July Cup Betting Tips & Odds | 2026 Festival at Newmarket

The Newmarket July Festival is one of the highlights of the British Flat racing season, and this guide brings together everything you need before the meeting gets underway. From the latest July Festival betting offers to the meeting's history, feature races and expert insights, I’ve got everything you need right here.

Hot Topics on this page:

Best July Festival Bookies

July Festival Tips

July Festival Offers

1 July Festival Tips – The July Cup and More
2 July Festival Betting Offers
3 Best Betting Sites for July Festival Betting
4 About the July Festival
5 Key July Festival Betting Insights
6 Newmarket July Festival History
7 Other Important Race Meetings
8 July Festival Betting FAQs

ON THIS PAGE

July Festival Tips – The July Cup and More

There are plenty of ante-post odds already listed for the upcoming July Festival. That said, we have to wait for the final declarations, 48 hours before each race day, to be able to confidently make our minds up in a full July Festival betting guide.

At the advance stage however, I’ve got my eye on a few July Festival betting tips, and I’m hoping to take advantage of some good Newmarket betting offers along the way.

Thursday – Back Appleby in His Backyard

The July Festival schedule starts with Ladies Day on Thursday, 9 July 2026. We’re off the Rowley Mile, scene of the 2000 Guineas, and onto the July Course now which brings its own unique charms.

Day one’s Newmarket Handicap is one of those races you describe as being on the impossible side of difficult. A full field of unexposed three-year-old sprinters will be bounding up the course, with 44 of them left in at the latest declaration stage. One horse whose price I will be waiting for is Castle Rock, given that Charlie Appleby farms races at this track.

Princess of Wales’s Stakes betting will be interesting. This is the Group 2 feature race on day one, and if Kalpana turns up, then she might just be too hard to stop with her 6lb mares’ allowance. If she’s not there, it’ll be interesting to see how well globetrotter Rebel’s Romance can go at eight years of age for that man Charlie Appleby.

Friday – Falmouth Fillies Ready to Roll

Day two is dominated by Falmouth Stakes betting. This is a Group 1 race for the fillies and mares over a mile, one that brings the older horses and the Classic fillies together.

Precise is favourite based on her Irish 1000 Guineas win, but when she won at Royal Ascot, Touleen was an unlucky loser. Aidan O’Brien was even cited for the aggressive use of team tactics, and if Touleen gets a clean run this time, she can prove to be the best of the younger bunch.

It’s not all about the three-year-olds though. Plenty of Friday Newmarket tips will concern Blue Bolt, and it’s easy to see why. She has won twice for our pages this season now, including on my regular Saturday horse racing tips page, and she is more than ready for this step up to the top table.

Saturday – July Cup Tips and More

This is the big one. Saturday Newmarket betting is headed by the Group 1 sprint, the July Cup. Venetian Sun is the ante-post favourite, but she won a smaller race earlier in the season, then a Group 1 against fellow three-year-olds at Royal Ascot. She will find this tougher still.

Almeraq though, trained by William Haggas, has always looked like he’s heading to the top. He just about got there in the Jubilee at Royal Ascot, but there’s more to come from him and he really should be favourite for this race. Find out more about that event in my upcoming horse racing betting previews.

His July Cup odds may be tempting, but the Bunbury Cup betting is even more competitive. Mezcala leads the way, a Royal Ascot winner who was given 9lbs by runner-up Elarak. Both are four-year-olds, with Elarak improving more, and he now gives his only rival only 3lbs which could make all the difference.

This is a huge day of racing. As well as July Cup betting, I’ll be delving into the action from elsewhere, with a preview, expert tips, and full John Smith’s Cup betting also to come from York.

July Festival Betting Offers

July Festival betting is competitive and fascinating. Some of our top bookies offer promotions that can be used on all major horse racing meetings, meaning some potential July Festival free bets. Welcome offers are usually available to new customers, and offer more value when backing runners at Newmarket races.

Best Betting Sites for July Festival Betting

Betfred Review

Founded: 1967

Competitive odds across races at the July Festival
Extensive horse racing markets throughout the season
Live betting available on selected Newmarket races

Payment methods(7):

Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets

VISIT BOOKIE

18+ New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £30 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.10

Max. withdrawal: £20,000

Min. deposit: £5

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

William Hill Review

Founded: 1934

One of the UK's longest-established racing bookies
Covers the July Festival with comprehensive markets
In-play betting available on selected racing events

