Sirius Prospect can return to form in July Cup

By Stephen, bettingexpert.com | Published 00:01 14.07.2012

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Dean Ivory can land the biggest success of his training career to date with his classy sprinter Sirius Prospect in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket.

The 4-y-o was one of the stars of the 2011 season, winning five of his six starts, culminating in a valuable listed race success at Doncaster. He has looked very rusty this term, racing rather laboured and lacking the turn of foot that was a feature of his victories, but there was a lot more to like about his latest Royal Ascot effort in first-time headgear and he is taken to build on that under regular rider Shane Kelly.

There are numerous dangers for the £452,000 prize money, with perhaps Roger Charlton's Bated Breath the principal threat. The 5-y-o was runner-up twice at the highest level last term, including in this race when touched off by Dream Ahead. He has returned in red-hot form, winning the Temple Stakes at Haydock from Sole Power and finishing a gallant second in the King's Stand. The only negative is the forecast testing ground which his trainer has always tried to avoid, and there must be a strong likelihood that his turn of speed will be blunted in a race that may become a stiff test of stamina in the closing stages.

Society Rock was the 2011 Golden Jubilee winner who ran a hugely eye-catching race in the latest renewal, missing the break completely and running on strongly for fifth behind the wondermare Black Caviar. The 5-y-o had form on a soft surface earlier in his career and would be a huge threat if getting the breaks late on under the in-form Ryan Moore.

Australian raider Ortensia has always been campaigned at the top level and was well fancied for the Kings Stand at the Royal meeting. However, he played up badly in the preliminaries and ran no kind of race at all. Better can surely be expected but he was well beaten on a heavy surface at Randwick in April on the only time he has run in deep ground, and it may just be that the form from down under is not all it is hyped up to be.

Strong Suit has long shaped as though a drop down to sprinting would suit given his smooth travelling style, but soft conditions are all against him and he is far from a certain runner later on if things deteriorate further, while Libranno was given a superb "waiting in front" ride over 7f in the Criterion and will find this altogether tougher (well beaten in this race in 2011).

Dandy Boy may be the one to outrun his odds. He was a 33-1 surprise winner at the Royal meeting, but the winning time of the Wokingham handicap was better than Black Caviar clocked and there appeared no fluke about it. He has form in the soft in the past and a draw in stall 15 offers him the chance to seize the stands rail and secure a prominent pitch.

In summary, one of the most competitive Group 1's of the season to date, with testing ground complicating matters. Sirius Prospect has not fulfilled the potential shown as a 3-y-o but dropped a huge hint last time out and may now be reaching peak fitness. A fast run race seems assured and he can cut these down late on if recapturing the turn of foot he possesses at best. At around 14-1 this morning an each-way wager is recommended.

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