Shaquille shot to the sprinting summit at Newmarket as Julie Camacho’s speedster doubled his big-race tally in the Pertemps Network July Cup Stakes.
The three-year-old was competing in handicap company on the weekend of the opening Classics of the season – but he has since announced himself as a star of the division and, having taken the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, he took the sting out of his elders here on Newmarket’s July course.
In scenes reminiscent of Ascot, Shaquille bunny-hopped as the gates opened, giving away plenty of ground.
However, while at Ascot Oisin Murphy had time to creep his way into contention, Shaquille was not hanging around on the wide expansive track at HQ on this occasion and pulled his way to the front to eyeball the front-running Art Power.
With two furlongs to run Rossa Ryan let the 5/2 joint-favourite have his head and the duo soon set about putting the race to bed.
Rossa Ryan celebrates as Shaquille wins the July Cup at Newmarket
Although Henry Candy’s Run To Freedom and Ralph Beckett’s Kinross were breathing down his neck in the final furlong, Shaquille was never slowing down and kept on strongly in the closing stages to come home a length-and-a-half clear of the runner-up.
Shaquille had given his Yorkshire-based team of Camacho and her husband Steve Brown their first Group One victory at Ascot and after quickly doubling their tally, he provided his jockey with his finest hour, too, with Ryan, who only picked up the ride on Thursday, tasting top-level success for the first time.
Ryan beams after landing his first career Group One title
It could be the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock next and both Betfair and Paddy Power make the winner their 7/4 favourite.