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

VISIT BOOKIE

18+. Play Safe. Online only. Ends 31.12.26. New UK customers only, registering with promo code R30. Make your first deposit of £10+, then place a £10 single bet from main balance at odds of 1/2+ on any sports market (excluding Virtuals). Get £30 in Free Bets (3x£10) after settlement. Free Bets valid on any sports market excl. Virtuals, expire in 7 days, non-withdrawable and must be used in full (£10 each). Deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay and WH PLUS Card excluded. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Parimatch Review

Founded: 1994

User-friendly for desktop and mobile betting
Covers major Flat racing meetings, including Newmarket
Competitive markets July Cup and Falmouth Stakes

Payment methods(4):

Bet £10 Get £20

VISIT BOOKIE

18+, New customers only. Opt in, deposit & bet £10 on any sports (odds 2.00+) in 7 days. No cash out. Get 4x£5 sports free bets for set markets (odds 2.00+), which expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.05

Max. withdrawal: £50,000

Min. deposit: £5

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

BetVictor Review

Founded: 1946

Strong coverage of UK Flat racing all season
Betting markets available across the July Festival card
Live betting offered on horse racing events

Payment methods(5):

Horse Racing: Bet £10 Get £30

VISIT BOOKIE

18+. New customers only. Opt in, deposit & bet £10  or more on any Horse Racing market at minimum 1/1 odds within 7 days of registration. No cash out. Get £30 in Free Horse Racing Bets, selected markets. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.05

Max. withdrawal: £50,000

Min. deposit: £5

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

Spreadex Review

Founded: 1999

Offers both fixed-odds and spread betting on horse racing
Covers the leading races from the July Festival
Wide range of betting markets for UK racing fans

Payment methods(6):

Lucky Double Odds

VISIT BOOKIE

18+. Double Odds for 1 winner only on L15, L31 or L63. No bonus applies for 2 or more winners. All selections must run for double winner bonus to apply. Any NR will mean the bonus will not apply. No max price or max bonus to apply. Available on Horse Racing and Greyhounds only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £1.00

Max. withdrawal: £25,000

Min. deposit: £1

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

Coral Review

Founded: 1926

Extensive betting on the July Festival's feature races
Long-established bookmaker with strong racing heritage
Regular promotions available across major festivals

Payment methods(8):

Bet £5 Get £30 in Free Bets

VISIT BOOKIE

18+ New UK + ROI customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £/€5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stakes not returned). Restrictions + Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.01

Max. withdrawal: £250,000

Min. deposit: £5

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

10bet Review

Founded: 2003

Covers British Flat racing well throughout the season
Betting available on every day of the July Festival
Easy-to-use sportsbook on desktop and mobile

Payment methods(10):

100% up to £50 Welcome Bonus

VISIT BOOKIE

18+ New players. Choose bonus at signup. Wager bonus 10x. Any withdrawals void bonus. Valid 30 days. Deposit used 1st. Odds, bet & payment limits. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.10

Max. withdrawal: £50,000

Min. deposit: £10

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

kwiff Review

Founded: 2015

Features distinctive Supercharged odds on selected bets
Competitive markets on July Festival races at Newmarket
Modern sportsbook with straightforward navigation

Payment methods(6):

Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets

VISIT BOOKIE

18+ New UK customers. Place a £10 real money bet at min. 2.0 odds within 5 days of deposit. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 Single, 2 Accas & 1 Bet Builder (min. 3 selections each). Excludes cashout, E/W, Multis, Ineligible Markets & Odds Boosts. Credited after bet settlement. 7-day expiry. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.10

Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000

Min. deposit: £10

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

Bet UK Review

Founded: 2012

Strong focus on UK horse racing and major events
Covers headline races during the July Festival
Competitive odds across Newmarket races

Payment methods(6):

Bet £10, Get £40 in Free Bets

VISIT BOOKIE

18+ New customers: Deposit £10+ within 7 days and place a sports bet. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports Bet). Valid 7 days. Min odds apply. Excludes virtual sports, esports and non-UK/IE horse racing. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad

Good to know:

Min. stake: £0.01

Max. withdrawal: £35,000

Min. deposit: £10

24/7 Customer Support:

Mobile-App:

Android

iOS

Consider that a list of some of the best betting sites for Newmarket. These, and many of our other horse racing betting apps, offer great mobile betting for the July Festival.

About the July Festival

The Newmarket July Festival is one of the highlights of the British Flat racing season, bringing together three days of top-class racing at the iconic July Course. Alongside a packed programme of Group races, the meeting attracts many of the sport's leading trainers, jockeys and owners, making it a key fixture for horsemen, racing fans, and punters.

The July Cup is the centrepiece of the festival, while the Falmouth Stakes, Princess of Wales's Stakes and Superlative Stakes also help make the meeting one of Newmarket's biggest events. Later in the season, attention returns to the Rowley Mile Course for the Cambridgeshire Meeting, another major fixture featuring one of Britain's most competitive handicaps.

