Horse Racing

July Cup Stakes 2023 Betting Tips and Predictions

The penultimate race at Newmarket on Saturday will be the July Cup Stakes. We have a very intriguing contest here, as a selection of top-class rivals battle it out for Group 1 glory.

Tips for July Cup
Photo by Icon Sport.

The July Cup is a race where top horses can either continue to stamp their authority on the division following Royal Ascot or make up for disappointment at that meeting. Ahead of this contest, we have runners attempting both feats.

Our Betting Tips and Predictions for the July Cup

Ahead of the final Group 1 race of the July Festival at Newmarket here are our top tips and predictions:

Our Best Prediction: Kinross to Win @ 11/4

Some people may be put off by the fact that Kinross didn’t run much of a race at Royal Ascot, but he was coming back from a break, and you can’t really be expected to come off the back of a 231-day lay-off and win the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. Don’t be fooled by that effort, this is a top-class horse, who should come on bundles for that run and can now show his true form.

His run at the Breeders’ Cup was superb, while his final win at Ascot in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (on good-to-soft) is the best form on offer as far as I’m concerned. He not only beat a Group 1 field, but he beat a Group 1 field full of depth. Moreover, he did it in style. There are some very good horses in here, but none that can quite boast that level of form and that could be telling. I make him a strong favourite and let’s face it, would anyone argue if he was a point shorter? Probably not.

Our Each Way Prediction: Vadream (each-way) @ 20/1

If siding with the favourite isn’t for you, and I’m usually in that camp too, then Vadream catches the eye as a viable each-way alternative ahead of this race. Charlie Fellows’ runner couldn’t get with it at Royal Ascot last time out, but he can be forgiven for that effort. The step back up to six furlongs here is a clear positive as far as I’m concerned, while he’s also no stranger to running well at Newmarket. In his last two runs here he’s finished second and first.

The the other likable thing about this horse is that he’s a multiple soft-ground winner. With the rain not letting up much over the last couple of days and with more forecast for Saturday, the ground could well be well and truly soft come 16:35, which would only aid Vadream’s chances, which cannot be said of every runner in here, that’s for sure. After all, his only previous Group 1 success came on soft ground at this venue. Rule him out at your peril.


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