U S Navy Flag bounces back in the July Cup for Aidan O’Brien

U S NAVY Flag sunk his rivals with a blistering front-running display in the July Cup.

Aidan O'Brien's colt had been disappointing so far this year but relished the drop back to 6f to win in style.

The son of War Front (8-1) was crowned champion two-year-old last season following victories in the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes.

However, he has been stretched out over a mile on his previous three outings, with his best run of the season so before this weekend when he was second in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

After a flop in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, his champion trainer opted to drop him back in trip for the £500,000 Newmarket feature.

The decision paid off as he was allowed to bowl along in the lead under Ryan Moore, and as the challengers queued up inside the final two furlongs he quickened away in impressive fashion.

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Brando gave chase and ran a cracker to finish second at 14-1, with another O'Brien runner Fleet Review taking third place at 50-1.

The disappointment of the race was the 5-2 favourite Blue Point who weakened tamely in the closing stages to finish seventh.

O'Brien, who has now won the July Cup four times, said: "He won a Middle Park very impressively last year, then we ran him in the Dewhurst and he was able to do that making the running, so we gave him the mile option this year.

"He had tough races in the Classics and had a very tough race in the Curragh. We thought it might leave his mark.

"He went to Ascot and Ryan said to come back in distance with him. We've seen what's happened.

"He's a very good horse, to be able to do it that as a three-year-old."

O'Brien said that the colt would be campaigned towards The Everest in Australia, a A$13,000,000 sprint run at Randwick in October.

His owners Coolmore possess one of 12 slots in that valuable race and they confirmed that he would represent them Down Under.