Banner to be hoisted high in July Cup

THE team behind Starspangledbanner believe the Australian import may have even improved again ahead of today's Darley July Cup at Newmarket.

Aidan O'Brien's sprinter showed dramatic progression from his first run on these shores at York to spreadeagling the field in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Ever since then he has headed the market for the showpiece race of the July meeting and if he were to stay on in Europe after the July Cup his stallion duties in the southern hemisphere would have to be put on hold for a year.

"I think Aidan and Johnny (Murtagh) are of the genuinely-held belief that Starspangledbanner has the ability to achieve great things," said Coolmore's Australian business and racing manager, Tom Magnier. "The next step is, of course, the July Cup, a race that Aidan has won in the past with Stravinsky and Mozart. Obviously he will need to be at his very best again on Friday, but Aidan is still learning about the horse and feels that he may well have improved again since Ascot, which is a very exciting proposition indeed. It takes a unique sort of horse to be able to perform at the highest level in two hemispheres, with many having tried and ultimately failed.

"Starspangledbanner was identified as a top-class colt with the scope to improve further on what he had achieved in Australia, hence our desire to acquire the horse. As things have materialised to date, he has certainly rewarded our faith in him."

Yesterday, Tom Queally capped a memorable week in the saddle as he followed up last weekend's Coral-Eclipse success aboard the back-to-form Sans Frontieres in the Princess of Wales's sportingbet.com Stakes.

While Twice Over was a hot favourite to score at Sandown, the Jeremy Noseda-trained Sans Frontieres was widely disregarded on Ladies' Day at Headquarters after failing to find his best form following an injury last summer. His three runs this spring were reflected in his 14-1 starting price, but he built on his Royal Ascot fourth to pull away and record his first win since late 2008 by two and a half lengths.

Tazeez forced the pace for much of the mile-and-a-half trip only for 11-8 favourite Spanish Moon to start breathing down his neck on his first British start for 15 months meeting the rising ground. The market leader struggled to assert while at the same time Sans Frontieres was cannoning through the field.

The game was up once Queally took command and he pulled clear of the staying-on Red Wood with Tazeez weakening back to third and Spanish Moon taking fourth.

Noseda said: "I thought he could finish in the first three here, but I didn't think he could beat Spanish Moon - although if he didn't perform then we had as good a chance as anyone and it has worked out." Mark Johnston's Corsica took advantage of a huge turnaround in the weights with Harris Tweed to gain his revenge in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket.

William Haggas' Harris Tweed had beaten Corsica by over five lengths in the Edinburgh Cup when they last met, but was 18lb worse off yesterday. Liam Jones set out to make all on Harris Tweed and decided to come up the stands' side rail, while Frankie Dettori led the rest of the field up the middle of the track.

And as they met the rising ground, Corsica, the 15-8 favourite, got the upper hand to win by three-quarters of a length. z