Mehmas wins Group 2 July Stakes Mehmas paid a handsome compliment to his Royal Ascot conqueror Caravaggio when running out a ready winner of the Arqana July Stakes at Newmarket. Richard Hannon's colt has been kept busy in the first half of the season and beat all bar Aidan O'Brien's colt in the Coventry Stakes. Everything appeared to go smoothly for Frankie Dettori, who got a nice tow into the race from Yalta and Barrington and when he pulled him out to challenge the 11/4 favourite quickened up nicely. Broken Stones, having just his second run, challenged up the rail, while Intelligence Cross, a stablemate of Caravaggio, made plenty of ground from the rear but Mehmas and Dettori won by half a length. Dettori treated the crowd to a well-received flying dismount and said: "He sticks his head down and tries really hard. You are always guaranteed a good run from him. "I'm pleased because he tries so hard and he deserved the win. "He's uncomplicated. He knows he's got a kick, so it's down to me to press the button. Once you press it he goes. "He's very versatile goes on any ground like he proved at Ascot. He goes on soft, it was good to firm today. "He's a good horse with a sweet nature and I'm sure he'll win plenty of races." Winning trainer Richard Hannon added: "Frankie gave him a lovely ride and he's probably getting lazy as he's never shown us much at home, he tends to just do enough. "We can look forward to Goodwood now, I think he deserved a nice win after the Coventry. "It obviously didn't dishearten him, getting beaten, and he is definitely better on fast ground. "He's in the Phoenix Stakes as well, so we'll look between that and the Richmond. "He looks like a two-year-old - unless he shoots up two inches - so we'll have to make hay while the sun shines." Ardad, John Gosden's winner of the Windsor Castle, was the big disappointment of the race and finished last, having raced too freely in the early stages.
