The Tin Man has heart to win July Cup
Caravaggio and Harry Angel also in tough field Clemmie breaks track record at Newmarket
The Tin Man, fresh from his Diamond Jubilee victory at Royal Ascot, can prove that he is more than capable of landing a big race away from the Queen’s racecourse by winning today’s Darley July Cup, a race that may boast only 10 runners but does not lack for depth.
There is a strong feeling this year’s three-year-olds, represented here today by Caravaggio and Harry Angel, first and second in the Commonwealth Cup, are a cracking vintage. Aidan O’brien said they have never had a faster horse at Ballydoyle and that, to some extent, is reflected in Caravaggio’s price.
How much can be read into two six-furlong races being run on successive days is debatable but, in similar conditions, The Tin Man’s win on the Saturday was a second and a half faster than Caravaggio’s on the Friday. And when Tom Queally, who gets on so well with him, says “go”, he has a devastating turn of foot which, at Ascot, carried him from midfield to the front inside a furlong.
“He seems in good form,” said James Fanshawe yesterday about the notoriously unflashy worker. “He’s been nice and bright since Ascot. It’s a fascinating race. All I can do is keep it simple and get The Tin Man there in one piece ready to fight his corner.”
He added: “I hope he handles Newmarket as well as he does Ascot. He’s also won at Newbury and Doncaster and he works on the Limekilns, which would not be dissimilar to the undulations of the July course. It’s a very good race and not just restricted to the five [The Tin Man, Caravaggio, Harry Angel, last year’s winner Limato and Tasleet] being highlighted. There are others who might not have been on best form last time that are quite capable.”
O’brien felt Caravaggio might improve further for the run after Ascot and Ryan Moore also felt the same about Limato, third behind The Tin Man, who was coming back after an injury picked up in Dubai. Harry Angel likes to make the running and if it is anything like Ascot, Ballydoyle’s Intelligence Cross is there to screw up any chance of an easy lead.
On one of the busiest racing days of the year, Ruth Carr’s decision to avoid the Queen Anne with her stable star Sovereign Debt can pay off by winning Ascot’s Summer Mile. Michael Appleby’s Big Country should have a hand in the finish of the John Smith’s Cup at York, and Frankie Dettori’s trip to The Curragh to ride Enable in the Darley Irish Oaks should be fruitful.
John Gosden’s Epsom winner should be good enough to put a stop on an O’brien clean sweep of Irish Classics but, a day after retiring one of Ballydoyle’s bestever fillies, Minding, O’brien was in good form at Newmarket with his fillies yesterday; Clemmie, a sister to Churchill, won the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes and Roly Poly made nearly all to win the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes, the trainer’s 11th Group One this season.
After going AWOL in the Albany, Clemmie has won both starts since and was impressive beating Nyaleti a length and three-quarters and setting a two-year-old track record.
Godolphin’s Wuhieda challenged Roly Poly two out and looked a threat until a lack of match practice took its toll inside the last furlong.
“She’s a tough, hardy filly,” said winning owner Michael Tabor. “She might only be small but she battles well and this surface suits.”