July Cup predictions: Power looks Perfect for HQ honours

Newmarket's three-day Moet & Chandon July Festival concludes this afternoon with the Group 1 Darley July Cup Stakes as the main attraction. 

A chance for the leading three-year-old sprinters to go in deep and take on their older rivals, the July Cup is one of the key British summer sprints and it has attracted an excellent field of 14 runners to Headquarters. 

Commonwealth Cup winner Perfect Power meets Platinum Jubilee scorer Naval Crown as Royal Ascot form-lines collide in the Newmarket feature, set to go off at 4.25pm with more than £350,000 to the winner in this British Champions Series contest. 

Perfect mix for Fahey and Soumillon

French ace Christophe Soumillon won the big race in Britain last Saturday when steering Vadeni home in the Eclipse at Sandown and he has got a great chance of more success now on PERFECT POWER. 

The Ardad colt was a Group 1-winning juvenile last season, taking the Cheveley Park Stakes here at Newmarket on the Rowley course. 

And both his Greenham win at Newbury and midfield finish in the 2000 Guineas this spring suggested sprinting would be the way to go for him. 

He duly powered home to win the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last month dropped back to this six-furlong trip, with Flaming Rib (second) and Cadamosto (fourth) well beaten off. 

He might not have been helped by racing on the far side of the track that day and, in truth, once Soumillon brought him mid-track and closer to his rivals, that is when he looked strongest. 

He should hold sway over those peers now and getting 6lb from some of the older horses, he can become the fifth July Cup-winning three-year-old in eight years. 

Both Flaming Rib and Cadamosto can be given place claims on their efforts behind the Richard Fahey inmate last time. 

Force to reckon with

The July Cup is a prize that has so far eluded Charlie Appleby, but the Newmarket handler comes here with leading claims with Platinum Jubilee Stakes one-two Naval Crown and Creative Force. 

It was James Doyle's partner that earned a slender verdict in the Ascot race, the Godolphin pair having raced wide apart on the track. 

Creative Force was the more fancied of the two and was a luckless fifth in this race last year. 

A return to this easier track may favour William Buick's mount. 

International contenders aplenty

Artorius was right behind them at Ascot on his first UK start and could again give Jamie Spencer claims here. 

Japanese raider King Hermes ranks as something of an unknown stepping out in a British Group 1 but cannot be overlooked entirely. 

Irish raider Twilight Jet was surely not himself in the Commonwealth Cup and is a big price based on what he had achieved previously and allowing for some good Newmarket form.

Verdict

Perfect Power looks a really talented three-year-old sprinter and can make it back-to-back Group 1 wins for Fahey and in-form rider Soumillon. 

Creative Force looked unlucky in the Platinum Jubilee and is worth another crack at this race for Charlie Appleby but if Twilight Jet rebounds, Michael O'Callaghan's colt could outrun a big price.