Confirmed runners and riders for Saturday's July Cup - plus an early tip

A stellar field of 19 sprinters will battle it out in Saturday's Group 1 Darley July Cup, with only four taken out at the final declaration stage.

Oxted will look to become the first back-to-back winner of the race in 62 years, with Cieren Fallon again taking the ride on the recent King's Stand Stakes hero.

He will again clash with Starman, who defeated Oxted when landing the Duke of York Stakes on his only start this season. Other leading older sprinters Glen Shiel, Chil Chil, Brando and Art Power have also been declared.

4.25 Newmarket Saturday: Darley July Cup racecard and betting

However, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Lope Y Fernandez, second at Group 1 level over a mile last time, is absent. Outsiders Thunder Moon, Final Song and Ventura Rebel also miss the race.

Three-year-olds have won the July Cup four times in the last six years and look particularly strong once again. Creative Force is unbeaten in four starts this season and comes to Newmarket following an impressive Royal Ascot win in the Jersey Stakes.

Dragon Symbol was demoted to second in the stewards' room in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup but will look for redemption for Archie Watson and Oisin Murphy.

Dragon Symbol (right): demoted to second in the Commonwealth CupCredit: Harry Trump (Getty Images)

The progress of Rohaan has been one of the stories of the season, and he adds extra intrigue to the race having been supplemented earlier this week. He beat a disappointing Supremacy at Ascot in April, and Clive Cox's runner will have his first start since that defeat in Saturday's big race.

Line Of Departure bounced back to form in the Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury and is another top three-year-old contender.

The July Cup is the only domestic Group 1 Frankie Dettori has never won and he partners US sprinter Extravagant Kid. The eight-year-old was third in the King's Stand on his British debut last month.

Miss Amulet is the sole Irish raider in the field, and was second to Alcohol Free in the Cheveley Park at Newmarket last season.

Good Effort, Summerghand, Method, Emaraaty Ana and Garrus were also declared.

July Cup runners and riders

1 Art Power (drawn 17) Silvestre de Sousa
2 Brando (1) Tom Eaves
3 Emaraaty Ana (15) Jack Mitchell
4 Extravagant Kid (12) Frankie Dettori
5 Garrus (9) Rossa Ryan
6 Glen Shiel (14) Hollie Doyle
7 Glorious Journey (11) James Doyle
8 Good Effort (7) Ray Dawson
9 Oxted (16) Cieren Fallon
10 Starman (4) Tom Marquand
11 Summerghand (13) Martin Harley
12 Chil Chil (8) Rob Hornby
13 Creative Force (3) William Buick
14 Dragon Symbol (6) Oisin Murphy
15 Line Of Departure (5) David Egan
16 Method (2) Sean Levey
17 Rohaan (18) Shane Kelly
18 Supremacy (19) Adam Kirby
19 Miss Amulet (10) Billy Lee

Pedigree punting: July Cup verdict and prediction

1 Dragon Symbol
2 Creative Force
3 Starman

This looks a competitive and open running of the July Cup, with last year's winner and recent King's Stand Stakes victor Oxted jointly heading the market with Starman.

The Roger Teal-trained Oxted has thoroughly disproved the perception that his sire Mayson tends to produce soft-ground lovers after a brazen display at Royal Ascot. The standout for his Cheveley Park Stud sire, himself winner of the July Cup, he is speedily bred on his dam's side too, being out of Charlotte Rosina, a multiple six-furlong winning daughter of Choisir.

Dutch Art is another Cheveley Park sire to hold an outstanding chance of victory with the lightly raced Starman.

Out of the Montjeu mare Northern Star, a winner over a mile and a quarter, the four-year-old has shown plenty of pace with his only defeat coming on soft ground in the British Champions Sprint. Held in high regard by trainer Ed Walker, he is a homebred half-brother to Summer Fillies' Stakes third Sunday Star.

Rohaan (black and orange): the 20,000gns horses-in-training sale purchase looks an almighty bargain after landing the Wokingham StakesCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Rohaan, another son of Mayson, has been a revelation this term and Group 1 honours would add the most extraordinary chapter yet to his rags-to-riches story.

Picked up for just 20,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale by Martin Wanless and David Evans, the gelding has gone from Class 6 handicaps in December to Group 2 winner this season. He is the sixth foal out of the stakes-placed Acclamation mare Vive Les Rouges, herself a half-sister to two black-type horses including dual 6f Listed winner Bounty Box.

Highclere Stud resident Cable Bay was desperately unlucky not to land a maiden Group 1 winner when Dragon Symbol was demoted in the Commonwealth Cup. Another out of a strong staying dam in Arcano mare Arcamist – a half-sister to 6f Listed winner Oasis Dancer – the progressive grey crucially has form on both heavy and good to firm going.

Creative Force suffered his only defeat in last year's Coventry and his wins have been franked at nearly every stage. Equally comfortable over six or seven furlongs, the gelding's sire Dubawi has been responsible for another high-class sprinter in Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Space Blues.

Creative Force has a pedigree to match too, being a half-brother to Cheveley Park's QEII winner Persuasive, a daughter of Dark Angel, and Dream Ahead's Coral Distaff scorer Tisbutadream.

The venerable Dark Angel has sired a winner of the Newmarket showpiece in 2017 scorer Harry Angel, and his Art Power could attempt to follow up four years later. The eighth foal out of Evening Time, a daughter of Keltos who won two Listed events as a sprinter, the Goffs Orby graduate tends to produce his best on slower ground.

Other notables from a pedigree perspective are Middle Park winner Supremacy – a son of last year's first-season sire sensation Mehmas and out of a placed half-sister to Hong Kong Group 1 winner Xtension and to Beatrix Potter, the dam of Harry Angel – and Chil Chil, an Exceed And Excel Group 3-winning half-sister to last Saturday's Coral Distaff scorer Auria and the ill-fated Beat The Bank.
Kitty Trice, Racing Post bloodstock reporter

This content was first published in Kitty Trice's Pedigree Punting column in Wednesday's Racing Post Weekender. Read more from Kitty and star Weekender contributors such as leading tipsters Tom Segal and Paul Kealy and exclusive columnist Ed Walker every week

Read more on the July festival:

'He's got a very strong chance' – Watson talks up Dragon Symbol in July Cup

Ed Walker: Starman has the chance to become the best sprinter of his generation

'Score to be settled' for Richard Hannon as he readies Snow Lantern for Falmouth

What's on this week: July Cup the highlight as action builds to Super Saturday

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