17:10 That's it from the first day of the 2008 July Festival.

The weather certainly has not been summer weather and we have had some unexpected results, no surprise when you consider the going started at Good and ended up as Soft.

The forecast is for the rain to stop around 1:30 tomorrow morning, with a dry morning and temperatures around 20 degrees. There is a possibility of some showers tomorrow afternoon.

Although I found it hard to find winners today, my comments about the crowd size at 12:50 look to be spot on. Although there are no official figures available yet the feeling from course officials is the crowd size is some 45% down on last year. Clearly the weather is the main factor.

From Newmarket good night.

17:00 A very odd final race.

The first point to note is the terrible performance of the favourite Goodbye Mr Bond, who ran no sort of race and finished a very unimpressive second last. It can’t be the going as he has won on most going types from Good to Firm through to Heavy. A very disappointing run, clearly the stewards are not impresses as there has just been a call for the trainer to visit the stewards.

The race itself was run at a moderate pace with Den’s Gift to the fore everywhere but the finishing line.

Honours went to Habshan, under George Baker, who put in an enterprising run, starting towards the rear, then tracking the leaders three out before running on at the finish to win by 1¼ lengths from the front runner, who looked one pace in the final stages and the eye catching Billy Dane taking third.

16:35 A decimated field for our final race as we now have six non-runners, all due to the ground.

16:25 There are times when you question your own judgement.

When looking at this race last night the stand out horse was Meydan City, an expensive Godolphin purchase who wasn’t exactly impressive on his debut 18 days ago.

On course here he was drifting in the betting like the Marie Celeste, opening at what I thought was a generous 5/1 and drifting out to 7/1.

The money was coming in for the Roger Charlton trained King Of The Gypsies available at 11/4 in places and going off a very well backed 2/1.

They set off at a very sedate pace, so sedate that Pebble Rock who was 20 lengths adrift, after virtually refusing to start, managed to catch the field up after 1½ furlongs.

The early pace, as it was, was set by the grey Woodcutter and Applause, with another well backed runner, Hall Hee tracking the two leaders.

Frankie on Meydan City was happy to track from the rear.

Most of the field were happy to settle by the stands rail, clearly ignoring all the signs from early on.

Frankie was obviously alert as he took Meydan City to the centre of the track and launched a decisive run as they approached the furlong marker.

15:50 A real conundrum of a race for the fifth, with eleven two-year-olds, nine of which were making their racecourse debut.

Well technically making their debut as the Andrew Balding trained Swindler was entered at Ascot but was withdrawn after cutting himself when banging his head in the stalls.

Some sages say that in these sort of races experience counts and this was reflected in the market with Soul City, one of the two experienced runners going off the 7/2 favourite and bringing some welcome relief for punters.

The favourite was soon in the lead and ultimately went on to confirm two obvious stats from the afternoon, namely it helps to front run and the centre of the course has the better ground.

There was a bit of a dual in the closing stages between the favourite and Swindler (and the way the latter ran it seems the cold has no ill effects from his bang on the head).

In the end it was the favourite who prevailed with Swindler having to survive a photo to grab second from the promising looking Whispering Angel with Derbaas and, the reluctant to post, Holyrood dead heating for fourth place.

15:15 A very interesting Falmouth Stakes, where the entire complexion of the race changed inside the final furlong.

It seemed we were destined to have a battle between the top two in the betting Heaven Sent and Infallible, that was until Frankie Dettori launched a well timed run on the Mark Johnston trained grey Nahoodh to deny the market principles.

By his own high standards Johnston has been going through a lean spell in recent weeks and it is only in the last week that his stable seems to have hit form again.

The race itself was tactically muddling. At the start Finsceal Beo, who had been reasonably well backed before the off, surrendered four lengths to her rivals as she badly missed the break. The outsider Hip was also tardy out of the stalls hanging to her right.

The lead changed several times in the early stages but it was Lady Gloria and Hip, who recovered from her poor start, who generally set the pace.

Lady Gloria came under pressure in the lead three out and a decent challenge came from the New Zealand raider Seachange.

