Ten Sovereigns posts first 2019 victory in July Cup

Ten Sovereigns rebounded from a fourth-place finish as the even-money favorite in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on July 21 to win for the first time this year in Saturday’s Group 1 July Cup against older sprinters at Newmarket Racecourse in England.

Ridden by Ryan Moore, Ten Sovereigns (9-2) led early in the six-furlong race and briefly yielded the advantage to 20-1 Glorious Journey before retaking command in the final furlong.

Ten Sovereigns finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of 3-1 favorite Advertise, who won the Commonwealth Cup.

There were five 3-year-olds in the field and they swept the first five positions, with Fairyland, Pretty Pollyanna, and So Perfect, finishing third through fifth. Ten Sovereigns, Fairyland, and So Perfect are trained by Aidan O’Brien.

Glorious Journey faded to finish eighth in the field of 12.

Ten Sovereigns had his debut against older sprinters in the $625,950 July Cup. A winner of 4 of 6 starts for the Coolmore partnership, Ten Sovereigns, a colt by No Nay Never, was fifth as the 9-4 favorite in the Group 1 English 2000 Guineas on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course on May 4 in his 2019 debut.

The July Cup is run on the nearby July course. The Rowley Mile and July Course have separate grandstands.

Last September, Ten Sovereigns won the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes for 2-year-olds at six furlongs on the Rowley Mile course.

The July Cup was the leading race at Newmarket on Saturday.

At Ascot, Beat the Bank won the Group 2 Summer Mile, but sustained a fatal injury to a hind leg after the finish. A 5-year-old gelding trained by Andrew Balding, Beat the Bank won 9 of 18 starts and was second in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.