Summer in Britain is rich with large scale flat horse racing events, but some of them truly stand out. One such event is the July Festival that usually takes place in early July at the Newmarket racing venue.
The Festival takes its origins from the July Cup that was established in 1876. Today it is conducted over the course of three days and for sponsorship reasons is known as the Debenhams July Festival.
This year the July Festival falls between the 10 and 12 July. It will open with the Bahrain Trophy Stakes, while the closing race is The Trust A Trader Handicap Stakes. The famed July Cup will also take place on the last day of the event. The Newmarket race course will host a total of 21 races over the course of three days, with nine of them classified as Class 1.
Key Dates & Timings
The Debenhams July Festival 2025 will take place in the second week of July and last for three days. Each day will include seven races. Day one is a dedicated Ladies’ Day, day two is known as The Festival Friday, while the third and last day is referred to as the July Cup Day due to its headline race.
Day One: Ladies’ Day
- Date: Thursday, 10 July 2025
- Gate opening: 11:50 am
- First race of the day starts: 1:50 pm
- Headline race of the day starts: 3:35 pm
- Last race of the day starts: 5:20 pm
Day Two: Festival Friday
- Date: Friday, 11 July 2025
- Gate opening: 11:50 am
- First race of the day starts: 1:50 pm
- Headline race of the day starts: 3:35 pm
- Last race of the day starts: 5:20 pm
Day Three: July Cup Day
-
- Date: Saturday, 12 July 2025
- Gate opening: 11:40 am
- First race of the day starts: 1:40 pm
- Headline race of the day starts: 4:35 pm
- Last race of the day starts: 5:10 pm
The daily race cards for the Festival are as follows:
Thursday, 10 July
Going: good (good to firm in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:50 pm | THE BAHRAIN TROPHY STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 3) | 1m 5f | 3YO £200,000.00 |
| 2:25 pm | THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN JULY STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 2) | 6f | 2YO £100,000.00 |
| 3:00 pm | THE BET BOOST AT bet365 HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (Heritage Handicap) | 6f | 3YO £100,000.00 Rating 0-105 |
| 3:35 pm | THE PRINCESS OF WALES’S STAKES (SPONSORED BY THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN) (CLASS 1) (Group 2) | 1m 4f | 3YO+ £125,000.00 |
| 4:10 pm | THE BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF MAIDEN FILLIES’ STAKES (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) | 6f | 2YO £40,000.00 |
| 4:45 pm | THE EDMONDSON HALL SOLICITORS SIR HENRY CECIL STAKES (CLASS 1) (Listed Race) | 1m | 3YO £55,000.00 |
| 5:20 pm | THE NEWMARKET HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 3) | 1m | 3YO+ £30,000.00 Rating 76-95 |
Friday, 11 July
Going: good (good to firm in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:50 pm | THE bet365 HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPLUS RACE) | 1m 2f | 3YO £100,000.00 Rating 0-105 |
| 2:25 pm | THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE STAKES (SPONSORED BY bet365) (CLASS 1) (Group 2) | 6f | 2YO £100,000.00 |
| 3:00 pm | THE bet365 TROPHY (CLASS 2) (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPLUS RACE) | 1m 6f | 4YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 3:35 pm | THE TATTERSALLS FALMOUTH STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 1) | 1m | 3YO+ £275,000.00 |
| 4:10 pm | THE WEATHERBYS BRITISH EBF MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 3) | 7f | 2YO £25,000.00 |
| 4:45 pm | THE DUBAI RACING CLUB HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 3) | 7f | 3YO+ £30,000.00 Rating 71-90 |
| 5:20 pm | THE debenhams.com HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 3) | 5f | 3YO+ £30,000.00 Rating 0-90 |
Saturday, 12 July
Going: good (good to firm in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:40 pm | THE ROSSDALES BRITISH EBF MAIDEN FILLIES’ STAKES (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | 7f | 2YO £25,000.00 |
| 2:12 pm | THE NEWMARKET FILLIES’ HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (CL 2) | 7f | 3YO+ £50,000.00 Rating 81-100 |
| 2:50 pm | THE bet365 BUNBURY CUP (CLASS 2) (Heritage Handicap) (CL 2) | 7f | 3YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 3:25 pm | THE bet365 MILE HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (CL 2) | 1m | 3YO £50,000.00 Rating 0-100 |
| 4:00 pm | THE bet365 SUPERLATIVE STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 2) (CL 1) | 7f | 2YO £100,000.00 |
| 4:35 pm | THE AL BASTI EQUIWORLD, DUBAI JULY CUP STAKES (CLASS 1) (GROUP 1) (CL 1) | 6f | 3YO+ £600,000.00 |
| 5:10 pm | THE TRUST A TRADER HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 3) (GBBPLUS RACE) (CL 3) | 1m 4f | 3YO+ £30,000.00 Rating 71-90 |
How to Buy Tickets
The Newmarket Racecourse offers tickets for four enclosures: Garden Enclosure, Grandstand and Paddock, Premier Enclosure, and Champions Lawn. Each comes with its own benefits and services.