The principles were lurking however and soon it became a battle between Seachange, Infallible and Heaven Sent. Of the three it was Infallible who looked the better with Heaven
Sent never looking likely to pass her, these two outclassing the Kiwi challenger.

It was Frankie though, who trumped them all with he brilliant run.

Infallible took second, Heaven Sent third and Seachange was not disgraced in fourth.

There was a stewards enquiry after the race into some minor interference in the closing stages but it was nothing that would impact the result.

Chris Richardson from Chevely Park Stud reported he was very pleased with the performances of the runner-up and third placed runners, Infallible and Heaven sent.

He said, "They have both run a blinder.

"Infallible proved she stayed the trip today. She has plenty of speed, however, we could consider races over six or seven furlongs for her."

Seachange has run her last race, trainer Graeme Sanders said, "That was a good, honest, run. She tried hard.

"We didn't want the rain - we wanted it firm. I'm not saying she would have won but she may have finished second."

Although entered in the July Cup, she will not run.

"We only left her in the July Cup in case she did not run today.

"That was her last run and she will go off to stud in New Zealand."

14:55 Despite the times indicating the ground still being on the good side, the official going is now Good to Soft.

14:40 They say it is not over until the fat lady sings, in the Cherry Hinton it was not over until Please Sing, who is nothing like fat, crossed the line in first place.

Not even her trainer, Mick Channon, who saddled three of the eight runners would have pretended the winner was his first string, as her odds of 14/1 told.

The Ballydoyle challenger, Heart Shaped, was the uneasy 2/1 favourite to reverse Ascot form with Lucky Leigh, who must have been Channon’s first string.
In the event Lucky Leigh ran no sort of race, (un)settled mid-division and never making any form of challenge.

The favourite ran a muddling race, veering right as she fell out of the stalls, running into second half way, then fading towards the end.

It was the family Hills combo, dad Barry and son Michael, who set the pace on Art Princess and inside the final furlong it looked as though she had stolen a good enough lead to take the prize.

Edward Creighton on Please Sing had other ideas and he launched the filly with a decisive run inside the final furlong and he won by ¾ length, with the front running Art Princess in second and the outsider of the field Ahla Wasahl taking third.

14:20 Breaking news, Darjina is out of the big one, presumably due to the going.

14:05 A 20 runner nightmare over the straight six, in a very competitive handicap, which was only 2/100th of a second outside standard, confirming the view the going is good.

We also saw another front running performance, although not as marked as in the last race, it is also interesting to note the winner came down the centre of the course again.

In truth two out it looked as almost any one of the twenty could have been in with a chance.
Spanish Bounty had a slight lead at that point in the race and under an enterprising Tom Queally ride, the gelding held off the late, dare I say flying, challenge of Spitfire who shot down almost all his rivals.

It was a real blanket finish for the minor places and it took judge Di Clarke a good few minutes to decide Tawaash was third and Dohasa fourth.

The fourth was a late ride for Kevin Manning after Johnny Murtagh missed both his rides today after his flight was grounded due to technical problems.

Ryan Moore will now ride Heart Shaped in the Cherry Hinton.

Winning trainer Johnny Portman was delighted with the win, his biggest as a trainer. The trainer adbitted he had been "concerned by the rain" as he "always thought he was a top of the ground horse."

He went on to say, "we don't often win these sort of races, so I am a little bit shocked."

The trainer of Spitfire, John Jenkins, was pleased with his runner saying, "The horse had a big weight and he ran his heart out."

"I don't know where we will go from here. Today has been the plan for some time and we thought he had a good chance."

13:45 We have another non-runner in our last race, Officer does not run, again due to the going.

13:40 The first race may well have been a thirteen runner handicap but the betting said it was a one horse race with, Red Dune from the Michael Jarvis yard the well backed 11/8 favourite.

The betting was spot on this time as Phillip Robinson took the filly into the lead as soon as the stalls opened and from then on never looked to be in any danger.

Badweia, the pick of the three Hamdan Al Maktoum runners, looked to be a threat two out but she was soon under pressure.

Just Like A Woman, appropriately ridden by leading lady jockey Hayley Turner was running on well to take second place, with Insaaf, the second string of the Maktoum runners taking third.

