Mozart put up a breathtaking performance to win the Darley July Cup at Newmarket yesterday to continue Adrian O'Brien's domination of Britain's top races. The sprinter's success in the Group One highlight gave his trainer a fourth Group One triumph in Britain within five weeks.
And the £133,000 first prize took O'Brien to within £70,000 of Michael Stoute at the top of the British trainers' table - his £1.3 million tally from just three dozen runners boosted by the likes of Galileo, Imagine and Black Minnaloushe.
Sent to the front from the off by Michael Kinane, Mozart had all 17 rivals on the stretch a quarter mile from home and quickened clear to score by 3-1/2 lengths from Cassandra Go with Misraah another length away in third, just ahead of Three Points.
O'Brien won the July Cup with Stravinsky two years ago and was always confident that Mozart would have the speed for this event. "He has unbelievable pace and he is a very difficult horse to beat," the trainer said. "You have to follow him to beat him and if you follow him he will probably kill you!"
O'Brien revealed yesterday that dual Derby winner Galileo is likely to tackle tomorrow fortnight's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot. The trainer said: "It is a strong possibility he will run in the King George. He's a very well horse, he finds racing very easy and he had a very easy race in the Irish Derby."