Garden Enclosure is the most affordable one. Day tickets start from £19. It offers family entertainment and picnic facilities, however race viewing is limited. You will be watching most of the race on a large screen. Upgrades are available, though, but are subject to availability. Betting facilities are available on the premises.
Tickets for the Grandstand and Paddock start at £24. You get to enjoy the race, the Parade Ring, and the Winners’ Enclosure, as well as food and drinks outlets. You get access to wi-fi and betting facilities.
Premier Enclosure gives you the best view of the race, including the Winning Pole. You will have access to all the activities of the day, from the Pre-Parade and Parade Ring to the Winners Enclosure. You also get all the perks other tickets provide. The starting price for the Premier Enclosure is £36.
The Champions Lawn offers every aspect mentioned above, including stunning views of the race, but with the additional comfort of a stylish facility, comfortable seating, a private bar, and much more. Currently, the Champions Lawn is sold out.
If you would like to combine your day at the race with a premium dining experience, Newmarket Racecourse offers four hospitality facilities for the duration of the July Festival. Each of them offers a unique combination of fine cuisine and majestic atmosphere.
Travel and Transport Guide
The Debenhams July Festival is conducted at the Newmarket Racecourse located at the following address: Newmarket Racecourse, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0TF. You can reach your destination by various means of transportation from different directions.
If you are travelling by train, you can arrive at the Newmarket Railway Station. From there the Newmarket Racecourse is only a few miles away. You can either drive or take a complimentary shuttle bus that runs on racing days.
You can also arrive at the Cambridge Railway Station which is only 14 miles away from the Newmarket Racecourse and has connections to London.
The shuttle bus is available on race days. You can take it either from the railway station or from the Newmarket town centre. The morning transit starts two hours before the first race and stops right as the first race is about to begin. The return journey commences about 45 minutes before the last race, buses keep running for approximately two hours. The rides don’t require pre-booking.
You can also book the Outrider Coach Service that costs £15 for a return ticket. On the days of the Debenhams July Festival it will be available on different dates depending on your departure/arrival point:
- From Cambridge Train Station: 10, 11, and 12 July 2025 – pick up 11am
- From Bury St Edmunds – Bus Station: 10 and 12 July 2025 – pick up 11am
Headline Races at The July Festival
The Debenhams July Festival includes 21 races evenly distributed over 3 days of the event. The variety of conditions, tracks, and runners caters to different interests and preferences of all Newmarket Racecourse visitors.
Princess of Wales’s Stakes (Thursday, 10 July)
Princess of Wales’s Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race that accepts both female and male horses aged three years or older and is run over the distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres). As the first day of the Debenhams July Festival is a dedicated Ladies’ Day, it is only appropriate that the headline race of the day is named after one of the distinguished ladies of Britain.
Established in 1894, the race was given the name of Alexandra of Denmark, who became the Princess of Wales after she married Edward VII in 1863. When the modern race grading system was introduced in Britain, the Princess of Wales’s Stakes was initially classified as Group 3, and was later promoted to Group 2 in 1978.
Currently, there are 5 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. The jockeys have already been announced for the known runners.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Arabian Crown (age 4, jockey James Doyle, trainer Charlie Appleby)
- El Cordobes (age 4, jockey William Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby)
- Ghostwriter (age 4, jockey David Egan, trainer Clive Cox)
- Palladium (age 4, jockey Ryan Moore, trainer John and Thady Gosden)
- Wimbledon Hawkeye (age 3, jockey Sean Bowen, trainer James Owen)
Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (Friday, 11 July)
The most recently established of all the July Festival headlining races, Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes was founded in 1911. It is a Group 1 flat horse race that accepts fillies and mares aged three years or older and is run over the distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres).
