Newmarket July Festival preview, plus latest on Frankie Dettori, John Gosden & Robert Havlin riding ban

Panama hats, Pimms in icy jugs, paddock judges scratching their chins near the pre-parade ring and punters scratching other bits if the notorious HQ thunderbugs strike. Newmarket’s Moet & Chandon July Festival is here and this week’s File uses a Top Five theme to celebrate the three-day meeting that marks the halfway mark of the 2022 Flat season.

History hints that Ascot to HQ journey is no gimme

The market suggests this year’s Darley July Cup could be heading Down Under but it’s worth citing a small but notable sample that tells another tale.

• Choisir came closest to landing the summer showpiece for the Aussies, snagging a historic Royal Ascot double in 2003 then going down to Oasis Dream at Newmarket.
• But Takeover Target was only seventh to Les Arcs at HQ in 2006 after finishing first and third at Ascot.
• Scenic Blast followed his 2009 King’s Stand success by trailing home tenth as 11/8 jolly behind Fleeting Spirit in the JC.
• And Brazen Beau also failed to take his Ascot form to HQ, managing only seventh as 2/1 fav behind Muharaar having been an unlucky second in the Diamond Jubilee.
• All of which brings us neatly to the latest Aussie July Cup raider ARTORIUS.

HQ undulations could make life tough for latest Aussie star

The Freedman colt was the subject of sustained support for the Platinum Jubilee and ran a belter, charging home under Jamie Spencer to finish just behind Naval Crown and Creative Force and giving the impression he would have won with a little further to travel.

But the latest Aussie cab off the Ascot rank isn’t for me. It’s not the memory of previous Aussie failures that grates but more the way Artorius runs his races.

Artorius is 0-9 since his Blue Diamond win at two, largely because he struggles for early pace whether he tries six, seven or a mile. The rolling terrain of the July Course represents a much sharper test than Ascot and holdup horses who get out of rhythm early tend to be in for a tough shift trying to thread their way through from the rear.

Hard-running Naval a strong contender for Cup Crown

French star Marchand d’Or certainly wasn’t hindered by being dropped out in the July Cup but his swoop from the rear under Davy Bonilla came all the way back in 2008.

The list of strongly-fancied holdup horses who have been unable to repeat the feat since is lengthy – think Paco Boy, Scenic Blast, She Shea, Caravaggio and Dream of Dreams – and Creative Force followed suit last year when getting going too late for fifth behind Starman.

The hardy Godolphin gelding is back for another crack this year, while the three-year-old challenge is headed by Commonwealth Cup principals Perfect Power and Flaming Rib, but NAVAL CROWN looks the bet for this year’s July Cup.

Most of us were guilty of ignoring Charlie Appleby’s colt ahead of the Platinum Jubilee and Sportinglife’s Ben Linfoot has continued the disrespect by awarding the son of Dubawi a measly two stars in his July Cup rundown.

However, Naval Crown beat a high-class field fairly and squarely under James Doyle at Ascot, travelling strongly on the stand side and digging deep to beat G1 winners Creative Force and Artorius by a neck and half a length with fellow G1 scorer Campanelle back in fourth.

The Platinum Jubilee was run in a faster time than the Commonwealth Cup – producing a high-class speedfigure - and Naval Crown’s ability to secure good track position then dig in looks ideal for the July Course. With hindsight, he was way better than a 33/1 chance at Ascot. And, with foresight, the 6/1 on offer for Saturday’s big race underestimates him, too.

Cancel the divorce lawyers – Frankie and Johnny renew their vows

There’s something irredeemably sad about a famous couple splitting up in old age.

Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are back on the market as they head to the divorce courts aged 91 and 66, but what are we to make of the fact that another famous old couple are making up after one of the more dramatic public spats in recent racing history?

John Gosden initiated proceedings with his carefully crafted ‘sabbatical’ statement less than two weeks ago and ended the short-lived separation yesterday when announcing that Frankie Dettori was back in the fold to ride Inspiral in the Falmouth and Emily Upjohn in the Irish Oaks.

It’s John’s right to insist this was a necessary kick up the arse designed to get his mercurial rider back on point; it’s Frankie’s right to continue saying little outside of a brief RTV piece last week; and it’s our right to speculate on a few less-publicised factors that might have helped make this one of the shortest celebrity breakups on record.

The TIF: Also known as the Thady Intervention Factor. Perhaps the lad who will inherit the shop in due course was right behind his old man in benching Dettori. Or maybe the real Slim Thady played diplomat to help heal the rift. Young Thaddeus isn’t saying much. But I wouldn’t take a short price about option B.

The RFF: Aka the Reverse Ferret Factor. John’s ability to seduce the media with the honeyed word is unmatched but some of it just doesn’t stand up. Take the “I’m pleased Frankie has just got on with it and is getting rides everywhere” line. The bloke has had one solitary ride in Britain and two in Germany since Royal Ascot, for goodness sake.

The OOF (pt one): Aka the Owners Opining Factor. I often wonder if Sheikh Mo leaned on Jim Bolger to run New Approach in the Derby but major owners often have strong views. It’s hard to think Cheveley Park (and Juddmonte) were content to lose Frankie with no top-class sub lined up. Still, it worked out well for Jolly Jim in 2008. And it might work out nicely for Big John if Inspiral and Emily do the business.

