CLIVE Cox reckons top three-year-old Golden Horde is up for the July Cup on Saturday.
The strapping colt made an impressive return to action when an all-the-way winner of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
Horses his age have won four of the last five renewals of the prestigious Group 1, and Ladbrokes make him a 5-2 shot to enhance that record as he takes on older horses for the first time.
Cox, who has won the race twice before with Golden Horde’s dad Lethal Force and the extremely talented Harry Angel, reported that his speedster had come out of Ascot in fine fettle.
Cox said: “He’s in great form, he came back from Ascot very well indeed.
“The timescale between that run and here is perfect – obviously that was his seasonal debut, and I couldn’t be happier, he’s come back and thrived since then.
“This was always Plan A, and thankfully things went very well at Ascot – to win the Commonwealth Cup was very special, especially for Sheikh Sultan who has been a wonderful supporter.
“We go forward here with a run under our belt now, so hopefully he will continue to thrive.”
He continued: “I think it’s a proper Group 1, there’s a host of horses I would be respecting.
“Obviously Hello Youmzain from the Jubilee, and there’s a local horse in Lambourn, Oxted, that I would give a lot of respect to as well – Roger Teal’s horses are running especially well.
“Judicial was very good at Newcastle the other day after a good second at Newmarket previously, and then of course there’s Threat, who was a horse we beat in the Richmond last year, but is a very good horse who has been exploring slightly longer distances and steps back.”
The ground at Newmarket is currently reported to be good, though there is some wet stuff in the forecast ahead of the race, which is part of the 2020 Qipco British Champions Series.
But come rain or shine, Cox reckons Golden Horde won’t have the ground as an excuse if he gets beat.
He said: “He ran on some very testing ground in France, at Deauville in the Morny. I think nice ground would be in his favour, but he’s proven he’s able to cope with a little bit of ease as well.
“His sire Lethal Force was very much happier on quicker ground, and I’d be hoping we don’t get too much rain if I’m honest, but I’m very much relaxed because he’s as versatile as possible.
“It means a lot (to train a top son of Lethal Force) – we enjoyed a wonderful time with Lethal Force who still holds the course record for this race, which is pretty spectacular when you think of all the good horses that have won and competed in the July Cup over the years.”
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