The race got its name from the famous race horse owner and breeder Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth, who in his time had won many classic races. Initially it was open only to three year old fillies but started accepting older fillies and mares in 1974. In 1971 Falmouth Stakes was classified as Grade 3, but was since promoted twice: to Group 2 in 1987 and to Group 1 in 2004.
Currently, there are 12 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys have already been announced while others still await confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Cinderella’s Dream (age 4, jockey William Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby)
- Crimson Advocate (age 4, jockey James Doyle, trainer John and Thady Gosden)
- Elmalka (age 4, jockey Silvestre De Sousa, trainer Roger Varian)
- Running Lion (age 5, jockey Oisin Murphy, trainer John and Thady Gosden)
- Atsila (age 3, jockey to be announced, trainer Donnacha O’Brien)
- Bedtime Story (age 3, jockey to be announced, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- Chantilly Lace (age 3, jockey Rossa Ryan, trainer Ralph Beckett)
- Elwateen (age 3, jockey Jim Crowley, trainer Saeed bin Suroor)
- Exactly (age 3, jockey to be announced, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- January (age 3, jockey to be announced, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- Lady Ilze (age 3, jockey Adrie de Vries, trainer Andreas Wohler)
- Pina Sonata (age 3, jockey to be announced, trainer James Fanshawe)
The July Cup (Saturday, 12 July)
One of the most prestigious sprint races in Britain, the July Cup is also acknowledged in other European countries. It is a Group 1 flat horse race that accepts both female and male horses aged three years or older and is run over the distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres).
In its inaugural and the subsequent year, the July Cup was awarded to the renowned colt Springfield, who was bred by Queen Victoria herself. The race got its first classification in 1971, and was classified as Group 2. In 1978 it was promoted to Group 1.
Currently, there are 16 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys have already been announced while others still await confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Iberian (age 4, jockey Colin Keane, trainer Charles Hills)
- Inisherin (age 4, jockey to be announced, trainer Kevin Ryan)
- Jasour (age 4, jockey to be announced, trainer Clive Cox)
- Night Raider (age 4, jockey Sam James, trainer Karl Burke)
- Notable Speech (age 4, jockey William Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby)
- Rogue Lightning (age 5, jockey to be announced, trainer Tom Clover)
- Run To Freedom (age 7, jockey Trevor Whelan, trainer Henry Candy)
- Twilight Calls (age 7, jockey Saffie Osborne, trainer Richard Spencer)
- Believing (age 5, jockey Billy Loughnane, trainer George Boughey)
- Flora Of Bermuda (age 4, jockey James Doyle, trainer Andrew Balding)
- No Half Measures (age 4, jockey Neil Callan, trainer Richard Hughes)
- Big Mojo (age 3, jockey Tom Marquand, trainer Michael Appleby)
- Ides Of March (age 3, jockey to be announced, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- Spy Chief (age 3, jockey Robert Havlin, trainer John and Thady Gosden)
- Symbol Of Honour (age 3, jockey Oisin Murphy, trainer Charlie Appleby)
- Whistlejacket (age 3, jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
Betting at The July Festival
As with any significant horse racing event, you will be able to place your bets on any outcome of any of the twenty one races taking place at the Debenhams July Festival. Online betting is available on many major bookmaking platforms that offer horse race betting.
At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.
Please note that odds for the July Festival will be available closer to the event date.
Betting at the July Festival includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular being:
- Win: If you have decided for yourself which horse you want to support to win the race, you can place your bet on that horse. If your prediction is right, your wager will win.
- Place: This bet is a little less risky, as it isn’t placed on a direct winner but a horse that in your opinion will place in the top two to four (depending on the amount of runners) in a single race.
- First Two (or First Three): Instead of betting on one horse, you can place your wager on the first two (or three) horses to come to the finish line. However, you have to predict the right order in which they will do it.
- Two From Three: This bet is a little easier than the previous one, as you try to predict any two of the first three horses to finish in order to win.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain.
