Our columnist is back to reflect on the July Festival and look ahead to a strong card at Newbury on Saturday.
How much did you enjoy the July Festival - and No Half Measures’ shock July Cup success?
I always enjoy racing from the July Course as it has a charming old world atmosphere and reminds me of when I first started to follow racing as it was one of the first tracks I made a pilgrimage to. Having said that, I had a busy old week last week, so was keeping half an eye on the racing whilst spinning a few plates.
I watched the July Cup from Ascot Racecourse though and enthusiastically cheered home No Half Measures when I saw that Richard Hughes was in with a shout of training his first Group One winner. I’ll admit though, that like most people, I thought she had a tough task last Saturday, as she had previous seemed more at home on a softer racing surface. On this occasion I was thrilled to be wrong!
Hughes is a lovely guy and from a family steeped in racing. He’s also incredibly approachable and easy company, and it was a wonderful result for him, his wife Lizzie, and their family. It’s not easy to make the transition from jockey to trainer even when you’re a three-time champion and this has probably felt like a slow burn for the Irishman with his first winner back in 2015. He stated his intent when he switched careers and went in full throttle by setting up at the historic Weathercock House in Lambourn, the former home of Jenny Pitman and a yard that had housed Grand National and Gold Cup winners for its former incumbent.
Trainers need these high profile winners to attract attention and I’m sure there will be many more top level successes to come for this team.
Busy week ahead includes the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival - how much do you enjoy that concept?
It’s a win for me before it’s even started because as a Yorkshire girl, I love everything to do with God’s Own County, even though I’m currently cheating on Yorkshire with Oxfordshire!
The concept is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the nine Yorkshire racecourses and to show off their unique charms. If you fancy checking any, some, or all of the courses out then the festival takes place from Friday 18 July to Saturday 26 July and there will be plenty of fun to be had plus some competitive racing to enjoy.
Of course, this week also means the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival tipping competition is back! Along with a motley crew of racing celebrities, we will be pitting our wits against each other all in the name of charity. There’s plenty to gain, and a chunk of pride at stake too. You can follow our progress on the Sporting Life and Sky Bet websites.
Sky Sports Racing cameras are at Newbury this weekend - what’s on your radar early for their card?
Well, there will be plenty of water that flows under the bridge before I get to Newbury on Saturday, but this is a magnificent day of racing with the £250,000 Weatherbys Super Sprint taking top billing.
At the time of writing there are 23 juveniles entered in the feature sales race with Havana Hurricane the market leader. His trainer Eve Johnson Houghton is enjoying an excellent run of form and she’s particularly adept at finding bargain-buy yearlings, and this lad looks another of those. The Royal Ascot-winning colt cost just 9,000 guineas last September and has won connections almost £100,000.
Man of the moment Richard Hughes has a leading contender in the shape of £3,000 purchase Our Cody and Luke Morris is already booked for this filly who will carry just 8 stone 2lbs, which is the jockey's minimum weight. Hughes also has Nifty entered and she wouldn’t be without a chance either.
Trainer Richard Hannon, and his father before him, both have an excellent record in this race. Hannon Senior helped devise this contest and he won it a record seven times. Hannon Junior has won this four times himself. Richard Hughes rode one winner for both, first for his father-in law on Monsieur Chevalier and then for his brother-in-law on Tiggy Wiggy. Hannon has four entries this time round.
Jonathan Portman has his team firing on all cylinders and he runs Son Of Sarabi, who will be a big price, but the trainer won this in 2016 with Mrs Danvers, so he knows what it takes.
Plenty will depend on the draw when that comes through on Thursday when final declarations are made, where a single figure berth would probably be a disadvantage.
There are some notable class droppers in the opening Steventon Stakes with Rashabar having his first try at Listed level having run in Group One contests on four of his last five starts. He will also be stepping up to a mile-and-a-quarter for the first time. Another class dropper is 2023 Futurity Stakes winner Ancient Wisdom, who has paid the price for his lack of consistency since that Group One juvenile win by undergoing a gelding operation since we last saw him in the Coronation Cup last month. There may not be enough rain in the forecast for him, though.
Diligent Harry has rocked up in the Hackwood Stakes on a few occasions and he comes into this Group Three off the back of an impressive front running display on the all-weather at Newcastle. Saffie Osborne gave him a brilliantly judged ride that day and is jocked up on him again. He might not be up to winning this for the first time, but he should run well. It seems incredulous that he’s never won on turf because he operates on it and he comes into with plenty of momentum.
Can you see Minnie Hauk being beaten in the Irish Oaks?
The market, and any reasonable logic, says 'no' with Minnie Hauk hot favourite to complete the Oaks-Irish Oaks double. If she can pull it off, she’ll become the 16th filly to achieve that feat and the third for Aidan O’Brien, who sent out Alexandrova in 2006 and Snowfall in 2021 to win both classics. The form of her Epsom victory is strong with runner-up Whirl subsequently beating her elders in the Pretty Polly last month and I can’t see what beats Minnie Hauk here. Hence her prohibitive odds.
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