Newmarket July Festival: Race List & Meeting Info

Day One Races - Thursday

Bahrain Trophy Stakes

Group 3, 1m5f

This Group 3 race used to be known as the H & K Commissions Handicap and was raced over one mile, six furlongs and one hundred and seventy-five yards. It was made a Listed offering in 1990 and then the following year took on its current name. It wasn’t cut to its current length of one mile and five furlongs until 2006, but the change in length eventually led to an upgrade to Group 3 in 2009.

Raced right-handed, it’s open for three-year-olds with a weight of nine stone one pound. Fillies get an allowance of three pounds, whilst Group 1 and Group 2 winners receive a five pound penalty. Group 3 race winners also get a penalty, but it’s of three pounds. Frankie Dettori has won the race more than any other jockey since 1986 thanks to his seven victories. Horses that do well in this race are often later considered for the St Leger.

Tattersalls July Stakes

Group 2, 6f

Given it takes place during the July Festival, it’s no major surprise that the July Stakes is seen as quite an important race. It’s a Group 2 race that has been taking place since 1786, making it one of the Festival’s oldest offerings. Indeed, it is only open to two-year-old colts and geldings, making it the oldest such race in British flat racing. Originally open to horses of any gender, the restriction to colts and geldings came about in 1977.

When the current grading of races came into effect in 1971 this was classed as a Group 3 race, moving to Group 2 in 2003. The weight for this race is nine stone, with Group 1 and Group 2 race winners running with an additional three pound penalty. It’s run on the straight over six furlongs and has a corresponding race for fillies in the form of the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes.

bet365 Handicap

Class 2, 6f

Run over six furlongs and open to horses aged four and over, this is a Class 2 race that is open to horses with a rating of between 0 and 105.

The Princess of Wales's Stakes

Group 2, 1m4f

Open to horses aged three and over, the Princess of Wales's Stakes has the following weight information:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 8 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 6 pounds
• Fillies & mares get a 3 pound allowance
• Group 1 winners get a 5 pound penalty
• Group 2 winners get a 3 pound penalty

The event was established in 1894 and named in honour of Alexandra of Denmark, who had become the Princess of Wales thirty-one years earlier. The race was originally thought of as one of the most valuable of races open to any aged horse and was initially based over one mile. The extension in the race’s length to its current one mile four furlongs occurred in 1902.

Run right-handed, the race was part of Group 3 when the current form of grading came about in 1971. It was upgraded to a Group 2 offering seven years later and has remained their ever since. As it’s open to horses of any age, a number have won the race more than once. Lance Chest became the first to do so in 1912 and 1913, with others including Lomond in 1965 and 1966 and Big Orange in 2015 and 2016. Lester Piggott is the most successful jockey thanks to his eight wins.

Princess Of Wales’s Tattersalls Stakes

Group 2, 1m4f

Open to horses aged three and over, the Princess of Wales's Stakes has the following weight information:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 8 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 6 pounds
• Fillies & mares get a 3 pound allowance
• Group 1 winners get a 5 pound penalty
• Group 2 winners get a 3 pound penalty

The event was established in 1894 and named in honour of Alexandra of Denmark, who had become the Princess of Wales thirty-one years earlier. The race was originally thought of as one of the most valuable of races open to any aged horse and was initially based over one mile. The extension in the race’s length to its current one mile four furlongs occurred in 1902.

Run right-handed, the race was part of Group 3 when the current form of grading came about in 1971. It was upgraded to a Group 2 offering seven years later and has remained their ever since. As it’s open to horses of any age, a number have won the race more than once. Lance Chest became the first to do so in 1912 and 1913, with others including Lomond in 1965 and 1966 and Big Orange in 2015 and 2016. Lester Piggott is the most successful jockey thanks to his eight wins.

British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes

Class 2, 6f

A Class 2, Plus 10 / GBB Race, the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies Stakes is, as the name suggests, limited to fillies. The age bracket is open to two-year-olds, whilst the race itself is run over six furlongs.

Sir Henry Cecil Stakes

Listed, 1m

It’s not often that Listed races have the sort of prestige that this race does, especially not ones as young as it. It was inaugurated in 2007 under the title of the Xplor Conditions Stakes, becoming the Stubbs Stakes and gaining Listed status six years later. It was renamed after the ten time British Champion Trainer Sir Henry Cecil in 2014, a year after his death.

The race is only open to three-year-olds and they can’t have won a Group 1 or Group 2 race since they turned two. There’s some weight information you might want to know about, which is as follows:

• 9 stone 3 pounds
• Fillies get a 5 pound allowance
• Winners of Listed races get a 3 pound penalty
• Group 3 race winners get a 5 pound penalty

The race takes place over a mile and is run on the straight. As well as a decent bit of prize money, winners of the first race in 2014 received a rose from Warren Place stables, where Sir Henry Cecil had a garden.

Handicap

Class 3, 1m

Limited to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 93, this race is run over one mile. It’s a Class 3 offering, with the weight carried by each horse decided by the handicapper.

Day Two Races - Friday

bet365 Handicap

Class 2, 1m2f

A heritage handicap race, this is open to three-year-olds only. The rating of the horses must be between 0 and 105 for them to take part in it, with the race being run over six furlongs. It’s a Class 2 race.

Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes

Group 2, 6f

If you thought that this race was named after Prince William’s wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, then you’d be right. That might give the impression that it’s a young race, but actually it was given this moniker in 2013 to celebrate their wedding. Previously it was known as the Cherry Hinton Stakes when it was first introduced in 1947. It was a Group 3 offering when the grading was introduced in 1971, gaining promotion to Group 2 in 1996.

