Newmarket 2.40 – 6F July Stakes (Group 2 – colts and geldings) Good to Firm
Eight colts and one gelding have been declared for this Group 2 race. All are set to carry 9 stone and every runner has already won a race.
| HORSE | TRAINER | JOCKEY |
| Areen | Kevin Ryan | Jamie Spencer |
| Elronaq | Charles Hills | Paul Hanagan |
| Eltezam | Richard Hannon | Frankie Dettori |
| Experto Crede | Ed Walker | Ryan Moore |
| Orvar | Richard Hannon | Richard Hughes |
| Sandahl | Ralph Beckett | Richard Kingscote |
| Shalaa | John Gosden | Robert Havlin |
| Sixth Sense | Mark Johnston | William Buick |
| Steady Pace | Saeed bin Suroor | James Doyle |
AREEN – Won on debut at York in a Class 3 maiden before appearing in the National Stakes (Listed) at Sandown, finishing sixth (STEADY PACE was third). Just about everything which could go wrong did that evening. His next outing was in the Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed) when he came from a fair way back to challenge with a strong run to finish second, beaten a head. He reversed the form with STEADY PACE ¾ length back in third; ORVAR was nearly four lengths further back in sixth. Steps up to 6F today (his dam won at 7F).
ELRONAQ – Finished 1¼ lengths behind ELTEZAM at Haydock on debut (the winner had the benefit of a previous run). On his next start, he won his maiden over course and distance by 3¼ lengths. Of the four runners to have raced since, none have been placed.
ELTEZAM – A winner at Newbury on debut, finishing in front of SIXTH SENSE and SHALAA who were also making their debuts. Beat ELRONAQ at Haydock before finishing third in the Coventry Stakes (Group 2). Holds a Group 1 entry in Ireland later in the season.
EXPERTO CREDE – A winner of a Class 4 maiden over course and distance on debut; the two subsequent runners from this race have been unplaced. 290000 guineas purchase at a Breeze Up sale.
ORVAR – Won a 5F Class 4 maiden at Salisbury by 2½ lengths under a hands and heels ride on debut and then was sixth behind AREEN and STEADY PACE in the Windsor Castle Stakes. Steps up to 6F today (three siblings have all won at 7F). Holds a Group 1 entry in Ireland later in the season.
SANDAHL – The only gelding in the race. Fourth on debut at Nottingham before winning a Class 3 maiden at York by ¾ length. Second, third, fourth and fifth from that race have all won maidens next time out. Was due to carry top weight in a nursery at Pontefract on Tuesday but was a was a non runner (girth gall).
SHALAA – Last of eight at Newbury in the race won by ELTEZAM before winning a Class 4 maiden at Newmarket (Rowley). Of the five runners to have raced since, two have been placed. After the race John Gosden said: ‘He had a bit of stage fright at Newbury and was just looking around at the other horses. He was still learning today. We don’t want to rush him. He will go for a conditions race, then on to something at the July meeting. He is a nice horse that just needs to learn to grow up a bit. He is only a baby, so we won’t be roaring off to Royal Ascot with him.’
SIXTH SENSE – The most experienced horse in the race with five runs under his belt. His only win came at Pontefract over 5F but last time out finished third in the 7F Chesham Stakes (Listed) where he tried to make all but was headed inside the final furlong. After the race Mark Johnston said: ‘When he won at Pontefract [over five furlongs] we said he would be a Chesham horse and we were not too far wrong. I’m very happy with that. When he went clear inside the final furlong, I did wonder whether coming back to six furlongs would have been better but James [McDonald] said he was happy over seven furlongs, just the others stayed a little bit better.’ Drops back to 6F today. Holds a Group 1 entry in Ireland later in the season.
STEADY PACE – A comfortable winner of a Class 3 maiden at Ascot, he then finished third in the National Stakes (Listed) and third, behind AREEN in the Windsor Castle Stakes. Steps up to 6F today. After his last run James Doyle said: ‘Something was amiss at Sandown. STEADY PACE was back to himself this time. He will be better over six.’ Holds a Group 1 entry in Ireland later in the season.
Summary
An interesting line up where we get the chance to see the form from the Coventry Stakes compare with the Windsor Castle Stakes. In the Dragon Stakes at Sandown last Friday, the form of the Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) held up over the Windsor Castle Stakes.
If Mark Johnston had sent BURATINO to run in the July Stakes, I would suspect he would be a fairly short priced favourite. However he runs SIXTH SENSE, so we will also get a comparison with the Chesham Stakes form. Having put up SIXTH SENSE at 20/1 for the Chesham, I am not confident that he will step up to Group 2 company today.
AREEN seems the likeliest winner from the Windsor Castle runners.
It might be expected that ELRONAQ could improve on his debut run to reverse the placings with ELTEZAM, but the form of his Newmarket win has not been franked so far.
It was suggested that SHALAA would have another run before this race. The fact that he hasn’t could be a positive that he didn’t need one or a negative that he hasn’t had one.
EXPERTO CREDE, an expensive Breeze Up purchase could be anything and as it was proposed to run SANDAHL in a nursery this week, I can’t think he could win this race.
A watching brief for me but if you put a gun to my head, I would plump for ELTEZAM to uphold the Coventry Stakes form.
Pre-race quotes from connections
Richard Hannon: ‘ELTEZAM is a big colt and, though he ran a smashing race to finish third in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, we feel that he has improved since. He has strengthened and put on weight and, though Goodwood is definitely on the cards, the July Stakes is too good a race to pass by and the three-week gap is ideal. ORVAR will need to step up on his sixth in the Windsor Castle Stakes, but his 17 draw did him no favours there as all the action was far side and he did not get competitive until it was all over. The extra furlong will suit him.’
Angus Gold, racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum on ELRONAQ: ‘He’s just had the two runs, running a very promising race first time before winning his maiden well. Hopefully he’s come on again from that and he is potentially a nice horse, I think. It will be interesting to see how he gets on.’
James Doyle on STEADY PACE: ‘He is better than he has shown in his last two starts and, granted better luck, can show his true colours. I was really pleased with him at Ascot. To be fair I felt things didn’t really went our way. We were drawn slightly away from all the pace. They merged over to that far rail and we were stuck in the middle a bit on our own. I felt he did everything right. His previous race in the National Stakes was just a write off really. He had a horse gallop into the back of him for the best part of three furlongs which set him alight a little bit and then when I moved over to let that horse, go we were posted about six off the far rail on the sprint track at Sandown. We put a line through that. It was a much better performance at Ascot. He’s come on again and has thrived since that race so he’s done really well.’
Ed Walker on EXPERTO CREDE: ‘He’s very exciting. He was an expensive breeze-up colt. He’s a big, good-looking horse. I think in time he’ll be good enough. Whether it comes a bit early in his career, time will tell and it’s only two weeks after his debut. He’s still a big colt and possibly a little bit on the weak side, but we think he’s very smart and we’re looking forward to seeing him out. He did it really well. He was very babyish and very green. Antonio Fresu gave him a lovely introduction and he just did it very naturally. I think there will be a lot of improvement. He’s such a big colt I just think it might come a bit too quick, but he’ll get better with time as the year goes on.’
John Gosden on SHALAA: ‘I was rather keen on running him in the nice maiden at Newbury the day before he ran in the conditions race but his owner was there. He found the pace of the novice race a bit beyond him. Shalaa won his maiden well at the Rowley Mile. Richard Hughes (who was on the third horse Nisser) said it was a very quick, and good, maiden and the best one he had ridden in before Ascot.’
Two Year Old Racing 2015 