Johannesburg heads July field

Last year’s champion two-year-old Johannesburg heads 13 entries from Aidan O’Brien’s stable for the £220,000 (€352,000) Darley July Cup at Newmarket.

After finishing a disappointing eighth in the Kentucky Derby, Johannesburg, is expected to target Europe’s top sprints in a bid to add to his four Group One successes last season.

O’Brien, who has won this Group One contest over six-furlongs twice with Stravinsky (1999) and the ill-fated Mozart (2001), has his 2000 Guineas winners Rock Of Gibraltar (English) and Landseer (French) among his other entries.

Hawk Wing, the unlucky runner-up to Rock Of Gibraltar at Newmarket, has also been put in by the Ballydoyle trainer.

Saeed bin Suroor has six entries for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation, including the fourth horse home in the race last year, Three Points, and the well-regarded three-year-olds Meshaheer and Waldenburg.

A host of established British-trained sprinters and potentially top-class speed merchants feature amongst the 57 entries.

The older horses include Sir Michael Stoute’s Misraah, third in last year’s race, Danehurst from Sir Mark Prescott’s yard and Richard Hannon’s fast improving Reel Buddy.

From overseas there is a possible American challenger in Morluc, trained by Randy Morse, who failed by only a short head to land the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin last December.

There are five entries from France, including Zipping (Robert Collet), who finished an excellent fourth in the 2000 Guineas, and Criquette Head-Maarek’s highly-rated Iron Mask, who had been due to contest the Darley July Cup a year ago before meeting with a setback.