Due Diligence (orange and blue, centre) could miss the July Cup

 PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

O’Brien’s Cup team could be depleted by soft going

THE strength of Aidan O’Brien’s bid for a fourth Darley July Cup win was in doubt on the eve of the race with the trainer expressing ground concerns for his three contenders, Due Diligence, Cougar Mountain and Fountain Of Youth.

O’Brien said on Friday: “I spoke to Joseph (O’Brien) after he rode in a couple of races at Newmarket and he described the ground as yielding. I’ll be speaking to the clerk of the course Michael Prosser at 6am and will listen to what he says about the ground and weather.

 

“If there is no more rain we’ll have decisions to make but if there is rain then it will be a lot simpler- Due Diligence andFountain Of Youth would have to be considered very doubtful runners.

 

“Slow ground wouldn’t be ideal for Cougar Mountain either but he has had only the one race and needs experience, so he will probably take his chance.”

Aidan O’Brien is not the only trainer with ground concerns, with Eddie Lynam also set to assess conditions on Saturday morning before deciding if Sole Power will run.

The seven-year-old was a big drifter for the Group 1 on Friday – available at 16-1 with some firms – and Lynam said: “He’s in Newmarket and in good form, but he isn’t a soft ground horse so we’ll check out conditions in the morning. Hopefully, it will dry out enough to let him take his chance.”

Friday’s card was run on ground officially described as soft, but Prosser holds hopes the forecast can help move underfoot conditions back to good.

He said on Friday: “It’s been dry this afternoon. We are forecast a dry night and a warm and sunny morning and highs of 25C.

“All of that combined should see the ground start to move back to good. It’s currently soft, and the times reflect that, but it walks like ground that should improve. We need a bit of luck. There’s the odd cloud of rain around tomorrow afternoon we could do with missing.”

 

Sole Power could still take his chance in the July Cup

 PICTURE: Martin Lynch (racingpost.com/photos)

Sole Power could yet run in July Cup says Hughes

BACKERS of Sole Power who had given up hope that they would get a run for their money in Saturday’s Group 1 Darley July Cup got an unexpected injection of optimism on Friday afternoon when his jockey Richard Hughes suggested he might run after all.

 

Trainer Eddie Lynam had described the two-time King’s Stand Stakes winner as “very doubtful” after the ground changed to soft following persistent rainfall in Newmarket, but after riding there during the afternoon Hughes said he could yet run.

“At this stage I’d say there’s a better chance he’ll run than not run,” said the champion jockey. “After riding the track today it’s not as bad as everyone assumed. It will probably be good ground by tomorrow, and if it is, he’ll run.” 

Lynam had earlier said that a definitive decision on Sole Power’s participation would be made in the morning, and doubts over the seven-year-old’s participation saw his price drift out to a high of 16-1.