Punters turn to Inisherin with July Cup favourite now 2-1 for Saturday feature

Betting in the My Pension Expert July Cup (4.35), Saturday's big race, is "one-way traffic" according to William Hill, with hot favourite Inisherin continuing to prove popular having shortened to 15-8 (from 3s).

Last month's Commonwealth Cup winner is expected to shorten again before the Group 1 sprint due to sustained market support. The Kevin Ryan-trained three-year-old has been one of the best-backed horses across the 55 races taking place in Britain and Ireland on super Saturday.

Last month's impressive Royal Ascot success was his top-level breakthrough, but he races in open company for the first time in his five-race career this afternoon.

Watch: Paul Kealy marks your cards for Super Saturday on The Morning Post

Support comes as his main market rivals have been weak in the early betting, with Vandeek drifting in places to 9-2 (from 3), while Kinross and River Tiber have drifted out to 8-1 and 7-1 respectively.

Newmarket will also host the day's big betting heat, the bet365 Bunbury Cup (4.00), in which Aalto is a major market mover with William Hill. The Ian Williams-trained runner was second at Haydock last time and is up in class.

William Hill's Lee Phelps said: “It’s all one-way traffic in the July Cup betting with Inisherin the one punters definitely want to be with. Kevin Ryan’s three-year-old has been smashed into 15-8 from 3-1 and could go off even shorter come race time.

“Elsewhere on Newmarket’s card, the money has been pouring in for Aalto in the Bunbury Cup, with Ian Williams’ runner 7-1 from 12-1, having opened at 28-1 ante-post.

"Another that has caught punters’ eyes is Britannia sixth-place finisher Qirat, who has been well found in the mile handicap (2.50) and is 10-3 from 9-2.

“The John Smith’s Cup at York is ferociously competitive as always, but the one they’re coming in for is the Roger Varian-trained Botanical at 5-1 from 8-1.”

Paddy Power have also seen major interest in Inisherin. Bookmaker spokesman Paul Binfield said: “Regional coming out means the moves are slightly skewed, but Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin is proving popular at the front of the market and a really competitive-looking renewal is turning into a cracking betting heat with a number of other horses, including River Tiber and Mill Stream, also being backed.”

Updated at 1pm

Regional out of July Cup

Classy sprinter Regional will not line up in the July Cup at Newmarket as he was withdrawn due to the ground.

Last season's Sprint Cup winner was a 10-1 chance for the day's highlight, having finished a length second in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

The Parthenon is another notable non-runner in the bet365 Superlative Stakes (3.25). He was Aidan O'Brien's only runner in the Group 2 which the yard won with City Of Troy last season.

Updated at 1pm

Going update

The ground at Newmarket remains good, good to soft in places for July Cup day despite 3.5mm of rain overnight.

York faces the possibility of light rain through racing. The ground was kept good to soft after its meeting on Friday.

"We're good to soft," said clerk of the course William Derby at 8am. "At the moment we've had spits and spots of rain but it was dry overnight. It's cloudy and cool and there's light rain and shower risks throughout the day. The Met Office said we're right on the edge of rain, we could get it, we could not and it'll come and go."

Conditions at Ascot have continued to quicken ahead of its Anne Cowley Memorial Summer Mile Stakes (2.20) day. The round course changed to good, good to soft in places overnight, while the ground on the straight course remains good, having been changed from good to soft through racing on Friday.

Posted at 9am