The remainder of the field finished very much in a bunch and I think the ¾ winning margin does not do the winner justice. She looks a nice filly who is sure to progress further.  

13:10 The Arab race went to the favourite, Nashwan Al Khalidiah, one of three runners owned by Prince Khaled Bin Sultan Al Saud, who also took second place with Simmbad.

12:55 The runners are going down for our first – no don’t panic, it’s an Arab Race, the traditional opener to the July meeting.

12:50 With just 45 minutes to our opener I have to say the crowds don’t look to be that big. Then again they could all be hiding inside or be sheltering in their cars until the last minute.

Tomorrow, Ladies Day, looks to be a sell out however, with the added bonus of a dryer forecast.

Today the Ladies take centre stage on the course and the continued good going makes it look as though the favourite Darjina is going to standing her ground in the big race. She is currently a best priced 5/2 whilst there has been steady support for Sir Michael Stout’s Heaven Sent who is around 9/2.     

12:30 Typical - as soon as I open my mouth and declare it has stopped raining, the heavens open again.

Actually nothing of biblical proportions, but horrible wet stuff nonetheless.

12:20 Having walked the course the official going is still being given as Good by Clerk Of The Course, Michael Prosser, something with which I would concur. There has been 1.6mm of rain up until 11:30.

It is currently dry but the course is surrounded by nasty grey clouds.

11:30 Good morning from a wet Newmarket, although the rain did not start here until 08:00. They are out checking the going as I write this, but my intital feeling is the ground is still good.

I must confess I am tempted to call this the October meeting rather than the July meeting as there is a distinct autumnal feel in the air.

Three non-runners so far, all in the last and all due to the going. It also reduces the field to 14, so only each-way the first three - quel surprise?

Return to race archive

Non-Runners

3:10
1 Darjina

4:55
2 Yarqus (withdrawn - going)
4 Bustan (going)
6 Officer (going)
12 Fr Dominic (going)
13 Buxton (going)
14 Pugalist (going)

Results

1:30

1st 7 Red Dune 11/8 fav
2nd 11 Just Lik A Woman 12/1
3rd 6 Insaaf 14/1
13 Ran
Distances 3/4L &v 1 3/4L
Tote
Win £2.40
Place £1.50 £3.80 £3.60
Exacta £26.30

2:00

1st 9 Spanish Bounty 33/1
2nd 3 Spitfire 14/1
3rd 2 Tawaash 8/1
4th 1 Dohasa 25/1
20 Ran
Distances 3/4L , 3/4L & head
Tote
Win £37.40
Place £6.80 £3.00 £2.40 £5.70
Exacta £505.60

2:35 Cherry Hinton Stakes

1st 7 Please Sing 14/1
2nd 2 Art Princess 10/1
3rd 1 Ahla Wasahl 25/1
8 Ran
Distances 3/4L & 1L
Tote
Win £17.90
Place £3.50 £2.40 £4.90
Exacta £128.10

3:10 Falmouth Stakes

1st 12 Nahoodh 10/1
2nd 10 Infallible 7/2
3rd 3 Heaven Sent 3/1 fav
11 Ran NR 1
Distances 1 3/4L & 3/4L
Tote
Win £11.10
Place £3.30 £1.60 £1.20
Exacta £56.30

3:45

1st 8 Soul City 7/2 fav
2nd 9 Swindler 5/1
3rd 11 Whispering Angel 8/1
11 Ran
Distances neck & head
Tote
Win £4.00
Place £1.80 £2.40 £2.90
Exacta £19.80

4:20

1st 4 Meydan City 7/1
2nd 6 Woodcutter 8/1
3rd 3 King Of The Gypsies 2/1 fav
9 Ran
Distances 3/4L & 2 3/4L
Tote
Win £7.00
Place £1.80 £2.30 £1.40
Exacta £48.20

4:55

1st 5 Habshan 8/1
2nd 9 Den's Gift 7/1
3rd 11 Billy Dane 9/1
11 Ran NR's 2, 4 , 6 , 12 , 13 & 14
Distances 1 1/4L & 3/4L
Tote
Win £9.30
Place £2.80 £2.70 £3.60
Exacta £72.10