A midsummer showpiece of flat racing, the Group 1 July Cup is the highlight of Newmarket’s July meeting, run over the course of the same name. It takes place over a rapid 6f, and is open to all sprinters aged three or older. Though two sprints at Royal Ascot are open to the same age groups, the emergence of the Commonwealth Cup means this is often the first clash for the three-year-olds against their elders in this division. This is how the July Cup odds are shaping up in 2026.

2026 July Cup Odds

16:35 Newmarket (July)

Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup Stakes (Group 1)

• Going Good To Firm
• Distance 0m 6f 0y
• Class Class 1
• Race Type Flat Turf
• Surface Turf
• Runners 11
• Win Time 1m 9s

GG Edge Standard Compact

Win% is implied from the betting forecast

1st 3 (10) Comanche Brave W: 9st 8lb Age: 4 yo Colt

11/1 (Won)

J: Billy Loughnane T: Donnacha Aidan O’Brien

OR: — RPR: — Form: -33517

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

2nd 11 (9) Venetian Sun W: 8st 13lb Age: 3 yo Filly

6/1

J: Clifford Lee T: K R Burke

OR: — RPR: — Form: 13-011

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

3rd 7 (8) 2 tips Satono Reve OUR TIP W: 9st 8lb Age: 7 yo Horse

2/1F

J: Christophe-Patrice Lemaire T: Noriyuki Hori

OR: — RPR: — Form: 49-122

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

4th 8 (6) 1 tip Coppull W: 9st 2lb Age: 3 yo Colt

28/1

J: Saffie Osborne T: Clive Cox

OR: — RPR: — Form: 153-18

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

5th 9 (1) 3 tips Division W: 9st 2lb Age: 3 yo Colt

11/1

J: James Doyle T: William Haggas

OR: — RPR: — Form: 15-323

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

6th 5 (5) Prince Of India W: 9st 8lb Age: 4 yo Colt

80/1

J: Pat Dobbs T: Marco Botti

OR: — RPR: — Form: 8-5024

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

7th 10 (7) 6 tips Mission Central W: 9st 2lb Age: 3 yo Gelding

13/2

J: Ryan Moore T: A P O’Brien

OR: — RPR: — Form: 10-111

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

8th 4 (11) 1 tip Double Rush W: 9st 8lb Age: 4 yo Colt

8/1

J: Oisin Murphy T: Andrew Balding

OR: — RPR: — Form: 20-111

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

9th 1 (4) 2 tips Almeraq W: 9st 8lb Age: 4 yo Colt

11/2

J: Tom Marquand T: William Haggas

OR: — RPR: — Form: 21F-11

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

10th 2 (2) Big Mojo W: 9st 8lb Age: 4 yo Colt

12/1

J: William Buick T: Michael Appleby

OR: — RPR: — Form: 510-78

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

11th 6 (3) Quinault W: 9st 8lb Age: 6 yo Gelding

66/1

J: Marco Ghiani T: Stuart Williams

OR: — RPR: — Form: -21360

GG Racing Score — Ability — Draw — Jockey — Trainer — Course — Distance —

+o+e Betting Returns

	Payout
Exacta	£93.60
Straight Forecast	£75.34
Tricast	£182.14
Trifecta	£286.90

Selections

RP RATINGS:

Mission Central

The Times:

Division

NEWMARKET:

Almeraq

SPOTLIGHT:

Satono Reve

LAMBOURN:

Coppull

Daily Mail:

Double Rush

Telegraph:

Division

The Sun:

Division

TOPSPEED:

Mission Central

POSTDATA:

Mission Central

D Express:

Mission Central

Daily Mirror:

Mission Central

Daily Record:

Mission Central

The Star:

Almeraq

The Guardian:

Satono Reve

Betting Strategies for the July Cup

You do not have to rely upon the win only market when betting on the July Cup. Even with the small field in 2023, you would still have got three places on each-way terms from the eight runners, so consider these strategies when placing a bet on the race.

Outright Winner

Finding the outright winner of a race remains the most satisfying search for any punter. Doing so with Shaquille was straightforward enough as one of the joint favouirtes, but both Alcohol Free and Mill Stream have won at double-figure odds in the last four seasons.

Each Way

Therefore, both Alcohol Free and Mill Stream would have returned a healthy each-way profit too at such big prices. Equally, the horse who chased home Mill Stream a year ago, Swingalong, was second at 25/1, ensuring that had you backed him each way with the same stake as Mill Stream, you would only have made a marginally smaller profit than having wagered on the winner.

Draw Biases

The July Course is very susceptible to draw biases, but these do not often play out until the day itself, as it is a track that drains well and generally avoids soft going. As such, it often pays to be on the side of the track that has not been galloped on as much earlier in the week of the July meeting, but sometimes it has as much to do with where the pace is in the race.

July Cup Odds of Past 10 Winners

The July Cup has gone through peaks and troughs within the last decade alone in terms of successful favourites. Since 2014, the race has had an exceptional run of winning favourites to begin with, followed by a six-year lull until Shaquille returned a 5/2J winning SP in 2023.