Five Horses To Take Out Of The July Festival

Royal Lytham began an excellent weekend for trainer Aidan O'Brien and his Ballydoyle brigade, when taking the Group Two July Stakes for juveniles.

The two-year-old-son of Gleneagles won on debut at Navan in his maiden in early June, before not getting the best of passages in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He was certainly infringed of getting much closer to the principles that day, but was not for passing on the July Course when getting the better of Platinum Star - with the use of the rail to score rather snuggly under Wayne Lordan.

Visinari was the disappointment back in third for Mark Johnston but do not give up hope on him just yet.

Royal Lytham certainly looks smart and the sooner he goes up in trip, the better.

Veracious finally got her head in front in a Group One after a series of close-enough misses for Sir Michael Stoute.

Initially before the race, the verdict was that this four-year-old daughter of Frankel had not progressed quite as well as had been expected from her juvenile and three-year-old efforts.

She was last but one in the Dahlia Stakes on return at HQ, before finishing a better third in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom.

Veracious was growing with every effort, but still proved no match in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot when finishing fourth.

However, it was her time in the Falmouth when a gutsy display from the front paid off under Oisin Murphy.

Moss Gill was very unfortunate not to prevail in the bet365 Handicap on the Thursday, when just being defied by a short-head by Paul D'Arcy's Pass The Vino.

The lightly-raced three-year-old arrived at Newmarket bidding for a hat-trick of wins are triumphing at Doncaster and Ripon over five furlongs in June.

Upped to six, he was in the hands of a beautiful ride from Nicola Currie but just could not get to the winner.

No Nay Never had a great weekend with Ten Sovereigns winning the July Cup, but he would have been proud of another of his progeny who remains nicely handicapped going forward for other big handicap sprinting targets.

Perhaps York is next on the agenda if Glorious Goodwood comes round too soon for James Bethell's gelding.

Duke Of Hazzard finally reshowed the promise of his two-year-old days with victory in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes.

The now three-year-old looks heavily raced given his age, and showed his best around this time last year when breaking his maiden at the fifth time of asking at Glorious Goodwood.

Three starts later, he took the Listed Prix Isonomy at Deauville in France, but failed to fire in his next four appearances.

Three of those came this season, and his fifth in the Jersey Stakes offered plenty of encouragement which he used to his advantage when bolting up on the July Course.

Breaking well, he quickened to lead inside the final furlong breezing past Turgenev, and won by a healthy margin under PJ McDonald.

Could certainly be at this best now and definitely of interest in this grade.

Dubai Tradition won the concluding race at Newmarket's July Cup meeting, when taking the Maritime Cargo Handicap over the mile-and-a-half trip.

The three-year-old showed plenty of potential last time at Pontefract when landing a novice event and in effect, breaking his maiden at the third time of asking.

A well-bred colt, he began his handicap venture on a sensible mark of 88 and just got the better on Roger Varian's Apparate under Andrea Atzeni.

Hector Crouch sported the infamous blue colours of Godolphin for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who appears to have hit a bit of form lately.

Dubai Tradition is definitely one to keep an eye on wherever he turns up next after a very smart performance from the front, which demonstrated all his heart and guts.