Billy Loughnane’s exceptional season continued at Newmarket on Saturday as he steered Irish raider Comanche Brave to a brilliant sprinting success in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup Stakes.

It was the 2000 Guineas-winning jockey who jumped at the chance to partner Donnacha O’Brien’s four-year-old – who had taken on the challenge of Ka Ying Rising in Hong Kong earlier in the year and had dazzled on home soil at the Curragh before not being disgraced at Royal Ascot.

Japanese raider Satono Reve attempted to keep it simple on the front end carrying dreams of replicating Agnes World’s victory in this race 26 years ago, with Aidan O’Brien’s Mission Central also among those up on the pace early on.

But the eye was always drawn to 11-1 chance Comanche Brave as he breezed effortlessly into contention and slipped an extra gear when meeting the rising ground to see off the running-on Venetian Sun by a length. Satono Reve was a further neck back in third.

O’Brien said: “He travelled beautifully and Billy gave him a lovely ride. It was an easy watch.

“He was very impressive today I thought. There’s not much margin between these sprinters, and he’s won a Group Two so where else is there to go but keep trying to win Group Ones?

“We weren’t afraid to try it, and I said to Billy just let him jump. I thought he travelled very impressively.

“He doesn’t do a lot when he gets to the front, but I thought he was impressive

“He’s in all the big sprints going forward. We want to win Group Ones, that is the goal of our stable. I probably pitch horses in at the deep end sometimes, but the goal is the same.”

Successful jockey Billy Loughnane said: “Tony Hind my agent does a fantastic job, and he sent me a message saying I think we might have Comanche Grey for the July Cup. I said you're joking - he said he just has to be confirmed tomorrow and thankfully he was. The rest is history.

“It was fantastic spare ride to pick up. He's a horse that's really just beginning to learn how to sprint.

“He's obviously been tried over further but the race today couldn't have gone better. I got onto the back of the Japanese horse who was a perfect target. My one instruction was to just nurse him for as long as I could. I managed to wade into the furlong pole, and he did well from there on.

“The six furlong races this year have been a bit muddling I've found so far in the Group One division, especially at Ascot when it probably didn't suit this fella quite that well. The fact he got an even tempo to race at today was fantastic and he just travelled so sweetly.

“Fast ground is ideal. I do think he's a fast horse and I really wouldn't be afraid to drop him back in trip. I was taken back the whole way through, he's got a lot of gears this horse and now that he's really beginning to learn how to sprint, hopefully it's quite smooth.

“I get a lot of kick out of riding these big races. I'm 20 years old and I'm fortunate enough to be able to pick up rides in them and just learning from that is everything. And to be fortunate enough to win some Group 1s is what I wanted, and what I set myself as a target this year. To ride two or three Group 1 winners in England was what I wanted and thankfully that's my third now and we're only halfway through, so hopefully we'll just keep going.”

By: Racing TV

Photo: Focus on Racing