Hootenanny and Undrafted lead US charge on Darley July Cup

Hootenanny surges to victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes last summer. Image copyright of Laurence Squire.

Newmarket’s Darley July Cup has attracted an extremely strong overseas contingent from three different continents among a 68-strong entry for the fourth race of the QIPCO British Champions Series Sprint division at Newmarket on Saturday 11 July. 

No less than 24 foreign horses, including a trio from last year’s winning trainer, Ireland’s Edward Lynam, are in line to take part in this six-furlong Group 1 contest.

Kentucky-based trainer Wesley Ward is responsible for both the potential American challengers in the shape of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner, Hootenanny, and Undrafted, who crossed the Atlantic to finish fourth in this race last year. 

And Australia could be represented by two colts already successful at Group 1 level – Brazen Beau, a dual top level scorer over this distance in recent months, and Wandjina, from the yard of the first Australian woman to land the Melbourne Cup, Gai Waterhouse. 

The home team features both the crack three-year-olds, Tiggy Wiggy and Limato, and last year’s runner-up, Tropics, while the potential French bid is spearheaded by trainer Alex Pantall’s three Pattern Race-winning sprinters, Gammarth, Goken and Rangali. 

Lynam enjoyed an incredible 2014, landing four of Britain’s five Group 1 sprint prizes, including the Darley July Cup with the now-retired Slade Power. This time around his entries are the veteran, Sole Power, who bounced back to his best with a wonderful victory in Dubai last time out, plus a pair of Group 2 winners, Anthem Alexander and a recent recruit to his stable, Moviesta.   

Edward Lynam said: “The Darley July Cup is the jewel in the sprinting crown as far as I am concerned. I think that it’s the most high profile of all the Group 1s. We had a fabulous day when winning it last year and would be delighted to win it again.” 

“Anthem Alexander is very well and I am very happy with her. She is definitely a sprinter, it’s just a matter of working out if she is best over five or six furlongs.” “Her next aim is the Commonwealth Cup at Ascot and, providing we get some summer weather and summer ground I hope to get a run into her before then. She won’t be taking up her entry at Nottingham on Saturday but there are other possible races for her at Naas and Haydock Park.” 

“Sole Power was going to come over to Newmarket for the Palace House Stakes but he had a minor hiccup which required antibiotics so, given that he would have had to carry an eight pound penalty, we decided not to come.” 

“We intend to bring him over for the Temple Stakes and the King’s Stand Stakes and, if the Darley July Cup was run on fast ground, I would love him to take his chance.” 

“Moviesta has been here for about four weeks and he arrived [from Bryan Smart’s yard]  looking very well. But his muscle enzyme levels were very high and, although after a few weeks of light exercise they are going in the right direction, it will be June before he is ready to run.”   

The full entries for the Darley July Cup are:

Aetna (GB), Aljamaaheer (IRE), Anthem Alexander (IRE), Astaire (IRE), Beach Belle (GB), Beacon (GB), Blhadawa (IRE), Bossy Guest (IRE), Brazen Beau (AUS), Cappella Sansevero (GB), Caspar Netscher (GB), Cotai Glory (GB), Cougar Mountain (IRE), Danzeno (GB), Dick Whittington (IRE), Divine (IRE), Due Diligence (USA), Dutch Connection (GB), Eastern Impact (IRE), Eisenhower (USA), Endless Drama (IRE), Fadhayyil (IRE), Father Frost (IRE), Gamesome (FR), Gammarth (FR), G Force (IRE), Glass Office (GB), Goken (FR), Gordon Lord Byron (IRE), Green Door (IRE), Home of The Brave (IRE), Hootenanny (USA), Hot Streak (IRE), Huntsmans Close (GB), Intibaah (GB), Jack Dexter (GB), Justice Day (IRE), Justice Good (IRE), Lancelot du Lac (ITY), Lightning Moon (IRE), Limato (IRE), Lucky Kristale (GB), Maarek (GB), Mattmu (GB), Moviesta (USA), Muhaarar (GB), Music Master (GB), Mustajeeb (GB), Muthmir (IRE), Naadirr (IRE), Noozhoh Canarias (SPA), Pearl Secret (GB), Polybius (GB), Pretend (IRE), Rangali (GB), Salt Island (GB), Sir Maximilian (IRE), Sole Power (GB), Steps (IRE), Strath Burn (GB), Telmeyd (GB), The Happy Prince (IRE), Tiggy Wiggy (IRE), Toscanini (IRE), Tropics (USA), Undrafted (USA), Waady (IRE), Wandjina (AUS) (68).