Just one week on from his stunning last-to-first success on the brilliant Vadeni in Sandown's Coral-Eclipse Stakes, jockey Christophe Soumillon has another plum ride on a top-class 3-year-old with a signature turn of foot when he partners Richard Fahey's Commonwealth Cup winner Perfect Power in a top-drawer international field of 14 for Saturday's Darley July Cup.
The Belgian-born multiple French champion jockey has travelled over to ride Perfect Power four times already since their first win together in last year's Prix Morny at Deauville, and the only time they were beaten was in entirely excusable circumstances over a mile in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas.
A close bond has plainly developed between the pair and Soumillon is excited about continuing the partnership in the July Cup, which is part of the QIPCO British Champions Series. He said: “I'm very confident about him. The way he did it at Royal Ascot last time was very impressive, as we were quite far back. It showed we have a top-class sprinter on our hands.
“His turn of foot is his special weapon. For a sprinter he is able to settle very easily, and when you ask him to quicken he's able to show that turn of foot which not so many horses have. He's very easy to ride now that he starts so much better out of the gates than he did last year, as that makes it much easier to stay in a good position.
“He does everything perfectly now. I've ridden him five times and won four of them, including three Group 1s, so he's quite special to me. The only time we didn't win was in the Guineas, over a mile, and when you see a horse like him that is as good as he is over six furlongs and seven furlongs it's not really surprising that he's not as good at a mile.”
The Commonwealth Cup, first run in 2015, has proved a good stepping stone for July Cup winners Muhaarar (winner at Royal Ascot in that first year), Harry Angel (second there in 2017) and Ten Sovereigns (fourth in 2019). Also taking that route this year are length-and-a-quarter runner-up Flaming Rib, fourth-placed Cadamosto, who is bidding to give Aidan O'Brien an outright record sixth July Cup win and the well-beaten Twilight Jet.
Hugo Palmer has supplemented Flaming Rib at a cost of £36,000 and told Jockey Club News: “It was a great run at Royal Ascot and we've got no reason to think he won't run a big race in the July Cup.
“He's the fifth favorite and the four horses ahead of him in the market have got reasons to be there. We've got to beat our twice conqueror in Perfect Power and the horses that filled the first three places in the Platinum Jubilee as well. We can only worry about our horse and I'm really looking forward to running him.”
The Platinum Jubilee first three who Palmer referred to were the Godolphin stable-mates Naval Crown and Creative Force, who were separated by just a neck, and the Australian challenger Artorius, who was half a length away, finishing well. Happy Romance, triple Group 1 winner Alcohol Free, Double Or Bubble and Emaraaty Ana, who is another Group 1 winner, were among those further behind that day.
Charlie Appleby finds it hard to choose between his pair, who were also first and second in last year's Jersey Stakes and said: “They've obviously been given a bit of a quiet time since the Platinum Jubilee but they've both come out of Royal Ascot very well and they pleased me in what was just an easy piece of routine work on Saturday.
“They are hard to split on form as everyone can see, but one of them is still a young sprinter in terms of experience, and that's Naval Crown, who is still learning about sprinting, whereas Creative Force brings a lot of experience to the race.
“The July Cup can be a different sort of race to the Platinum Jubilee, as they tend to race in one group whereas at Ascot they often split. When Creative Force ran in the July Cup last year it was his first time sprinting and I thought he ran a great race in a close fifth after being slow out of the gates. He was just learning about sprinting then, but he's had a lot of experience now and you can't fault him. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a great race.”
Artrorius would be a first winner of the July Cup to be trained in Australia, although 2010 winner Starspangledbanner made his name there before switching to Aidan O'Brien. Sam Freedman, who trains Artorius in partnership with his father Anthony, has been delighted with the colt since the Platinum Jubilee and is optimistic.
He said: “We think he's improved a bit since Ascot. His coat is better and he seems a bit sharper and more switched on since the run. He's very fresh too, and that's the main thing. We've still got some unfinished business, so hopefully he can go two places better.
“We are not going to be able to change the way he runs – he's always going to be back a bit – but at Ascot he just needed a bit of luck at the right time and didn't get it. It showed though that we'd brought the right sort of horse and seeing him perform so well there was very satisfying.”
Jamie Spencer takes the ride again and Freedman, who is already talking about bringing Artorius back again next summer, thinks the pair are perfect for one another. He said: “Jamie has come in and done a fair bit of work on him, and he and Artorius seem like a match made in heaven. Hopefully they can work well together at the weekend.”
Japanese challenger King Hermes, who has also been lodging in Newmarket, represents Yoshito Yahagi, whose Triple Crown winner Contrail signed off in style in the Japan Cup and who has also made a massive impact internationally, with two winners at last year's Breeders' Cup followed by winners in the spring at both Riyadh and at Meydan, where he was successful three times on Dubai World Cup night.
Japan's first ever win in the UK came in the 2000 July Cup, courtesy of Agnes World, and while King Hermes' has been racing over further and so has less obvious prospects, he will merit plenty of respect.
Speaking to Jockey Club News after watching King Hermes gallop on the July Course on Tuesday, Yahagi said: “I've always dreamed of having a winner of the July Cup. That is how much I like the race and the racecourse, and that is why I'm looking forward to it.
“This work will make the horse understand how to run on the day. I was worried about (the lack of experience he might have) but after seeing the horse today I'm quite confident he will manage the July Cup. It is the first time the jockey (Ryusei Sakai) has ridden in the UK because of visa issues, but he has experience riding in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Australia and France so I'm not worried about that.”
The field is completed by Romantic Proposal, who was a Group 1 winner over five furlongs last year, and Blackrod, who won a valuable handicap over course and distance 12 months ago but is taking a big step up in class.
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