The OOF (pt two): Aka the Other Offers Factor. Doors tend to open when superstars are free to roam and it’s clear from his RTV chat that Frankie is already eyeing an international tour before he retires. Only he knows whether there were offers from America as a bridge to the farewell tour but cutting the sabbatical short was a canny move from Gosden – just in case.

The WTF: Last but by no means least, the Weekend Traffic Factor. Did you not see how the Eclipse and Lancashire Oaks panned out? Gosden missed out on one big one at Sandown and might have seen another slip by at Haydock but for Free Wind’s agility. It might take a while to hear Frankie’s full version of Frexit and how his Italian pride was wounded. But world-class riders who make a difference on big days are few and far between. Over to you, Inspiral, Emily and, who knows, maybe even Stradivarius?

Dazzling Istabraq remains the July Sales diamond

Getting the trip thoroughly is essential to make the most of a week at Newmarket, especially if you follow a day at the races with a night at the July Sales. You pay your money and take your chance but here’s a famous five who show that the bargains – and a few budding legends – are there to be snagged by those with a keen eye.

• KNIGHT SALUTE hadn’t beaten a rival on his last four starts for Andrew Balding when he rocked up at last year’s July Sales. A bid of just 14,000gns was enough to take him to the revitalised Milton Harris and, six hurdle wins later, the Four Candles partnership have already trousered almost £170,000 in prize money. And, as the Two Ronnies would testify, that will buy you a lot of fork handles and plenty more besides.
• ‘Var, The Tatling, Var, The Tatling, Var, The Tatling. The Tatling, Var.’ Graham Goode’s pithy payoff to a Newbury G3 in 2004 came when THE TATLING was at the peak of his powers. Before that came an early spell with Michael Bell and a shorter stay with Dandy Nicholls but The Tatling was Milton Bradley’s masterpiece. He signed off aged 14 at Wolverhampton with 18 wins from 176 starts including a King’s Stand Stakes. And all that having cost just 11,000gns at the July Sales in 2001.
• JANINA presents an example of the value of seeing what might happen down the track. A promising sprinter who failed to go on for Barry Hills, she had already had several foals when knocked down to Tally-Ho Stud for 39,000gns at the July Sales of 2016. A swift visit to Kodiac and out popped Campanelle, who sold for 190,000gns as a yearling and has since won almost £600,000 thanks to her wins in the Queen Mary and Commonwealth Cup.
• What does 3,500gns get you nowadays? It was enough to secure a well-bred horse who had failed to build on Dubai promise at the July Sales in 2002 and the late David Chapman did the rest. From a Wolver win off 59 to an Ayr Gold Cup in 2003 with big handicaps and Listed races dotted throughout his career, the rugged QUITO won 20 times and stands upsides Chaplin’s Club and Glencroft as a shining example of what can follow when a sprint maestro gets hold of the right model.
• But the ultimate July Sales diamond remains ISTABRAQ, who left Gosden for 38,000gns in 1996 and retired six years later with three wins in the Champion Hurdle and four in its Irish counterpart. There’s no question Aidan O’Brien would have achieved great things without Istabraq. But Gosden’s former assistant John Durkan first spotted the youngster’s immense potential – and who knows what sort of training career he would have carved out had he lived long enough to guide him.

Temperature rises as rough riding debate hots up

‘Time will never mend, the careless riding, of our jock friends.’

The late George Michael almost summed up the thoughts of many a racing fan a long while ago and the temperature in the BHA kitchen is increasing.

True, the beleaguered beaks have dampened one fire by rescinding Rab Havlin’s controversial Lancashire Oaks ban. A more pro-active regulator would have garnered more support by putting a name and quote to the decision but maybe pressure of work was a factor. After all, Paul Hanagan’s wayward charge to Norfolk Stakes victory is the subject of an appeal on Thursday and Super Soumy will be challenging the 12-day ban he received in Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse soon after.

SSR’s Kevin Blake has led media pressure on rough riding and he’s dead right to point out that we are sleepwalking into a situation where star horses and riders will have to go down before meaningful change is even considered.

This clearly isn’t a topic to make light of but a Twitter request for memorable incidents of interference down the years produced a huge response so it’s time to mine those vaults for an infamous top five examples of big-race bargy.

• At five is the Simple Verse/Bondi Beach Leger saga of 2015: Atzeni eases out on SV. Colm O’Donoghue isn’t budging on BB. SV shades the photo. CD’s Johnnie Cochran stint seduces stewards. But Simple Verse gets the Classic back on appeal.
• At four, the stramash between Min and Simply Ned in a G1 at Leopardstown in 2017. M Walsh burrows hard up the inner on the British raider. P Townend locks him in tight to secure victory for Min only for the stewards to brandish the demotion tool.
• In at three is the 1983 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. Lester cruises home aboard Vacarme only to brush a toiling rival while gliding to the rail. The Cecil colt was gone once commissars ruled. And his mercurial owner Daniel Wildenstein wasn’t long for British racing, either.
• Remaining at two is the infamous Gold Cup of 1988 in the days when being the best horse was irrelevant to whether a winner kept the race. Royal Gait is much the best, powering five lengths clear to smash the track record, but the interference he causes on the way through sees him tossed in cold blood.
• And number one in the Bargy Hit Parade for the 48th successive year is the 1974 Queen Anne in which the first three - headed by aptly-named Confusion - are all thrown out for various misdemeanours. Proof, perhaps, that our current much-maligned rules might not be quite so bad, after all.

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.