Thursday – Ladies Day on the July Course

July Festival racecards are stacked, beginning with day one, which is Ladies Day. There are three Group races on the card:

Bahrain Trophy Stakes
July Stakes
Princess of Wales’s Stakes

The Princess of Wales’s is the feature race, but the July Stakes is an important juvenile event. In the Bahrain Trophy, we could be seeing the staying stars of the future, as it’s the first chance for most of the three-year-olds to go beyond a mile and a half.

Friday – Falmouth Stakes on Festival Friday

Festival Friday at the Newmarket July Course is special. It’s not raucous, in fact it has more of a garden party atmosphere to it, but the action on the track is as competitive as it gets.

The Falmouth Stakes, one of Britain’s Group 1 races, is the highlight. This race goes a long way to deciding the pecking order for the best one-mile fillies in the world. Other major day two features are:

National Stud Handicap
Duchess of Cambridge Stakes
July Festival Trophy

The Duchess of Cambridge is the fillies’ equivalent of Thursday’s July Stakes, while the other two races are hugely competitive betting handicaps.

Saturday – July Cup Day

Over six furlongs at Royal Ascot, the three-year-olds and the older horses are kept apart. The July Cup is the first chance for the generations to meet at Group 1 level over this particular sprinting trip.

This race has a very rich history, with genuine sprinting champions Green Desert, Compton Place, Stravinsky, and Oasis Dream having won it down the years. This year, another new winner will add their name to the roll of honour. The July Cup is backed up by:

Newmarket Handicap Stakes
Bunbury Cup
Superlative Stakes

The Bunbury Cup in particular is another major betting race. A seven-furlong handicap, it attracts some of the top owners and trainers in the country, all vying for a taste of the £100,000 pot. To accentuate how massive this day is, over at York, this is also John Smith’s Cup Day as the Flat season reaches a real peak.

July Festival Prize Money

A grand total of £2,712,000 is offered across all races at the July Festival 2026. The July Cup prize money alone stands at £800,000. Here’s how it’s broken down:

Day 1 – £720,000 (£200k for the Bahrain Trophy)
Day 2 – £776,000 (£375k for the Falmouth Stakes)
Day 3 – £1,216,000 (£800k for the July Cup)

Key July Festival Betting Insights

I’ve always loved Newmarket horse racing. This is the home of the sport, and I love the fact that we have to remember the subtle differences between the two distinct courses at HQ – the Rowley Mile and the July Course. These are some of the things I keep in mind when betting at the July Festival.

Age Is Important in the Group 1’s

The weight allowance given to three-year-olds against their elders can be pretty generous at this time of year. That’s something I pointed out in our Coral-Eclipse page. We also have to factor in improvement.

The Classic generation get a very handy weight pull, while the four-year-olds are peaking in the middle of the summer. That leaves the older horses at a disadvantage, with only one horse older than three or four winning in the last 17 renewals of the July Cup, and all of the last 20 Falmouth Stakes winners also being aged three or four.

Newmarket Trainers Can Dominate

If a festival took place anywhere else, I wouldn’t say that “home advantage” really means anything for trainers and horses. They travel well anyway. At Newmarket though, local trainers are the best in the business, with their horses very much used to seeing things out up the Newmarket gallops.

That often translates to strong course form, with representatives from the yards of John Gosden, Roger Varian, William Haggas and Charlie Appleby not fading up the hill before the finish line here. These Newmarket horses will peak, and they know the grass beneath their feet almost to the blade.

Newmarket July Course Guide

With that in mind, keep your focus on the July Course in particular, as it’s different from the Rowley Mile which hosts the 2000 Guineas, the Dewhurst, and other major races at headquarters.

The July Course is one of the fairest tracks on the circuit, but it does have its idiosyncrasies. Unlike the Rowley Mile, the finish here isn’t an uninterrupted climb. The track undulates early, then descends for a full furlong before rising again towards the line. It then flattens out for the final few strides as the runners head to the winning post.

Horses need to see out their full trip here – I never fancy a runner that prefers a bend, a sharp track, or isn’t guaranteed to get home.

Races from a mile and a quarter upwards all start on the Cesarewitch Course at Newmarket, before the track splits into two to become the Rowley Mile one way, with the tighter bend leading to the final mile of the July Course the other. Strong travellers are needed across all trips.

Newmarket July Festival History

We go right back to the early 1600’s to find the origins of Newmarket Racecourse, when King James I helped to make the town Britain’s capital of racing. It still is!

