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Thursday 20th August

1.45 York – DBS £300000 St Leger Yearling Stakes

Brian Meehan has won this race three times in the last six year’s so obviously knows what he is doing and relies on BUTCH AND SUNDANCE to extend his impressive run of form. However, I find it hard to believe that he will be suited to this drop back in trip as if anything he looked in need of a mile when chasing home the winner over 7f at Salisbury earlier this month, although in his defence he has already won over 6f this season, beating KINGS BAYONET in the process. Cecil’s colt was novicey that day and was worried out of it by the winner carrying him across the track. That experience won’t have been wasted on him and he looks open to plenty of improvement. SWILLY FERRY ran a grand race in the Nursery here on Tuesday and warrants his place in the line, especially as Barry Hills has won this race twice in the last decade. With him in such good heart, he is difficult to discount as long as he doesn’t show any ill effects from Tuesday’s exertions. Richard Hannon won the rearranged race last year with Elnawin and looks to have a strong hand again. The recent Newbury winner SIR PARKY looks the number one string on jockey bookings and it’s easy to understand why. Although his last two starts have come of 7f I don’t think he will have a problem with the drop down in trip but his 3lbs penalty is a slight concern. His second runner RED BADGE is still a maiden but has done little wrong on each of his three starts. He really caught my eye at Goodwood and I don’t think his first success will be a long time coming. CARNABY STREET completes his trio of runners but whilst it is always dangerous to underestimate a Hannon runner I think he will have to improve a fair bit if he is to figure in this. Tim Easterby won this race with the future Group 1 winning Somnus, so I wouldn’t be too quick to write off MIDNIGHT MARTINI even though fillies’ don’t have the greatest record in this race. Clearly in good heart after winning her last two starts over 5f, I don’t believe the step up in trip will pose her too many problems. Brian Smart won the race back in 1998 but MONALINI looks to have plenty to prove and looks held by FALASTEEN who was 2L ahead of him at Musselburgh last time. It was a decent looking conditions race with Singeur and Raddy ‘Ell Pauline taking the first two spots, so it is easy to understand why Adrian Nicholls picked FALASTEEN over LAYLA’S HERO. Personally, I think he might have made the wrong decision as LAYLA’S HERO impressed me when runner-up at Goodwood before hosing up at Haydock. But we could have a new name on the role of honour this year and I believe it could be Mick Channon. DI STEFANO may not be the most straight forward of animals but he clearly has plenty of ability after an eye catching third in the Windsor Castle. Personally, I think he will appreciate this step up in trip as he has been getting outpaced early on in his races of 5f. Jimmy Fortune looks a positive booking and I believe his stall 15 draw will prove ideal. GHOSTWING was an impressive winner at Ayr in June and didn’t run too badly in the July and Richmond Stakes. He will have learned plenty from the experience and I am sure he has plenty of improvement still in him.

SHORTLIST

DI STEFANO
LAYLA’S HERO
RED BADGE
GHOST WING

2.15 York – Jaguar Cars Lowther Stakes (Group 2)

The Lowther winner usually turns out to be pretty useful so it will be worth keeping the 2009 winner on your side in the future. LADY OF THER DESERT is an immediate eye-catcher and the won they all have to beat at the weights. After winning a reasonable looking maiden at Leicester on her debut she did too much in the Queen Mary and ended up paying the penalty, finishing a very tired horse. Martin Dwyer got the tactics spot on next time in the Princess Margaret and she duly ran out a cosy winner. Being by Rahy out of Queen’s Logic, she is bred to go all the way to the top and I believe it will take a big effort to lower her colours here. Most of her rivals look pretty exposed but there are one or two potential improvers. There was plenty of support for BEYOND DESIRE ahead of her debut success at Goodwood last month. She won with a fair degree of authority that day and the fact that she is stepping straight into Group 2 suggests that Michael Jarvis thinks a fair bit of her and I think she will prove the main challenger to the Meehan filly. NIMUE was behind her at Goodwood so off level weights I see no reason why she should reverse the form. PUFF was involved in an unusual race at Lingfield on her debut. The long time leader looked to have the race sewn up but ran out of petrol in the final furlong allowing Beckett’s filly to swoop late and fast. She really showed a turn of foot on the polytrack and if she is to transfer that form to the turf, she is far from out of this. CHACHAMAIDEE ran a cracker in the Albany before disappointing slightly in the Sweet Solera, which was possibly a step too far at this stage in her career. She will have to prove that it was the trip that beat her but she could prove a dark horse. GOLD BUBBLES has been mixing it with the best in Ireland and wasn’t beaten far behind the classy Lillie Langtry in the Debutante Stakes at Leopardstown. She reverts to 6f today which should prove ideal but she is as yet unproven on a quicker surface.

