From shock results to major milestones, the 2025 Newmarket July Festival gave punters and racing fans plenty to talk about. The three-day meeting showcased thrilling Group contests, landmark achievements, and one of the biggest upsets in the race’s storied history.
As the dust settles, attention turns to what punters are backing this weekend—and several names from Newmarket are sure to influence horse racing bets going forward.
Here are the standout talking points from this year’s festival on the July Course.
No Half Measures stuns the July Cup
The headline shock came in Saturday’s Group 1 July Cup, where No Half Measures defied odds of 66/1 to become the biggest-priced winner in the race’s 145-year history.
The four-year-old provided Richard Hughes with his first Group 1 victory as a trainer, turning a wide-open renewal into a landmark result for both horse and handler. Backers of the longshot were richly rewarded in one of the season’s most dramatic sprinting results.
An emotional Hannon said afterwards:
“I’ve got the monkey off my back that’s for sure and I can retire now saying I rode a July Cup winner and trained one, so that’s really nice.
“Of course I want more, it’s my nature as I’m very competitive, but if you don’t have the horses you can’t train them.”
William Buick joins the 2,000 club
William Buick cemented his status as one of the top jockeys of his generation by riding his 2,000th winner in Britain, joining the likes of Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore on an exclusive list. The milestone came aboard El Cordobes in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes—and Buick wasn’t done there.
He rode two more winners that afternoon and ended the festival with an impressive seven victories, underlining his dominance on home turf.
“It’s a great milestone and we’re looking for the next thousand now,” Buick said.
“It’s a big achievement. It’s longevity, hard work, and dedication that gets you to those numbers.
“Probably the most important thing is support from trainers, owners, my family and the horses themselves. Without them, none of those things can happen.”
Rare blank for Aidan O’Brien
It’s not often Aidan O’Brien leaves a major UK meeting without a winner, but that was the case at Newmarket this year. The Ballydoyle team sent just five runners, with three finishing second, including the odds-on favourite Italy in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes.
While O’Brien’s sights may already be set on Glorious Goodwood and the Irish classics, his absence at Newmarket was a notable departure from the norm.
Crowds return in force
There was plenty of good news off the track, too. Newmarket’s general manager Sophie Able, confirmed that crowd numbers were up 6% on last year, with a total of 36,591 racegoers attending across the three days.
The rise in attendance points to growing enthusiasm for midsummer racing, helped by a strong card and favourable weather.
“The weather we’re seeing at the moment opens up people’s options in terms of what they can do with their free time, but I think these three days have shown what a fantastic sport we have and what a compelling, exciting and entertaining spectacle British racing can put on for people from all walks of life,” Able said.
