It is one of Britain's most valuable and prestigious sprint races, and many of its winners have been acknowledged as the champion sprinter in Europe.

The event was established in 1876, and the first two runnings were won by Springfield, a colt bred by Queen Victoria at the Hampton Court Stud.

The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the July Cup was initially classed at Group 2 level.

The July Cup was part of the Global Sprint Challenge from 2008 to 2017.

The race is currently held on the final day of Newmarket's three-day July Festival meeting.