SHORTLIST

LADY OF THE DESERT
BEYOND DESIRE

2.50 York – Addleshaw Goddard Stakes (Heritage Handicap)

This looks a wide open contest to me but it is a race that usually favours the market principals as five of the last nine winners started at 6/1 or less. Sir Michael Stoute has won it twice in those nine years, so MIRRORED is as good a starting point as any. He was no match for ACROSTIC at Sandown last month but that doesn’t detract from that fact that it was a solid effort. He re-opposes on slightly better terms tomorrow so he has to be one to keep an eye on. Most of the runners are pretty well known and I would suspect that if you asked ten people you would get ten different opinions. Here are mine. LOVELACE ran a much better race than his finishing position suggested in the Totesport Mile and even though he is again conceding weight all round, I wouldn’t totally dismiss his chances. MIA’S BOY was a course and distance winner last year and has continued to show a liking for this Yorkshire venue. After an excellent 3rd in the Royal Hunt Cup connections shot for the stars and went to the Sussex Stakes but unsurprisingly he never landed a blow. This is much more his level and I would be surprised if he isn’t there or thereabouts at the finish. CAPTAIN BRILLIANCE was strongly fancied for the Bunbury Cup and he only just failed to land the honours but he was very disappointing in the International Stakes last time and I think he has something to prove now. ROARING FORTE was ahead of him in at Ascot but his front running style does make him vulnerable to a fast finisher. There is no doubt that APPALACHIAN TRAIL is well treated at the moment but 7f looks to be his trip. DOCOFTHEBAY has been threatening a victory on his last few starts but I think he is still a bit high in the weights whilst HUZZAH has form to find with many of his rivals. SCUFFLE hasn’t really progressed this season but she will be winning soon as she drops down the weights. WISE DENNIS is back on a winning mark but he has had a delayed start to the season, was beaten a long way at Ascot in July and may just find the ground too quick tomorrow. EXTRATERRESTRIAL is another that likes to get his toe in but the ground won’t pose a problem to PATRICIAN’S GLORY. I thought he ran a grand race behind Ouqba in the Jersey so I was shocked that he ran so badly at Newbury next time. If that proves to be a one off I think he could prove a dark horse here. FLIPANDO is on a winning mark at the moment and supporters will get a run for their money but something is telling me tomorrow won’t be his day. Although ALAZEYAB has won over 10f I don’t think he has really been getting home over the trip at this level. The drop back to a mile looks a sensible option and I won’t be surprised to see an improved performance.

SHORTLIST

ACROSTIC
MIRRORED
ALAZEYAB
PATRICIAN’S GLORY

3.25 York – Darley Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1)

Three-year-old fillies have won seven of the last ten renewals of this race. We have also seen six winning favourites so everything is pointing towards the Oaks winner SARISKA. She is well clear at the weights and I can’t find any chinks in her armour. BARSHIBA has been in good heart, winning the Lancashire Oaks and the Aphrodite Stakes but she was put in her place at Goodwood in the Nassau. The soft ground wouldn’t have helped her at Goodwood so I think it is far is ignore that run but I still think she comes up a little short at the very highest level. DAR RE MI impressed me when winning the Pretty Polly in June and I think if any filly will lower SARISKA’S colours, I think it could be her. SAPHIRA’S FIRE is a filly I like, but not at this level and ROMAN EMPRESS is surely in as the pacemaker for the O’Brien number one TAMARIND. Unraced at two, she needed her first two starts this season before winning comfortably at Tipperary in July. She earned that important black type at Cork last time winning a good looking Group 3. All of her efforts so far have come under soft conditions so it is unknown whether she will act on ground, but if she does she could prove a dark horse.