The July Course opened in 1777, and provided Newmarket with a second top-class track to go with the already established Rowley Mile. In the subsequent decades, even centuries, the course has become synonymous with summer racing in Britain, and now the July Festival is one of the flagship meetings of the sport.

Major races which started to make up this meeting include the July Cup, on the card since 1876, with the Falmouth Stakes following in 1911. The Bunbury Cup joined the programme here in 1962, with its name alone being more important than people sometimes realise.

When it was decided in 1779 that a new race was needed for top-class three-year-old colts to go alongside the Oaks, a meeting was held at Epsom. The 12th Earl of Derby and his guest, Sir Charles Bunbury, devised the race which was to be named after one of them.

But for luck, we could have been talking about the Bunbury at Epsom, and the later Irish Bunbury and Kentucky Bunbury. Derby won out that time, but Sir Charles Bunbury now has this fine handicap named in his honour.

Recent July Cup Winners

Concentrating on the headline act of this meeting, these are the last 10 winners of the Group 1 July Cup:

Year	Winner	Sire	Age	Trainer	Jockey	Rating	Odds
2025	No Half Measures	Cable Bay	4	Richard Hughes	Neil Callan	105	66/1 (12)
2024	Mill Stream	Gleneagles	4	Jane Chapple-Hyam	William Buick	114	11/1 (5)
2023	Shaquille	Charm Spirit	3	Julie Camacho	Rossa Ryan	117	5/2 (1)
2022	Alcohol Free	No Nay Never	4	Andrew Balding	Rob Hornby	112	14/1 (6)
2021	Starman	Dutch Art	4	Ed Walker	Tom Marquand	116	9/2 (2)
2020	Oxted	Mayson	4	Roger Teal	Cieren Fallon	112	12/1 (6)
2019	Ten Sovereigns	No Nay Never	3	Aidan O’Brien	Ryan Moore	116	9/2 (2)
2018	US Navy Flag	War Front	3	Aidan O’Brien	Ryan Moore	113	8/1 (4)
2017	Harry Angel	Dark Angel	3	Clive Cox	Adam Kirby	118	9/2 (3)
2016	Limato	Tagula	4	Henry Candy	Harry Bentley	119	9/2 (1)

This is fascinating reading to me. No trainer has dominated, nor any sire. We need to concentrate on the elements that are similar.

All winners in this period were aged three or four. That’s important. The older horses do not do well in this race. With No Half Measures a genuine anomaly, we can also see that ratings of at least 112 are needed, ideally higher at this level, while all were in the top six in the market.

In fact, six of these 10 were in the top four of the market. With that in mind, a highly-rated three or four-year-old, ready to go and not thought of as an outsider, is ideal.

Other Important Race Meetings

The July Festival will be laid back, but huge for the sport. It’s always a great spectacle. There is still so much else to come this year, including:

Glorious Goodwood

Ebor Festival, York

St Leger Festival, Doncaster

Champions Day, Ascot

Breeders’ Cup, Keeneland

King George VI Chase, Kempton

July Festival Betting FAQs

What is the July Festival?

The July Festival is Newmarket’s biggest summer race meeting. Staged across three days on the July Course, it features several major races including the July Cup and the Falmouth Stakes.

When is the July Festival?

The July Festival dates for 2026 are Thursday 9 July to Saturday 11 July. The July Cup, the meeting's feature race, takes place on the Saturday, along with the Bunbury Cup.

Where is the July Festival held?

The July Festival is held at Newmarket Racecourse in Suffolk, specifically on the iconic July Course. Newmarket is considered to be the very home of horse racing.

Where can I find the latest July Festival odds?

The latest July Festival odds are available with our best horse racing bookmakers. Prices are updated regularly in the build-up to each race, as well on race day.

Who are the best bookmakers for the July Festival?

Some of the best bookmakers for the July Festival include Betfred, William Hill and 10bet, all of which offer extensive horse racing markets throughout the meeting.

Where can I watch the July Festival?

The July Festival is broadcast live on ITV Racing in the UK. The best July Festival bookmakers also provide live streaming for eligible customers.

What is the prize money for the July Cup?

The July Cup is one of Britain's most valuable sprint races, with a total prize fund of £800,000, attracting many of Europe's leading six-furlong sprinters. In all, more than £2.7 million is up for grabs across the meeting.

What is the July Cup race distance?

The July Cup is run over six furlongs on the July Course and is regarded as one of Europe's premier Group 1 sprint contests. It follows the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Ascot, and precedes the Haydock Sprint Cup as major races over this distance.

Can I bet each-way at the July Festival?

Yes. Each-way betting is popular throughout the meeting, particularly in competitive handicaps such as the Bunbury Cup. Many of the best July Festival bookmakers also offer extra each-way places on selected races.