11 talented sprinters lined up for the feature event at the Newmarket July Festival. Having featured prominently in the market in the days leading up to the race, solid support propelled Japanese raider, Satono Reve, into favouritism. Second in the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, could the Noriyuki Hori-trained star finally get his head in front on British soil?
Karle Burke’s Venetian Sun was one of three Royal Ascot winners in the field. Trading as favourite earlier in the week, the three-year-old filly sought to follow up her Commonwealth Cup success.
Having mastered Satono Reve by a nose in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, Almeraq boasted solid form claims for William Haggas, who hoped to win the race for the first time. Haggas had a strong second string to his bow in the shape of Division, who lost out by just ¾l when third in the Commonwealth Cup.
Aidan O’Brien’s Mission Central was the third Royal Ascot hero in the field, having finished with a flourish to land the King Charles III Stakes. If handling the step back up to 6f, the mount of Ryan Moore looked set to go well. Donnacha O’Brien’s Comanche Brave also made the trip over from Ireland, having finished an unlucky-in-running seventh in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Moving down the betting list, Double Rush had taken his form to new heights since moving to the Andrew Balding operation in March. Arriving with a mark of 90, three wins in as many starts saw the four-year-old climb to 110 ahead of this assignment.
Others to note included the Group 2 winner, Coppull, who represented two-time July Cup winner Clive Cox, and Big Mojo, who finished a neck second for the Michael Appleby team in 2025.
Result
- 1st – Comanche Brave 11/1, Jockey: Billy Loughnane, Trainer: Donnacha O’Brien
- 2nd – Venetian Sun 6/1, Jockey: Clifford Lee, Trainer: Karl Burke
- 3rd – Satono Reve 2/1F, Jockey: Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, Trainer: Noriyuki Hori
Prize Money Breakdown
- 1st – £453,680
- 2nd – £172,000
- 3rd – £86,080
- 4th – £42,880
- 5th – £21,520
- 6th – £10,800
Tote and Forecast Payouts
- Tote Win – £12.65
- Tote Places – 1st – £3.15, 2nd – £2.55, 3rd – £1.25
- Exacta – £93.60
- Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) – £75.34
- Trifecta – £286.90
- Tricast – £182.14
Recap
Mission Central and Satono Reve broke best when the stalls opened, with the Japanese runner winning the battle for the early lead up the centre of the track. Almeraq sat in a close third, just ahead of Coppull. Nine of the 11 runners raced together in the central group. Quinault and Big Mojo were the two exceptions, with the pair racing together towards the stands side rail.
Little change in the order 2f into the race. Satono Reve held sway in the larger group, with Mission Central and Almeraq continuing to hold a prominent position. Double Rush had moved up to take closer order, ahead of Venetian Sun, who moved well in the centre of the pack. Now tight against the stands rail, Quinault and Big Mojo remained apart from the main group.
Hitting the 2f pole, Satono Reve still led but was being ridden to do so. Mission Central tried to challenge but found little, while Double Rush began to retreat. Division and Venetian Sun were responding and edging closer, but it was the Donnacha O’Brien runner Comanche Brave who travelled much the best. Quinault backed out of it on the near side. Big Mojo plugged on, without making any inroads on the far side leaders.
Comanche Brave kicked a length clear as the runners met the rising ground inside the final furlong, responding willingly to Billy Loughnane’s urgings. Coppull emerged to throw down a challenge but couldn’t sustain it, while Satono Reve rallied in third but had no answer to Comanche Brave’s late burst.
Switched to the far side, Venetian Sun finished well to overhaul Coppull and Satono Reve. However, the Karl Burke filly had left it too late to get to Comanche Brave, who was showing no sign of wilting. The four-year-old stuck it out well to score by a length from Venetian Sun, with Satono Reve edging out Coppull for third.
Both trainer and jockey won the July Cup for the first time. For Donnacha O’Brien, this represented a seventh win in Britain, with five of those victories coming in Group 1 events. It was a third career Group 1 for 20-year-old rider Billy Loughnane.
Runners
- 1. Almeraq – SP: 11/2, Trainer: William Haggas, Jockey: Tom Marquand
- 2. Big Mojo – SP: 12/1, Trainer: Michael Appleby, Jockey: William Buick
- 3. Comanche Brave – SP: 11/1, Trainer: Donnacha O’Brien, Jockey: Billy Loughnane
- 4. Double Rush – SP: 8/1, Trainer: Andrew Balding, Jockey: Oisin Murphy
- 5. Prince Of India – SP: 80/1, Trainer: Marco Botti, Jockey: Pat Dobbs
- 6. Quinault – SP: 66/1, Trainer: Stuart Williams, Jockey: Marco Ghiani
- 7. Satono Reve – SP: 2/1F, Trainer: Noriyuki Hori, Jockey: Christophe-Patrice Lemaire
- 8. Coppull – SP: 28/1, Trainer: Clive Cox, Jockey: Saffie Osborne
- 9. Division – SP: 11/1, Trainer: William Haggas, Jockey: James Doyle
- 10. Mission Central – SP: 13/2, Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Ryan Moore
- 11. Venetian Sun – SP: 6/1, Trainer: Karl Burke, Jockey: Clifford Lee
Non-Runners
All ran.