The July Cup Past Winners
The list of the July Cup past winners spreads over generations of magnificent racing horses and skilled jockeys. The horses who won the Gold Cup in the past 24 years since 2000 were the following:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
| 2000 | Agnes World | 5 | Yutaka Take | Hideyuki Mori | Takao Watanabe |
| 2001 | Mozart | 3 | Michael Kinane | Aidan O’Brien | Tabor / Magnier |
| 2002 | Continent | 5 | Darryll Holland | David Nicholls | Lucayan Stud |
| 2003 | Oasis Dream | 3 | Richard Hughes | John Gosden | Khalid Abdullah |
| 2004 | Frizzante | 5 | Johnny Murtagh | James Fanshawe | Hopper / Grundy |
| 2005 | Pastoral Pursuits | 4 | John Egan | Hughie Morrison | Pursuits / National Stud |
| 2006 | Les Arcs | 6 | John Egan | Tim Pitt | Willie McKay |
| 2007 | Sakhee’s Secret | 3 | Steve Drowne | Hughie Morrison | Bridget Swire |
| 2008 | Marchand d’Or | 5 | Davy Bonilla | Freddy Head | Carla Giral |
| 2009 | Fleeting Spirit | 4 | Tom Queally | Jeremy Noseda | The Searchers |
| 2010 | Starspangledbanner | 4 | Johnny Murtagh | Aidan O’Brien | Michael Tabor et al. |
| 2011 | Dream Ahead | 3 | Hayley Turner | David Simcock | Khalifa Dasmal |
| 2012 | Mayson | 4 | Paul Hanagan | Richard Fahey | David W. Armstrong |
| 2013 | Lethal Force | 4 | Adam Kirby | Clive Cox | Alan G. Craddock |
| 2014 | Slade Power | 5 | Wayne Lordan | Edward Lynam | Sabena Power |
| 2015 | Muhaarar | 3 | Paul Hanagan | Charlie Hills | Hamdan Al Maktoum |
| 2016 | Limato | 4 | Harry Bentley | Henry Candy | Paul G. Jacobs |
| 2017 | Harry Angel | 3 | Adam Kirby | Clive Cox | Godolphin |
| 2018 | U S Navy Flag | 3 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O’Brien | Tabor / Smith / Magnier |
| 2019 | Ten Sovereigns | 3 | Ryan Moore | Aidan O’Brien | Tabor / Smith / Magnier |
| 2020 | Oxted | 4 | Cieren Fallon | Roger Teal | S Piper, T Hirschfeld & D Fish |
| 2021 | Starman | 4 | Tom Marquand | Ed Walker | David Ward |
| 2022 | Alcohol Free | 4 | Rob Hornby | Andrew Balding | Jeff Smith |
| 2023 | Shaquille | 3 | Rossa Ryan | Julie Camacho | Hughes, Rawlings, O’Shaughnessy |
| 2024 | Mill Stream | 4 | William Buick | Jane Chapple-Hyam | Peter Harris |
Last year’s winner bay colt Mill Stream was 4 years old when he received the crown of the July Cup winner. The 2024 season was a pretty mixed bag of results for him and his trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam. Mill Stream participated in six races during the flat race season. He won two of them, one at Newmarket and one at York.
Other results included second, third, and fifth places at different racing events. The most disappointing one was the last race of the season conducted at Ascot. Mill Stream came fifteenth out of 20 running horses.
So far Mill Stream hasn’t been announced among this year’s contenders for the July Cup at Newmarket, so it is probably safe to say that the now five year old bay colt won’t be making an appearance on the track this time.
The July Cup Records
In its 149 years of existence, the July Cup remembers many distinguished names on its list of winners. Yet, there were some who achieved this honour not once, but several times.
- Leading horse: Sundridge with 3 wins (1902, 1903, 1904)
- Leading jockey: Lester Piggott with 10 wins (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1992)
- Leading trainer: Charles Morton (1903, 1904, 1912, 1913, 1914), Aidan O’Brien (1999, 2001, 2010, 2018, 2019), and Vincent O’Brien (1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1990), all with 5 wins
- Leading owner: Jack Joel with 5 wins (1903, 1904, 1912, 1913, 1914)
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org