July Cup Betting Odds
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 2025.
Who are this year’s July Cup Favourites?
Shaquille won as a joint favourite in 2023, making him the first winner to justify top billing since 2016, although Limato was the third winning favourite in a row at that point. It is rare to see a market leader significantly underperform.
The entries are tightly bunched behind and all rating as underdogs for the 2025 July Cup.
Who are this year’s July Cup Underdogs?
The July Cup field in 2024 was made up of 11 runners, but this was on the small side. Plenty of runners means plenty of opportunity to find value in a July Cup underdog.
Last Year’s July Cup Odds
Mill Stream overcame the younger pretenders to deliver an 11/1 success for William Buick and Jane Chapple-Hyam in 2024.
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.
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
| 2015 | Muhaarar | Charles Hills | Paul Hanagan | 2/1J |
| 2016 | Limato | Henry Candy | Harry Bentley | 9/2F |
| 2017 | Harry Angel | Clive Cox | Adam Kirby | 9/2 |
| 2018 | U S Navy Flag | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore | 8/1 |
| 2019 | Ten Sovereigns | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore | 9/2 |
| 2020 | Oxted | Roger Teal | Cieren Fallon | 12/1 |
| 2021 | Starman | Ed Walker | Tom Marquand | 9/2 |
| 2022 | Alcohol Free | Andrew Balding | Rob Hornby | 14/1 |
| 2023 | Shaquille | Julie Camacho | Rossa Ryan | 5/2J |
| 2024 | Mill Stream | Jane Chapple-Hyam | William Buick | 11/1 |