by Myra Lewyn

French sprinter Marchand d’Or unleashed a furious rally from the back of the field and nailed Us Ranger in the final stride to win the $791,200 Darley July Cup (Eng-G1) on Friday at Newmarket.

The five-year-old Marchand de Sable gelding raced in last place under Davy Bonilla in the 13-horse field as War Artist set a blistering pace. He was still stalking from the back with one furlong left in the six-furlong test before Bonilla angled the gray to the stands side soon after and urged his rally.

Marchand d’Or gamely responded with a scintillating burst and produced a relentless turn of foot to wear down War Artist in the closing yards and catch Us Ranger, who gained command 50 yards out, in the shadow of the post to win by a head.

Marchand d’Or, the 5-to-2 favorite, covered the distance in 1:11.01 on a turf course rated as good. He finished fourth in last year’s edition of the race before capturing the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Fr-G1) for the second straight year in his subsequent start.

Trained by former French champion jockey Freddie Head, Marchand d’Or entered the July Cup off a sixth-place finish to Kingsgate Native in the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Eng-G1) on June 21 at Royal Ascot after beginning the season 20 days earlier with a neck victory over Equiano in the Prix du Gros-Chene (Fr-G2). Equiano went on to land the King’s Stand Stakes (Eng-G1) at the royal meeting on June 17.

Head, who won the July Cup in 1996 aboard Anabaa, was elated with Marchand d’Or’s triumph, his eighth in 19 career starts.

“I am delighted with this and this is a great thrill,” he told England’s Press Association. “I won the race as a jockey and I have now won it as a trainer. You couldn’t ask for more.
 
“He is a little bit tricky and is not the best ride you can find, but Davy gave him a great ride. He waited and waited, and the horse has a tremendous turn of foot.”

Marchand d’Or, who is out of the Kendor mare Fedora, will now point for a third consecutive win in the Prix Maurice de Gheest on August 8 at Deauville.

 Us Ranger, who came tantalizingly close to providing trainer Aidan O’Brien with his 13th Group 1 victory of the year, finished a half-length in front of War Artist.

Myra Lewyn is a Thoroughbred Times Today editor