The 2025 July Cup: guide to all the possible runners

Official Rating: 107. Course form: --. Odds: 25-1. 

A decade after Muhaarar landed this on the way to being crowned champion sprinter, Charlie Hills relies on Iberian. He’s never quite fulfilled his early juvenile potential, although he was not disgraced when fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes last month. Difficult to see where the improvement is going to come from. 

Official Rating: 116. Course form: 5. Odds: 7-1. 

Disappointed when only fifth 12 months ago, when sent off 11-8 favourite, and was also below-par at Royal Ascot last month (wandered on both occasions). Against that, last year’s Commonwealth Cup winner is one of the few Group One winners in this line-up and his reappearance win in the Duke Of York Stakes, having had a wind op, hinted all his powers were intact. Obvious contender if firing on all cylinders. Stable have struck with just two of their past 36 runners, one of them being long odds-on. 

Official Rating: 106. Course form: 16. Odds: 25-1. 

Sprung a surprise in the July Stakes at this meeting two years ago and ran well for a long way in last year’s July Cup, only to fade late on after being too keen. That makes him half-interesting at outlandish odds, although his record in Group One races reads 89360006 after making little impression in both top-level sprints at Ascot last month. He wore a hood and first-time tongue-tie on the latest occasion. 

Official Rating: 105. Course form: 5. Odds: 25-1. 

This front-runner has looked rapid on occasions, but there’s a growing suspicion that he is at his most effective on the all-weather (he’s 4/4 on artificial surfaces and 0/5 on turf). Equally, you can argue he did a bit too much, too soon, on his reappearance in the Duke Of York Stakes, and that he had little chance from his draw in the 5f King Charles III Stakes last time. Whatever is drawn nearby him is guaranteed a good tow. 

Official Rating: 118. Course form: --. Odds: 7-2. 

The sprinting division is crying out for new faces and last year’s 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner, who has raced exclusively overt a mile, is a fascinating runner, having been supplemented on Monday. 

There’s little doubt he’s got a class edge, but this does feel a little like Plan B after four successive defeats, the latest of which came when fourth in a muddling Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. 

The July Cup has featured many winners who have dropped back in distance, although I cannot recall one who has never previously run over anything shorter than eight furlongs. 

Notable Speech is by Dubawi, an outstanding stallion but not well known for his sprinters. His progeny have a 15 per cent strike rate over 5f-6f, but it’s 20 per cent over 7f-11f, and 19 per cent over 12f-13f. 

Official Rating: 110. Course form: 1. Odds: 50-1. 

Wathnan Racing had a glorious time at Royal Ascot and they’ve got three possibles here in this fellow, Night Raider and Flora Of Bermuda. 

Rogue Lightning won on his debut at the July Course three years ago and has since explored plenty of the world, running in America on his past two starts. This will be his first run on British shores since failing to make an impact in the King George Stakes at Goodwood last summer. 

He looks the weakest link of the Wathnan trio, but if you are not in, you cannot win. 

Official Rating: 105. Course form: 12. Odds: 66-1. 

The 2023 runner-up seeks to become the first seven-year-old to win since 1938. 

He’s 0-12 in all pattern contests and it’s hard to see him belatedly going one better than two years ago after failing to make much impact at Royal Ascot last month. 

Official Rating: 97. Course form: 1. Odds: 100-1. 

Another seven-year-old, and another hard to enthuse about. 

He’s not won for more than three years, is 0-14 in pattern contests and merely helped make up the numbers in both th Group One sprints at Ascot last month. 

Official Rating: 112. Course form: 4. Odds: 8-1. 

Believing will make some sort of history if taking the glory, given she arrives here in foal to Frankel. 

She’s been a fabulous mare in the top sprints over the past couple of years and it’s easy enough to forgive her latest effort in the King Charles III Stakes as, with the benefit of hindsight, she had little chance from stall 1. 

Believing had previously gained a thoroughly deserved Group One victory in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai, having run a sequence of superb races last year. She made the frame twice at Royal Ascot, plus was placed in the Nunthorpe, Flying Five and Prix de l’Abbaye. 

