Godolphin "very happy" with Delegator ahead of July Cup bid

It's all systems go for Delegator's bid to win Saturday's Group 1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket after Sheik Mohammed's five-year-old came through his final serious gallop before the contest with flying colours, writes Elliot Slater.

Seen only once this season in competitive action when impressively landing the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes at the North Yorkshire track in May, Delegator had been the leading fancy for the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes but was taken out of the race after heavy rain in the days leading up to the six furlong contest turned the ground soft. With much faster ground anticipated at HQ this coming weekend and having worked in fine style under Ted Durcan on the Limekilns gallop, hopes are very high in the Saeed bin Suroor camp that the former high-class miler can prove himself somewhere near as good over the two furlong shorter trip against the cream of international sprinters. Those following the Newmarket betting will be keeping a close eye on him.

Frankie Dettori, absent through suspensions for much of the last three weeks, is due back on board the son of Dansili who currently heads the ante-post market for the race sponsored by Sheik Mohammed's Darley breeding empire at a best priced 4/1. Delegator lost his way as a four-year-old having switched from the care of Brian Meehan to Godolphin in the middle of his three-year-old campaign that had begun with him winning the Craven Stakes before giving the now legendary Sea The Stars a fright when bustling up the great champion in the 2009 2000 Guineas on the Rowley Mile. Subsequently well beaten in heavy ground at the Curragh in the Irish equivalent, Delegator came back to run a tremendous race in failing by only a neck to beat Master Craftsman in the St James's Palace Stakes of the same season, after which he beat Zacinto (before subsequently being disqualified) in the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood.

After a modest campaign last term Delegator was dropped in trip to sprinting and at York showed he could be the major force in the division this term with a highly impressive winning return.