Western Daily Press (Saturday)
July Cup is a big step up – Meade
MARTYN Meade admits that Advertise faces the toughest race of his career to date in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket.
Winner of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, Advertise has been ultra-consistent in his short career to date, save a disappointing run in the 2000 Guineas when Meade’s horses were under the weather. He will be taking on older horses for the first time today, and Meade is uncertain as to how the Classic crop will fare.
He said: “Three-year-olds do have a good record in this, but it is a tough ask, by far the toughest race of his career so far. He’s going into unknown territory, taking on the older horses.
“Some of the older ones can be in and out of form, but when they are on-song they take a bit of beating. It’s a big step we’ve got to take.
“On balance we’ve just got to throw him in and hope he puts his best foot forward. He’s won on the track last year (in the July Stakes);
he’s come on since then, so I hope he can pull it off.
“He’s joint-highest rated with Dream Of Dreams – they look evenly matched – and there’s the (Aidan) O’Brien horses as well, although we held Ten Sovereigns at Ascot and beat So Perfect at the Curragh. It’s the July Cup, they’ve all got a chance, so we’ll just hope for the best. It’s about how you perform on the day.”
Sir Michael Stoute’s Dream Of Dreams came within a whisker of denying Blue Point his famous Ascot double, and a re-production of that effort will surely see him go close.
Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, said: “I wasn’t expecting him to run so well at Ascot, but I think Sir Michael was – he had every confidence. Obviously he finished the race very well. Sir Michael was expecting a prominent run and thought he’d go close.
“I’m not so sure about the track.
Owner Henry Ponsonby is targeting another major handicap success, with Scarlet Dragon in York’s John Smith’s Diamond Jubilee Cup today, to follow up the Northumberland Plate victory of Who Dares Wins two weeks ago.
Like Newcastle hero Who Dares Wins, Scarlet Dragon is a dual-purpose performer who has shown decent form over hurdles – and was last seen over timber at Sandown when fourth to Getaway Trump.
His best Flat form has been against subsequent King George winner Poet’s Word and Prince of Wales’s hero Crystal Ocean – and trainer Alan King has his string in good form.
Asked if it was beyond the realms to be thinking of winning two of the biggest handicaps of the season, Ponsonby said: “I can imagine it, because we’ve had this race planned for over a year.
“He’s a course-and-distance winner three years ago on Ebor day in a big handicap, and since his Sandown run he’s had a lovely break and is as well as we can get him.
“I’m pleased to have got Tom Queally, because he has had three rides for me at York and they’ve all won, including First Mohican in the Ebor.
“We could have done with a better draw than 16 – that’s the only negative. But there’s a big handicap in him.
“He travels well, he likes the track – and we fancied him for the Ebor two years ago, but he didn’t appear to stay.
“With a positive ride we hope he can be in the money – he’s overpriced at around 20-1. He’s got a lot of class.” He made his debut on the Rowley Mile and was only just beaten. It was soft ground that day and led us into thinking for a while that he needed it, but he doesn’t.
“This season he’s worked like a different horse – he only works on his own but he’s moving beautifully. He looks like a winner going up the gallops – but whether he can win this, I don’t know.
“He used to be keen early, but he’s not now. He’s a relaxed horse, and I don’t really need to say what a good job Sir Michael has done with him – his whole demeanour has changed.”
Another Royal Ascot winner was Cape Byron, but he steps up markedly in class from the Wokingham Handicap to the highest level.
Trainer Roger Varian said: “He seems in good form. I thought his Wokingham win was comprehensive in a very competitive handicap carrying a large weight. Whether it was a Group One performance, he probably needs to improve again to win a July Cup.”