Perfect Power takes on elders in July Cup

Perfect Power, already a three-time winner of Group 1 sprints, will be favored to add another such race to his resume in the July Cup on Saturday at Newmarket Racecourse in England.

Europe’s best 2-year-old sprinter of 2021, Perfect Power so far has been Europe’s best 3-year-old sprinter of 2022, but he takes on older rivals for the first time in the July Cup, run over a straight six furlongs. Thirteen others are entered in what looks like a strong renewal of one of England’s top sprint races.

Trained by Richard Fahey, Perfect Power won 4 of 6 starts as a juvenile, including Group 1 tallies in the Prix Morny at Deauville and the Middle Park, run down this same straight three-quarters of a mile last Sept. 25 at Newmarket. Connections eschewed a trip to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint but did give Perfect Power a chance to stretch his distance range early in his sophomore season. It worked in the seven-furlong Greenham Stakes, which Perfect Power won by a half-length, but in the one-mile 2000 Guineas, Perfect Power, while far from dismal, could only finish seventh of 15.

A turnback to six furlongs in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot quickly got Perfect Power back on track, as he beat 19 foes winning by 1 1/4 lengths, and the colt, by Ardad, was a general 5-2 favorite in fixed-odds overseas wagering as of Thursday. Regular rider Christophe Soumillon comes from France to take the mount, and Fahey said he was pleased with Perfect Power’s draw in post 8. Perfect Power and the July Cup’s other 3-year-old starters – Flaming Rib, Cadamosto, and King Hermes – get six pounds from their older rivals.

The first three across the line in the 24-runner Group 1 Platinum Jubilee, a straight-course six-furlong dash at Royal Ascot, head the older contingent. In the Platinum Jubilee, with American filly Campanelle also part of a blanket finish, it was a Godolphin and Charlie Appleby longshots one-two as 33-1 shot Naval Crown nipped 12-1 Creative Force. Creative Force finished fifth in this race as a 3-year-old of 2021, while Naval Crown tried to make his mark a miler and a turnback in distance to six-furlong starts appears to have sent Naval Crown to a new level. His competitive fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup card came despite a poor draw in post 2, and there’s little reason to believe Naval Crown won’t hold form Saturday.

Artorius, based in Australia, was second choice in antepost wagering as of Thursday but is a rare winner and did not particularly catch the eye in video of a recent Newmarket breeze for the July Cup.

Flaming Rib was second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Perfect Power, in the Commonwealth Cup and has room to improve at a square price Saturday.

Post time for the July Cup is 11:45 a.m. Eastern. Watch and wager on all Saturday’s action from Newmarket and other European racecourses at DRFBets.com.