The race is only open to two-year-old fillies and if you’ve read our guide to day one of the Festival then you’d know that the July Stakes is the equivalent race for male horses. The weight is nine stone, with Group 1 and Group 2 race winners receiving a three pound penalty. Run on the straight over six furlongs, there’s an equivalent race at Royal Ascot named the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

If you’re wondering if this race will tell you anything about any other flat races then you’re in luck; winners of this have been known to win the 1,000 Guineas Stakes in the season after they’ve done well in this race. Attraction did so in 2004, for example.

bet365 Trophy

Class 2, 1m6f

The Bet365 Trophy is a heritage handicap race that was established in 2018. It’s a Class 2 outing that is open to horses aged four and over. The Bet365 Trophy is run over one mile and six furlongs.

Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes

Group 1, 1m

The Falmouth Stakes has been taking place at Newmarket since 1911, when it was restricted to fillies aged three. Nowadays it’s fillies and mares aged three and over, with weight information of eight stone twelve pounds for the three-year-olds and nine stone seven pounds for horses aged four and up.

Named in honour of the sixth Viscount Falmouth, Evelyn Boscawen, the race was classed as a Group 3 offering when the grading came into effect in 1971. It gained an initial promotion to Group 2 in 1987 and then a further one to Group 1 in 2004. The change to allow older fillies and mares to compete in it came about in 1974 and the following year it became known as the Child Stakes when Child’s Bank sponsored it. The race is run on the straight over one mile.

Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes

Class 3, 7f

The EBF Maiden Stakes, which is sponsored by Weatherbys at the time of writing, takes place over seven furlongs. It is open to colts and geldings aged two and is a Class 4, Plus 10 offering.

Cambridge Handicap

Class 3, 7f

Not to be confused with the Cambridgeshire Handicap, which is also run at Newmarket but is scheduled to take place in September, the Cambridge Handicap is a Class 3 race run over seven furlongs. It is open to horses aged three with a rating of between 0 and 105.

JFD Handicap

Class 2, 5f

A Class 2 race for horses aged three and over with a rating of between 0 and 100, the JFD Handicap is run over five furlongs.

Day Three Races – Saturday

Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes

Class 3, 7f

Run over seven furlongs, the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes is a Class 3 race for horses aged two. It is a Plus 10 race.

Mile Handicap

Class 2, 1m

As the name suggests, this race is run over one mile and is open to horses aged three. The rating for the horse must be between 0 and 100 for them to be able to participate. The race is a Class 2 offering and has had numerous different sponsors over the years.

Superlative Stakes

Group 2, 7f

Raced over seven furlongs and open to two-year-olds, the Superlative Stakes was originally known as the Bernard van Cutsem Stakes in honour of the racehorse trainer Bernard van Cutsem who died in 1975. It gained its current name in 1991 not because it’s considered to be such an amazing race, but in memory of the 1983 winner of the July Stakes Superlative.

The race was a Listed offering until it gained Group 3 status in 2003 and then moved up to Group 2 three years later. Open to two-olds with a weight of nine stone 1 pound, there’s a three pound allowance for fillies and a three pound penalty for winners of Group 1 and Group 2 races. The race is run over seven furlongs on the straight.

Bunbury Cup

Class 2, 7f

This handicap race is open to horses aged three and over. It takes place on the straight over seven furlongs and is named after a man who served as the Jockey Club’s Senior Steward between 1740 and 1821, Sir Charles Bunbury. He was the man who introduced both the 1,000 and the 2,000 Guineas, so it’s no surprise that Newmarket Racecourse felt he was worth honouring!

The race’s most successful horse is Mine, who won it for the first time in 2002 and then consecutively in 2005 and 2006. As with so many other races run at Newmarket, the most successful jockey is Lester Piggott thanks to his seven wins between 1966 and 1994. That included back-to-back wins in the race on En Attendant in 1993 and 1994.

British EBF Fillies’ Handicap

Class 2, 7f

Run over even furlongs, the race is for female horses aged three. A Class 2 offering, the rating for horses wishing to run in this handicap is between 0 and 100.

Darley July Cup Stakes

Group 1, 6f

It goes without saying that the July Cup is the main even on the final day of the Festival, the race that the rest of the event feels as though it’s been building up to. Run on the straight over six furlongs, many consider this to be the most valuable and prestigious sprint in British racing. Indeed, the winners are often declared to be the best sprinter of the season in all of Europe.

The race was inaugurated in 1876 and when the grading system was introduced in 1971 it was immediately classed as a Group 2 offering. If was moved up to Group 1 seven years later and it has remained there ever since. Open to three-year-olds and over, the weight is nine stone for three-year-olds and nine stone six pounds for those aged four and up, with fillies receiving a three pound allowance. In 2008 the race became the sixth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, which goes as follows:

• The Lightning Stakes (Flemington Racecourse, Australia)
• The Takamatsunomiya Kinen (Chukyo Racecourse, Japan)
• The Al Quoz Sprint (Meydan Racecourse, Dubai)
• The Chairman’s Sprint Prize (Sha Tin Racecourse, Hong Kong)
• The King’s Stand Stakes (Royal Ascot, England)
• The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Royal Ascot, England)
• The July Cup (Newmarket Racecourse, England)
• The Sprinters Stakes (Nakayama Racecourse, Japan)
• The Age Classic (Flemington Racecourse, Australia)
• The Hong Kong Sprint (Sha Tin Racecourse, Hong Kong)

Sundridge is the race’s most successful horse thanks to its three consecutive wins in 1902, 1903 and 1904. Lester Piggott is the undisputed best jockey in the history of the race, picking up ten career wins between 1957 and 1992.

Maritime Cargo Handicap

Class 3, 1m4f

The race is open to horses aged three and over with a rating of between 0 and 90. It’s a Class 3 event and is run over one mile and four furlongs.