Newmarket July Festival Betting Offers & Free Bets – 11th, 12th & 13th July 2024

The July Festival at Newmarket is widely thought of as one of the most glamorous racing events in the UK. But, behind all the razzmatazz of the racing and social scene, the festival probably does more than most when it comes to fundraising and helping charitable causes. They often mention both ‘Fundraising’ and ‘Fund-Giving’ in their marketing material, but don’t think that this overshadows the racing in any way, it merely runs alongside.

The biggest race of the three days comes in the form of the July Cup which takes place on the Saturday. This is a world class six furlong sprint worthy of its substantial prize fund.

The supporting cast of races across the three days also deserve attention, here we’ll take a look at the main races as well as guiding you towards the best betting offers available at the July Festival.

Existing Customer Free Bets & Money Back Offers

Schedule

Thursday 11th July 2024

• 1:50pm – Bahrain Trophy Stakes (Group 3)
• 2:25pm – Bahrain Turf Club July Stakes (Group 2)
• 3:00pm – bet365 Handicap
• 3:35pm – Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (Group 2)
• 4:10pm – British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes
• 4:45pm – Edmondson Hall Solicitors Sir Henry Cecil Stakes (Listed)
• 5:20pm – Racing Welfare Handicap

Friday 12th July 2024

• 1:50pm – bet365 Handicap
• 2:25pm – Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2)
• 3:00pm – bet365 Trophy
• 3:35pm – Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (Group 1)
• 4:10pm – Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes
• 4:45pm – Racing TV Handicap
• 5:20pm – Home Of Racing Handicap

Saturday 13th July 2024

• 1:40pm – Rossdales British EBF Maiden Stakes
• 2:15pm – Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa Fillies’ Handicap
• 2:50pm – bet365 Mile Handicap
• 3:25pm – bet365 Superlative Stakes (Group 2)
• 4:00pm – bet365 Bunbury Cup
• 4:35pm – Pertemps Network July Cup Stakes (Group 1)
• 5:10pm – Discover Newmarket Handicap

Please note that the above schedule is subject to confirmation

About Newmarket’s July Festival

As the name suggests, the event takes place at the world famous Newmarket track on their July Course. The venue holds a capacity crowd of 45,000 people for each of the three days of racing. The festival gets underway in early July, but this has been known to change, depending on other events at the racecourse. It is known for popular music events to be hosted at Newmarket, with other music festivals also held there throughout the year.

The first racing festival of the year at the July Course is known as the July Meeting and it’s believed that it was first held back in 1765. If true, that would make it one of the oldest of its type in the UK. Over the three days there are a number of high quality races, including two Group 1 races, of which we will talk about more in the next section.

As we mention, the meeting only uses the July Course for this event as opposed to the Rowley Mile Course. The July Course spans just over 2 miles in total. The first mile is made up of the Cesarewitch Course before turning at a right angle in a dogleg towards the stands, joining the straight Bunbury Mile on the home straight. It is one of the fastest in the UK and makes for some thrilling racing. It’s also worth noting that all of the most of the races are run at 1m or less, making them fast and furious, to say the least.

More About The Meeting & Format

Though Newmarket is perhaps better known as being the home of two of British racing’s five Classics, the 1,000 Guineas and the 2,000 Guineas, the July Meeting shouldn’t be underestimated. For starters, it’s got a decent history to speak of, given that it was inaugurated back in 1765. As mentioned before, the event takes place exclusively on the July Course, which is sometimes referred to as the Summer Course.

The course itself has a 1 mile straight section, the Bunbury Mile, giving birth to some extremely quick races on account of the fact that there is a long downhill stretch after the first two furlongs have been completed. The final furlong is uphill, giving the horses the opportunity to use their momentum to carry them over the finish line.

Only the July Course is used for the festival, though there are a number of other meetings that are held on it in the summer months. Live music follows after the racing in a popular events known as the Newmarket Nights.

In June 2000 a light aircraft containing the jockeys Ray Cochrane and Frankie Dettori took off form the airstrip attached to the course and crashed, killing the pilot Patrick Mackey and forcing Cochrane to retire from his injuries.

The festival lasts for three days and the organisers try to spread the highest quality races over its duration. The two highlights are the Darley July Cup, which is ran on the Saturday, and the Falmouth Stakes that takes place on the Friday. They are the only Group 1 showings through the meeting.

