Muhaarar on Target for July Cup

The result of next months G1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket can often have a bearing on who is crowned champion European sprinter and at this stage thirty horses stand their ground for the July Course showpiece including impressive G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). His Ascot win would suggest he is probably the best 3-year-old sprinter in Europe at the moment and his trainer Charlie Hills is very much looking forward to the next test July 11 which will see him taking on his elders for the first time.

“Muhaarar lost very little weight after the Commonwealth Cup, no more than five kilos, and hasn’t left an oat since, so the plan is for him to run in the July Cup,” reported Hills. “He’s improving all the time and is a very exciting horse. You’ve got to hope that we are in champion sprinter territory with him now. The July Cup is pretty much the biggest sprint of the year and it would mean an awful lot for the yard to win it for the first time. A stiff six furlongs is good for him so Newmarket’s uphill finish should suit and he’s pretty versatile ground-wise,” added the Lambourn based trainer. Muharrar will bid to emulate his sire Oasis Dream (GB) (Green Desert) who won the July Cup in 2003 as a 3-year-old en route to being crowned Champion 3-year-old sprinter the same year.