JACKET ON TOP AT NEWMARKET

lan Heitman sees Aidan O'Brien's speedster get July Festival off to a flyer

- lan Heitman

Following a fantastic five days at Royal Ascot, the next major summer festival was held at Newmarket's July course between July 11 and 13. A Group 2 race and a maiden for two-year-olds were held each day, with the July Stakes the Group 2 on day one of the meeting.

Three of the six runners had run at Royal Ascot, Ain't Nobody the only winner of the trio in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes. Electrolyte lost out by a nose in the Coventry finishing second, whilst Whistlejacket, favourite for the July Stakes, wasn't beaten too far finishing fourth in the Norfolk Stakes.

Billboard Star was the only course and distance winner in the line-up, having led all the way in a novice race a fortnight earlier. The field was completed by debut winners Aomori City and Rajeko.

There was plenty of market support for Whistlejacket, the 11/10 favourite, and he looked the part in the paddock beforehand, a strong powerful colt by No Nay Never. Despite the narrow second in the Coventry, Electrolyte was very weak in the betting, 9/4 the evening before the race, he was sent off an 11/1 chance.

Whistlejacket broke well and was allowed an easy lead under Ryan Moore with Aomori City racing close to the pace with Electrolyte and Billboard Star with the other pair patiently ridden in the rear of the field.

Shaken up by Moore with a couple of furlongs to go, Whistlejacket, who raced in the centre of the track, stayed on strongly but drifted to the far rail inside the last furlong, a length| and three quarters ahead of Billboard Star with Aomori City in third. The market weakness about Electrolyte proved to be correct and he only beat Ain't Nobody, who never managed to land a blow, the pair three and a half lengths and nine lengths respectively behind the easy winner.