It's not difficult to envisage her giving it another good go, although the stiff 6f on the July Course may not be ideal. It’s essentially a free roll of the dice for Coolmore before she becomes a full-time broodmare. 

Official Rating: 112. Course form: --. Odds: 5-1. 

Wathnan Racing’s No 1 hope has developed into a smart filly and her trainer, Andrew Balding, has his horses in sparkling form. 

Flora Of Bermuda signed off last season with creditable efforts in Group One sprints at Deaville, Haydock and Ascot, and she has kept up the good work this term, being touched off by Inisherin in the Duke Of York before filling third place in the in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes behind Lazzat and Satono Reve. 

She does not have that pair to worry about this time, and there’s nothing to suggest the daughter of Dark Angel will not again give her running. 

Official Rating: 105. Course form: 1. Odds: 50-1. 

Proved well named last year, when she chalked up six wins in what was her first season of racing. The highlight was her success in the Group Three Trophy Stakes at Newbury, which was followed by a keeping-on fifth in the Abbaye. 

No Half Measures probably needed her comeback run but was back in the groove at Haydock last time, when beaten half a length by Balmoral Lady (received 5lb and raced on the favoured nearside) in a Listed contest. 

This will be her toughest assignment but she’s won her past three starts over 6f and there could be a bit more to come. 

Official Rating: 108. Course form: --. Odds: 16-1. 

He was among last year’s top sprinting juveniles, when he won the Molecomb and before being touched off in the Flying Childers and finishing a close fourth at the Breeders’ Cup. 

Those races were all over 5f but he’s been in action over 6f this term, with his seventh in the Commonwealth Cup last time needing marking up as he had little chance the way things unfolded. 

Big Mojo has a bigger performance in him, but he requires a significant personal best. 

Official Rating: 105. Course form: --. Odds: 50-1. 

Beware the Ides Of March? It’s unlikely he will give his rivals too many sleepless nights between now and Saturday because his form is several notches below what is required and he’s hinted more than once that he would appreciate a step up in trip. 

He ran poorly in the Commonwealth Cup last time, though may have resented the firm ground. 

Official Rating: 106. Course form: --. Odds: 20-1. 

Like Notable Speech, Godolphin supplemented Spy Chief on Monday. 

My snap thought was that they want a pacemaker for their 2000 Guineas winner – plus Symbol Of Honour - because he’s shown himself to be an enthusiastic front-runner, although maybe that is doing him a disservice.

He made plenty of the running in the Jersey Stakes last time before being pegged back by Noble Champion. As a gelding, he would not have been allowed to run in the Commonwealth Cup. 

However, it wasn’t the trip that beat him at Ascot and he’s rated a stone inferior to Notable Speech. 

Official Rating: 110. Course form: --. Odds: 6-1. 

Godolphin’s decision to supplement two runners on Monday – Notable Speech and Spy Chief – is hardly a glowing endorsement for Symbol Of Honour, who was already engaged. 

As a gelding, the Commonwealth Cup was out of bounds for him, so don’t take his absence from that race as a negative. 

He’s paid his way this term, securing successive wins at Meydan at the start of the year before returning to these shores and winning at Newbury (Listed race from Ides Of March) and Haydock (the Sandy Lane Stakes by the skin of his teeth with Big Mojo fourth). 

You can’t fault his attitude, but you can pick holes in his form, with the Haydock runner-up subsequently being well held in the Commonwealth Cup, and the third since beaten at Ayr. 

Official Rating: 110. Course form: 1. Odds: 8-1. 

Won the July Stakes at this meeting 12 months ago before landing the Prix Morny and now gets the chance to restore family honour, as his brother, Little Big Bear,  trailed home last when well fancied for the 2023 July Cup. 

Whistlejacket beat Ides Of March, his stablemate, on his return at Navan, but he then suffered an odds-on defeat at Naas (said to have banged his head in the stalls) and only made late gains when sixth in the Commonwealth Cup, albeit he was still last of the 21 runners with two furlongs to run. 

You write off any Ballydoyle runner at your peril, but others are more compelling.