• Thursday, Ladies Day: The event gets underway on the Thursday, which is known as Ladies Day. Like most types of meeting with a Ladies Day, it’s often thought of as a more relaxed atmosphere where punters are encouraged to don their Sunday Best. The Bahrain Trophy is the first high quality race of the meeting, which is a Group 3 race run over 1m 5f. The day also features the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, the July Stakes and the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, combining into a great day of racing.
• Festival Friday: Festival Friday, previously Feel Good Friday and Abu Dhabi Day, see’s the first of the bigger races throughout the meeting in the form of the Falmouth Stakes. This is a Group 1 race and is run over 1m. Some of the highest profile horses to win this race include Timepiece, Goldikova, Soviet Song, Proudwings and Sonic Lady.
• Saturday, Darley July Cup Day: The Saturday is referred to as ‘Darley July Cup Day’ on account of the fact that it’s the day on which the prestigious Group 1 race the Darley July Cup takes place. In the past, the race has a total purse of £628,500, with over £350,000 going to winner. Ran over six furlongs, the race is as exhilarating as you’re going to find in the flat season. Some notable winners from the past include Lethal Force, Les Arcs, Slade Power and Fleeting Spirit, to name but a few.

A Closer Look at the Feature Races

As with any horse racing Festival, there are many excellent races to get excited about. Obviously they’ve been mentioned in passing moments ago, but there’s far more to learn about some of them. Even the most unassuming of races can sometimes have stories worth telling. Here’s what we can tell you about each of them:

The Bahrain Trophy

Flat racing is far more fast and frantic than jump racing, lending itself to younger horses. It’s not overly surprising, therefore, that many of the big flat races are only open to three-year-olds, which is the case here. The race takes place over a distance of one mile and five furlongs and records on it date back to 1986. It used to be called the H & K Commissions Handicap but it was given its current name in 1991. That was a year after it was made a Listed race.

In 2006 the race’s length was cut down to what it currently is, having been run over one mile, six furlongs and one hundred and seventy-five yards. Three years later and it was moved to Group 3 status. Nowadays it’s one of the races that is considered to be a stepping stone to the St. Leger. With seven wins, Frankie Dettori is the race’s most successful jockey. John Gosden is the trainer who has won the most times, racking up five victories to date.

The Princess of Wales’s Stakes

Having seen its inaugural race run in 1894, the Princess of Wales’s Stakes is one of the oldest races at Newmarket. It’s named after Alexandra of Denmark who became the Princess of Wales in 1863. Unlike the other races we’ve told you about thus far, this one is open to horses aged three and up. Initially ran over a mile, it moved to its current length of one mile and four furlongs in 1902.

The race gained its Group 2 status in 1978 and has weight allowances of eight stone four pound for three-year-olds and nine stone two pounds for horses aged four and over. There’s also a three pound allowance for fillies and mares. Five different horses have won the race twice, with Lance Chest doing so in 1912 and 1913 and Big Orange being the most recent to do so in 2015 and 2016. Lester Piggott is the best jockey with eight wins, whilst Sir Michael Stoute has been the winning trainer on a record nine occasions.

The July Stakes

The July Stakes is open to the youngest horses so far, with two-year-old colts and geldings able to enter. It is run over six furlongs and has a weight limit of nine stone. The race is the oldest surviving one for two-year-olds, having been established in 1786. Back then it was open to horses of any sex but the restrictions were introduced in 1977. Interestingly, horses sired by Eclipse or Highflyer had to carry an additional penalty weight of three pounds when the race was first established.

Two jockeys have won the race six times, with George Fordham doing so between 1861 and 1878 and Sir Gordon Richards managing it from 1934 to 1954. Frank Butters is the race’s leading trainer, being victorious on seven different occasions. As with other races, the fact that only horses of a specific age can run in it means that no horse has won it more than once.

The Sir Henry Cecil Stakes

A Listed flat race that is open to three-year-olds, the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes was first run in 2007. Back then it was known as the Xplor Conditions Stakes and became the Stubbs Stakes in 2013. That was the same year that it gained its Listed status, if you’re interest. The following year it was given its current title, named after the flat racing trainer Sir Henry Cecil who was Champion Trainer ten times.

The race lasts for one mile and has a weight limit of nine stone and three pounds with a five pound allowance for fillies. Obviously the fact that the race is only for three-year-olds means that no horse has won it more than once. The jockey Richard Hughes has been victorious twice, however, with his first win coming for the trainer Richard Hannon Senior and then his second for his son, Richard Hannon Junior. John Egan has also has two wins a jockey in 2007 and 2018 as has Jim Crowley in 2017 and 2021, Frankie Dettori in 2009 and 2022 and Ryan Moore in 2014 and 2023. Interestingly, the winner of the race receives a rose from the Warren Place garden that belonged to Sir Henry.

The Falmouth Stakes

The Falmouth Stakes is one of the most open races at the July Festival, and is a race for fillies and mares aged three and up. It is a Group 1 race that lasts for one mile and was first raced in 1911. The race is named after the 6th Viscount of Falmouth, Evelyn Boscawen. She was a well-known racecourse breeder and owner in the nineteenth century.

