Sectional Debrief: Newmarket, Saturday July 13

The final day of the Newmarket July Meeting took place, as did the first two, in blazing sunshine and on fast ground. Time analysis suggests there was very little between the speed of the surface on Friday and Saturday, with both just a few pounds quicker than on Thursday. One-on-one comparisons between races on different days are unlikely to be far out at all. 

Par finishing speeds are in the region of 98% to 100% at most distances at the Newmarket July Course, and it can be seen from the above headline figures that there was not the same variation in pace that there had been on the first two days. The races won by Law Enforcement, Good Old Boy Lukey and Emirates Flyer were run at paces which were on the steady side, but only the last-named recorded an overall time that made the sectionals look good. 

The races won by Field of Dream, Dutch Courage and Havana Cooler were run at true or even strong paces, though again without the overall times being all that impressive with that in mind. The most interesting of these was Field of Dream's Bunbury Cup, in which only one horse - fourth-placed Dance And Dance - broke 13.0 sec for the final 1f. By way of comparison, the first three in all other races at a mile or less on the day managed this. 

Dance And Dance is a well-handicapped horse who may be returning to his best, but sectionals do not identify him as the horse to take from the Bunbury Cup; if anything, the opposite, as he was closing into a slowing pace. The biggest sectional mark-ups among the principals go to second-placed Es Que Love and third-placed I'm So Glad, both up with the strong pace throughout. I'm So Glad looks back to the level that won her four races last year and gets added to the "to follow" list. 

Lethal Force's win in the featured July Cup should have come as no surprise to anyone who bothers to study sectionals. Contrary to some theories that were doing  the rounds, he was not flattered to any significant degree by his win at Royal Ascot, with sectionals suggesting Society Rock, two lengths second to him on that occasion, might narrow the margin another day, but only slightly. 

On Saturday, Lethal Force repeated the feat, but with his two lengths margin over Society Rock reduced to one and a half lengths. Lethal Force got the jump on his rivals slightly at the start but thereafter banged out fast sectional after fast sectional - 10.62s, 10.48s, 10.67s, 10.71s in the middle of the race - and nothing could get near him. His finishing speeds were above par, as a result of that opening furlong, but only just. The overall time, which broke the track record, was excellent. He again deserves to be considered comfortably the best horse in the race.
 
The interesting runner with the future in mind was Sole Power, only fifth at the finish but third-best on sectionals having been steadied into last on his step up to 6f. A rather less negative ride should see him go very close in the 5f Nunthorpe Stakes at York, and he is another added to the "to follow" list.

Thanks go to reader Robert Dove, who got in touch to point out that my figures for the Qawaasem maiden on the opening day were wrong. An error in transcription led to the winner being credited with a sectional mark-up of 4 when it should have been 11. Fifth-placed Crown Pleasure looks even better now, as does runner-up Valonia (sectional rating of 88), who joins that one on the "to follow" list.  
   
Labienus stopped the rot for the Sectional Debrief on Saturday, with his third successive win for the list, which remains in profit if somewhat less impressively so than previously. He will be facing stiffer tasks hereafter and is dropped, as is Stencive, who narrowly missed a golden opportunity at the weekend but will be racing off a higher mark in future or taking in Group races.

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