And in an unprecedented double the Longchamp stewards promoted Special Duty to first place in the French 1,000 - the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches - after she failed by a neck to catch Liliside.



In Wednesday's Group 1 she meets older opposition for the first time, headed by Strawberrydaiquiri and Spacious who fought out a titanic finish in the Windsor Forest Stakes at Royal Ascot.

And the Classic generation is also strongly represented, headed by Lillie Langtry, winner of the Coronation Stakes at the royal meeting.

Maarek-Head said: "The filly arrived this morning and the journey went well. She is a very good traveller and is quiet and relaxed. She has been working really well. It is a tough race and there are a few who could be dangers to us. It is her first time against older fillies and if she gets beaten, then that islife."

Another Royal Ascot winner in the field is Rainfall, who beat colts in the Jersey Stakes.

Her trainer Mark Johnston said: "She is progressive and everything has gone very well since Ascot where she didn't have a hard race. She is taking on some very good older horses and this is two steps up in class as well as an extra furlong but her next race was always going to be Group 1 level."

rough looking race

Music Show swoops late to take Falmouth Stakes

Report: Newmarket, Wednesday

Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes (Group 1) 1m, fillies' & mares', 3yo+

MUSIC SHOW finally got her moment in the sun at Newmarket when swooping late to collar the game front-runner Spacious under a super-confident Richard Hughes.


Spacious held on for second with Rainfall third while favourite Lille Langtry and Special Duty both disappointed further back in the field.


The Mick Channon-trained Music Show had been luckless since an impressive victory in the Nell Gwyn. She was drawn on the ‘wrong' side in the 1,000 Guineas before being set too much to do in both the Irish Guineas and Coronation Stakes last time.

And Channon is now keen to take on the best fillies' with a shot at Goldikova is top of his list.

The trainer could hardly contain his delight after the race and said: "We always believed she was the best three-year-old filly in the country but sometimes the faith falls away - but with this filly it never did. In both Guineas she was trapped out wide and then when she was beaten as Ascot I was in bits.

"You get beat every day but with that race nothing went right and I'm not blaming Ryan [Moore] because that's just where she was drawn.

"We've beaten all the fillies that have beaten us [today], the only one that we haven't is Jacqueline Quest so we'll have to take on her!"

Of future plans, he added: "She'll probably go for the Matron and have a go at Goldikova, I really want a crack at them. I don't want to take on the colts, they look pretty good and I wouldn't have Hughesie.

"We'll have to see about an international campaign next year. I'd like to keep her next year and to step her up to a mile and a quarter."

Hughes settled Jaber Abdullah's filly in the middle of the group as Windsor Forest one-two Strawberrydaiquiri and Spacious matched strides out front.

Spacious began to lengthen and really hit her stride with three furlongs left to run, forcing Strawberrydaiquiri off the bridle before slightly hampering the filly as she drifted towards the far rail.

Coming inside the final quarter-mile it looked as if Spacious might finally break her Group 1 duck, but behind her Hughes was motionless on Music Show waiting for a gap to appear.

Spacious still led under a determined Kieren Fallon inside the final furlongwith Rainfall throwing down a strong challenge, but both were left standing as Hughes and Music Show shot past them on the outside to win impressively.

Hughes, who was completing a big-race double having guided Memory home in the Cherry Hinton, said the pace of the race was a major factor in Music Show's success: "The pace was suicidal and at halfway I was 12 lengths off them following Frankie [Dettori on Rainfall]. They were walking at the two-furlong pole and it was just a matter of easing by them."

James Fanshawe was pleased with the performance of runner-up Spacious, who provided her owner Cheveley Park Stud with its sixth successive placed runner in the race.

He said: "She ran really well. We just weren't sure who was going to go on and it was unfortunate that Music Show came and did us."

Criquette Head-Maarek was at a loss to explain Special Duty's run, saying: "She ran badly and was very disappointing. I don't know why," while a disappointed Johnny Murtagh said Lillie Langtry ran "a bit flat".

.

Cowded House is a massive price today(20/1 +),if he can come back to his Dubai form ? Dubai Run

Starspangledbanner ready to fly in July Cup

STARSPANGLEDBANNER blew his rivals away in the Golden Jubilee Stakes last month and on Friday the Australian import, who won two Group 1s in his home country before joining Aidan O'Brien in March, is on the trail of a fourth top level success in a vintage renewal of the Darley July Cup.

The Ballydoyle speedster is a strong 6-4 favourite for Friday's race and faces 13 Newmarket rivals, representing five countries, including nine horses who finished behind him in the Golden Jubilee. Society Rock, Kinsale King and Fleeting Spirit, who ran second, third and fourth respectively in the Ascot event, lead the list of contenders aiming to reverse the form.


O'Brien, who has sent out two winners of the July Cup in Mozart (2001) and Stravinsky (1999), said on Thursday: "We've known since soon after he arrived at Ballydoyle that Starspangledbanner was a very, very quick horse and we were delighted with what he showed when winning the Golden Jubilee.

"We haven't done much with him since Royal Ascot, but he seems to be fine. We are happy with him and we're all looking forward to tomorrow's race."

Society Rock belied odds of 50-1 to finish a length and three-quarters behind Starspangledbanner at Ascot and James Fanshawe is hoping that was not a flash in the pan.

The trainer said: "He was the highest drawn horse to move over to the stands' side. He ran really well. He is entitled to run here on the Ascot performance, the only thing is whether this comes a bit soon after such a tough race.

"He has put all his weight back on, has done the minimum of galloping and is really well in himself."

Crown Choice and Fleeting Spirit ew double