There have been a few interesting moments during its history, including the fact that it was known as the Child Stakes in 1975 after it took on the sponsorship of Child’s Bank. It became a Group 2 race in 1987 and then a Group 1 race in 2004. Two horses have won it twice, namely Sonic Lady and Soviet Song. Lester Piggott has won the race seven times, more than any other jockey. Sir Michael Stoute and Alec Taylor, Jr. have both won it six times as trainers.

The Duchess of Cambridge Stakes

This race is the equivalent of the The July Stakes but it’s for fillies rather than colts and geldings. It was originally named the Cherry Hinton Stakes when it was established in 1947. Having been a Group 3 race, it became a Group 2 offering in 1996. It is a race that can give you some hints about the horses that will compete in the following year’s 1,000 Guineas.

The race was given its current name in 2013, matching a decision for the Windsor Forest Stakes at Royal Ascot to become the Duke of Cambridge Stakes to celebrate William and Kate marrying two years before. Walter Swinburn and Frankie Dettori have both won the race five times as jockeys, whilst both Sir Henry Cecil and Sir Michael Stoute have managed four wins as trainers.

The Superlative Stakes

Run over seven furlongs, the Superlative Stakes is for two-year-old horses with a weight limit of nine stone and one pound and a three pound allowance for fillies. The race was known as the Bernard van Cutsem Stakes in honour of the successful racehorse owner who passed away in 1975. It got its current title in 1991 in order to honour Superlative, who won the July Stakes eight years earlier.

Having held Listed status, the race became a Group 3 in 2003 then a Group 2 race three years later. Since 1986, three jockeys have won the race four times: Steve Cauthen, Pat Eddery and Richard Hughes. Sir Henry Cecil, meanwhile, is the race’s leading trainer having won it nine times between 1986 and 2000.

Bunbury Cup

Open to horses aged three-years-old and up, the Bunbury Cup takes place over seven furlongs. It is named after the man who was the Senior Steward for the Jockey Club and introduced both the 1,000 Guineas and the 2,000 Guinea to Newmarket, Sir Charles Bunbury.

A handicap race, the most successful horse since records were kept in 1962 is Mine, who won it in 2002, 2005 and 2006. As with so many flat races, the most successful jockey is Lester Piggott, who was victorious seven times, including back-to-back wins on En Attendant in 1993 and 1994. Michael Jarvis, James Bethell and Richard Fahey have won the race three times apiece as trainers.

July Cup

Unquestionably the most prestigious race of the week, the July Cup is considered to be one of the best sprint races in the British calendar. It was first run in 1876 and the winner of the race is thought to be the best sprinter in Europe. Initially classed as a Group 2 race, it became a Group 1 offering in 1978. Thirty years later the race became part of the now suspended Global Sprint Challenge, coming in the wake of the King’s Stand Stakes and Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and before the Sprinters Stakes in Japan.

It is six furlongs in distance and is open for horses aged three and up, which explains why Sundridge was able to win it three years running from 1902 to 1904. Horses aged three have a weight allowances of nine stone, whilst those aged four and over have nine stone and six pounds. Fillies and mares both have an allowance of three pounds. When it comes to the most successful jockey it’s that man Lester Piggott’s name that you’ll see again thanks to his ten wins, whilst Aidan O’Brien, Charles Morton and Vincent O’Brien have all amassed five wins apiece as trainers.

Interesting Facts

The thing about racing meetings is that the most interesting facts we can tell you are about individual races, as you’ll have noticed from the details about each of the races above. That said, there are still some things that you can learn about away from the racing. As an example, the Style Awards take place across all three days of the Festival and offers prizes to those that have turned up looking snazzy. Ladies Day is obviously the time for the Best Dressed Lady, with Friday seeing the equivalent competition take place for men. The Best Dressed Couple is revealed on the Saturday.

They’re not the only interesting facts that can discovered about the racecourse and Festival, though. The following are some other nuggets that you might be pleased to discover:

• The Town Plate was first run in 1666, making it the oldest race in existence – it still take place on the same course it was run on all those years ago
• Smoked salmon is a popular delicacy at Festival time, with more than a tonne of it being consumed during Festival week in 2015
• The July Course exists alongside The Rowley Mile, making Newmarket the only racecourse in the world that has two separate and distinct turf racecourses
• The racecourse itself is home to 39 fixtures throughout the year, including nine Group 1 races – only thirty-six are raced in Britain over the year at the time of writing
• In 1949, the Photo Finish was used for the first time in a race on the Newmarket course
• In 2015 Kylie Minogue played Newmarket Nights after the conclusion of the racing on the Saturday