No Half Measures delivers career-best performance but this was the weakest July Cup on ratings since 2004

Before the weekend there were doubts within the racing fraternity regarding the ability of this cohort of sprinters. Following the July Cup, it is hard to make a case contrary to those opinions. 

The closing two-furlong sectional at Newmarket on Saturday was sub 95 per cent, but that did not correlate with a fast finishing time. On Racing Post Ratings, this was the weakest July Cup since Frizzante’s win in 2004. That isn’t to take anything away from No Half Measures, who achieved a comfortable personal best on RPRs with 119. 

She raced in a group of three towards the far side, each of whom placed in the top seven of the Group 1 contest. That group included the third, Run To Freedom, who was runner-up in the race in 2023. While Run To Freedom’s performance was his best for two years, he ultimately anchors the standard.