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Newmarket’s July festival reaches its peak when the July Cup takes centre stage on Saturday afternoon with nine going to post in the feature sprint. Aidan O’Brien will be hoping champion juvenile Little Big Bear can replicate the likes of Ten Sovereigns and U S Navy Flag to give the master of Ballydoyle a record-breaking sixth July Cup, while Rossa Ryan gets onboard market leader Shaquille for the first time.

Newmarket's July festival reaches its peak when the July Cup takes centre stage on Saturday afternoon with nine going to post in the feature sprint. Aidan O'Brien will be hoping champion juvenile Little Big Bear can replicate the likes of Ten Sovereigns and U S Navy Flag to give the master of Ballydoyle a record-breaking sixth July Cup, while Rossa Ryan gets onboard market leader Shaquille for the first time.

Course and distance form can prove crucial on Newmarket's July Course. The Charlie Hills-trained Khaadem has proven track and trip form and arrives bidding for back-to-back Group 1 glory following his shock success in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. An official rating of 117 puts him right in the ballpark to play a role at the business end and Rob Hornby is certainly a suitable deputy for the banned Jamie Spencer having landed this race onboard Alcohol Free last year.

Kinross finished seventh behind Khaadem in the aforementioned Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes but definitely had excuses with the way the race panned out. Ralph Beckett's Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes winner finished a top-class third in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland last season and he definitely cannot be left out of the equation as the top-rated performer in this year's renewal.

Four-year-olds have landed the last three running's of the July Cup. That makes Azure Blue of obvious interest as the sole four-year-old in the line-up and Michael Dods is a dab hand at progressing sprinters through handicap company to top-level success. The daughter of El Kabeir also has something of a love affair at Newmarket whether that be the Rowley Mile or the July Course. She's four from five when racing at headquarters including when returning to action this season with a snug half-length Listed success in May. The Michael Dods-trained runner took her form to a new level last time when winning the Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes at York later that month and this upwardly progressive filly commands the utmost respect in her bid to make it four in a row for four-year-olds in the July Cup.

However, although four-year-olds have an excellent record in recent years three-year-olds still top the category of being the most successful age group, winning 38 of the 78 running's post-1945 (48.7% strike rate). The two reopposing three-year-olds Shaquille and Little Big Bear finished first and second in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. The latter's participation has been in doubt in recent days following a stone bruise to his foot and it's the former who's preferred. He did well to overcome a really tardy start when providing trainer Julie Camacho with a first top-level success and it's hard to gauge just how much more the son of Charm Spirit has in the tank. The recent rain around shouldn't be too much of an issue given he won a Newmarket handicap on ground officially described as soft and he may be capable of continuing his ascendancy with a sixth-straight victory.

The downpour at Newmarket yesterday has certainly got into the ground and that has to bring Vadream into the equation from an each-way perspective. Charlie Fellowes' runner has been well-beaten in her last two outings, but the ground was definitely too quick for her in those runs. She won the Group 3 Palace House Stakes on the Rowley Mile in May, and it wouldn't be surprising if the daughter of Brazen Beau produced a much-improved effort back under suitable conditions.

WIN: SHAQUILLE
EACH-WAY: VADREAM