Shaquille cemented the form of his Commonwealth Cup victory by running out an impressive winner of the 2023 July Cup – it was his second successive Group 1 victory and confirmed his position as one of the best young sprinters in Europe.
Elsewhere, City of Troy skyrocketed himself into favoritism ahead of next year’s Derby with a stunning performance in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes.
2023 July Cup Stakes
Group 1, 6 furlongs, turf, open to horses aged three and over. Total prize pool: £600,000
- Shaquille +250
- Run to Freedom +2800
- Kinross +400
Winning time: 1:11.68
Shaquille confirmed his class in this year’s July Cup with a taking performance. Similarly to his victory in the Commonwealth Cup, he was slowly away and found himself detached from the main racing group through the first few furlongs.
Undeterred, both Shaquille and jockey Rossa Ryan remained calm and gradually worked their way back into contention.
A strong traveler, Shaquille made up for his early lapse and found himself in front at the halfway stage. Keen to use his speed, Ryan asked Shaquille to kick for home a long way out and his charge duly responded.
@horseracingtote Shaquille takes the 2023 July Cup #Horseracing #Horseracingtips #Horsesoftiktok #Horsetiktok #Sports #FYP
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Grinding it out in front, he started to hang under pressure up the final furlong. Flashing home fast was one of the outsiders of the field, Run to Freedom and the grizzled veteran Kinross was also starting to make his move.
With the line closing, Ryan asked for more and Shaquille showed the heart of a champion to finish the race on top. Run to Freedom rounded off a brilliant race by sealing second with Kinross bouncing back to form to clinch third.
July Cup Payouts
| Position | Horse | Win (£) | Place (£) |
| 1 | Shaquille | £3.50 | £1.30 |
| 2 | Run to Freedom | £5.00 | |
| 3 | Kinross | £1.70 |
2023 Superlative Stakes
Group 2, 7 furlongs, turf, open to horses aged two. Total prize pool: £97,000
- City of Troy -175
- Haatem +850
- Oddyssey +3300
Winning time: 1:26.03
The Superlative often provides clues as to which two-year-olds can be expected to compete in next season’s Classics. Often a tricky race to predict, this year’s renewal was won by one of the most exciting prospects the British racing scene has seen in years, City of Troy.
Trained and ridden by the master combination of Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, Moore was happy to position City of Troy just off the front through the early stages of the race.
Slowly moving into contention at the three-furlong pole, Moore pressed the go button just inside the two-furlong marker. Showing an incredible change of gears, the race was over in an instant.
Bursting clear of his rivals, City of Troy wouldn’t stop the relentless gallop and surge clear.
@horseracingtote City Of Troy wins the 2023 Superlative Stakes #Horseracing #Horsesoftiktok #Sports #FYP #Horses #Horseracingtips
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Cruising out in front, he would go on to win by six widening lengths. With the race on to see who would finish the best of the rest, the Richard Hannon-trained Haatem grabbed second, with the rank outsider of the field Oddyssey able to nab third.
With the racing world abuzz with this potential new superstar, it wasn’t surprising to see that off the back of this performance City of Troy now leads the market for next year’s Derby.
Superlative Stakes Payouts
| Position | Horse | Win (£) | Place (£) |
| 1 | City of Troy | £1.67 | £1.10 |
| 2 | Haatem | £1.90 | |
| 3 | Oddyssey | £4.10 |
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