Long shot No Half Measures lands July Cup at Newmarket for Richard Hughes and Neil Callan
No Half Measures sprung a big surprise to land the July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday afternoon.
All of the talk heading into the showpiece race of the three-day July Festival centred around the Charlie Appleby-trained Notable Speech, who was bidding to become the first 2,000 Guineas winner to triumph in the Group 1 contest since 1927.
However, it was No Half Measures – trained by former jockey Richard Hughes – that rewrote the history books at the July Course.
At 66/1, the daughter of Cable Bay is the best-priced winner of the sprint feature in its 149-year history.
An emotional Hughes said: “It’s brilliant. It’s been a tough enough road to get to here. I think I’ll definitely appreciate it more than if I started with a good horse early on. I wouldn’t have appreciated it and I didn’t appreciate all those good horses when I was riding. I just keep looking for the next one and was very fortunate in my riding career.
“I was naive when I started training – I thought you could buy 20 horses and it was going to be good. Then the following year was no good too. You just keep chipping away and try to do the right thing.”
On the triumphant filly, Hughes added: “She won a handicap here last year and when Ryan (Moore, jockey) got off her I asked will we get a bit of black type for her? He said she’s better than that – Ryan never says things like that – he’s a realist. We plotted to get her back here and she has done nothing but improve.
“There was very little pressure today really. At halfway, I thought she was going OK and then I just held my head as I couldn’t believe what was happening. I kept thinking she is going to get caught and I would have been pleased with second or third.”
It was also a poignant victory for jockey Neil Callan, who was a late call-up. The win marked a welcome return to the top table for the 47-year-old after a barren spell.
He said: “I was doing my yard at home and I just got a text message the other day from Richard (Hughes) and he said 'do you want to ride in a Group One?' and I said 'yes, absolutely'. I actually half thought 'did he mean to text me.’
“It's surreal because I'm getting into the twilight of my career. My son Jack is starting and I'm getting a lot of flak saying I've got to give up.
“I've got to thank Richard because if you don't get given these opportunities then you can't take them and I'm not in a position to be going around scouting and taking rides.
“You know this game – you're only as good as your last ride so you've got to come out and prove yourself every time you come out, every day. This is what I tell my son Jack – it doesn't matter you've done yesterday, you've got to come out and prove yourself again. That's what the best do. I'm not saying I'm the best but I'm trying to point him the way he should be going. He's the next generation.”