Oasis Dream outduels Choisir in July Cup

Choisir was denied a third consecutive British sprint prize on Thursday when Oasis Dream outdueled him in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket.

The Australian invader broke quickest of all as he had when winning both the the King's Stand Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, but the 9-2 Oasis Dream, who had been 2-1/2 lengths third behind Choisir in the King's Stand, collared him at the quarter pole, ultimately previling by 1-1/2 lengths. The 3-year-old filly Airwave, half a length second to Choisir in the Golden Jubilee, overcame a troubled trip to finish third, a head behind the runner-up.

The King's Stand had been the first race of the season for Oasis Dream, whose victory in last fall's Middle Park Stakes earned him the European juvenile championship. Trained by John Gosden for Khalid Abdullah, the British-bred Green Desert colt covered the straight and undulating six furlongs under Richard Hughes in 1:09.94 on good to firm ground.

Gosden said that Oasis Dream would probably go next in the five furlong Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Aug. 21, a race that was ruled out by trainer Paul Perry for Choisir, who is up for sale. The slow starting Airwave, the highest rated juvenile filly in Britain last year, is being pointed to the Nunthorpe.