SHORTLIST

SARISKA

4.05 York – EBF Galtres Stakes (Listed)

This is another race in which three-year-olds have the upper hand having won six of the last nine renewals. John Oxx and John Dunlop have both won the race twice in that period so let’s have a look at those first. The Irish filly TANOURA is still pretty lightly raced but confirmed her aptitude for this sort of trip when she narrowly failed to reel in the eventual winner in the Group 3 Noblesse Stakes at Cork in June. That was also her first experience of a sounder surface so I don’t believe she will be inconvenienced tomorrow. FALLEN IN LOVE hasn’t finished out of the money this season. She wasn’t beaten far by Moneycantbuymelove in the Goodwood Oaks Trial before running another sound race in the Ballymacoll Stud Stakes at Newbury. The step up to a mile and a half seemed to suit as she chased home Barshiba in the Lancashire Oaks and I think she was slightly unlucky at Newbury last time as she didn’t get the clearest of runs, so I would be surprised if she wasn’t there or thereabouts tomorrow. On a line through Barshiba, PRINCESS TAYLOR could be given a squeak but although she is consistent, I think she is exposed. STARFALA has a bit to find based on her 3rd in the Lancashire Oaks whilst STORYLAND looks out of her depth. FLAME OF GIBRALTAR looked to be a top class filly in the making when chasing home Flying Cloud in the Ribblesdale but ran too badly to be true behind Barshiba at Newmarket last time. I haven’t heard any excuse from the Cecil camp but I suspect that the ground may have been a bit softer that the official description and if that proves the case she must be respected here. LEOCORNO was behind her at Ascot and didn’t convince me that she is as effective over a mile and a half. As I have said before I always seem to get Stoute’s runners wrong but I am sticking to my guns on this one. I don’t think QUEEN OF PENTACLES, SNOQUALMIE GIRL or UVINZA will be good enough.

SHORTLIST

TANOURA
FLAME OF GIBRALTAR

4.40 York – Eventmasters Stakes (Handicap)

This isn’t the easiest get out stakes but it is hard to get away from the top-weight RAIN DELAYED. After a cosy win at Down Royal in May she ran a cracker to finish 3rd in the listed Scurry Stakes at Sandown in June. On the back of that he was a very warm order for his next start at Tipperary and justified the support with another impressive effort. He remains on a mark on 99 and deserves a place on anyone’s shortlist. Graham Gibbons won this race last year on Northern Fling and looks to have a reasonable chance of following up on NOBLE STORM, who won well at Goodwood from a fast finishing MATTAMIA and GREEN BERET who re-oppose tomorrow on slightly better terms. However, I am not sure that it was the strongest of races and I believe there are some potentially better handicapped horses lurking in the woodwork. One of those could be JARGELLE who is 7lbs lower than when finishing down the field in last season’s Cheveley Park. She was very disappointing at Goodwood last time but the ground was as soft as she wants it and I can see her running a better race on her favoured fast ground. BAHAMIAN BABE is another that will appreciate the fast ground and as she doesn’t look too harshly treated, cannot be left out of the equation. LUCKY LEIGH also looks on a decent mark at the moment although she has been a bit in and out this season. She showed some decent form last season, not being beaten far in the Queen Mary and Cherry Hinton before giving the speedy Amour Propre a run for his money at Bath. She will need to post a seasons best effort to figure here but I wouldn’t rule it out completely. .

SHORTLIST

RAIN DELAYED
JARGELLE
BAHAMIAN BABE
LUCKY LEIGH

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