Newmarket: Bated Breath heads July Cup
Bated Breath was 15 races into his career before he won his first group race, the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock Park in England in late May.
It was a rare drop in class out of Group 1 company for the 5-year-old, who later finished second in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19. Saturday at Newmarket Racecourse, Bated Breath makes his eighth appearance in a Group 1, in the July Cup over six furlongs. Second in the 2011 July Cup, Bated Breath will be favored in a field of 15.
Trained by Roger Charlton for Juddmonte Farms, Bated Breath has been second in three Group 1 or Grade 1 races, including the Nearctic Stakes behind Regally Ready at Woodbine last fall.
In the Saturday’s July Cup, Bated Breath will be ridden by James Doyle, who was aboard for the Ascot races.
Bated Breath’s main rivals are Society Rock, fifth behind the undefeated Black Caviar in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 23, and Ortensia, who won the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai in March but was ninth in the King’s Stand Stakes.
Fiorente gets a win
Thursday at Newmarket, Fiorente ended a streak of five losses in stakes with a victory in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes over 1 1/2 miles.
Ridden by Ryan Moore for trainer Michael Stoute, Fiorente was always near the front, took the lead with a furlong remaining, and won by 2 3/4 lengths over 20-1 Joshua Tree.
Red Cadeaux finished third as the 5-2 second choice.
Trainer Marco Botti said after the race that Joshua Tree is a candidate for the $400,000 American St. Leger at Arlington Park on Aug. 18.
In Thursday’s Group 2 July Stakes for 2-year-olds, Alhebayeb, a 9-2 shot, fought off a sustained challenge from 25-1 Lewisham to win his first stakes in his third start.
Ridden by Paul Hanagan for trainer Richard Hannon, Alhebayeb won by a neck. Ahern was third, edging 15-8 favorite Gale Force Ten by a nose in the field of seven.
Alhebayeb has won 2 of 3 starts, including a second in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.