Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1)

THE Group 1 feature on day two of York’s Ebor meeting was the Yorkshire Oaks over a mile and a half and the result proved significant, with Content (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) providing the late Galileo with his 100th individual Group 1 winner with what is his final classic crop.

Content’s stablemate Port Fairy made the running, with the winner and her Irish Oaks conqueror You Got To Me (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch) waited with towards the rear. Emily Upjohn (John and Thady Gosden/Kieran Shoemark) tracked the leader and moved up stylishly to lead early in the straight.

That move looked decisive briefly, but You Got To Me soon moved up to throw down a strong challenge and, isolated from that pair, Content also made a move towards the stands’ rail despite having raced freely early on.

With a furlong to go, the trio were almost in line, but it was Content who stayed on strongest to win by three-quarters of a length from You Got To Me, with Emily Upjohn a length behind the runner-up and the others well held. The winner came in for good support on the day and was returned favourite at 3/1.

O’Brien said: “She’s difficult. When we went to the Pretty Polly over a mile and a quarter, we weren’t sure she would get it, Ryan dropped her out and she came home very well, and he felt a mile and a half was well within her compass.

“We went to the Irish Oaks and the pacemaker didn’t go fast enough and maybe messed up the race; Ryan dropped her in and got her to relax and it probably did her good long term, but it never opened up in time and Ryan said there was plenty left when she went by the line.

Very keen

“She was still very keen early and it’s very rare for a horse to run half as keen as that, and win, but she was very keen. I thought the petrol gauge would start emptying and Ryan said it was, but she kept coming and she’s a typical example of a Galileo, if there’s no more left, if their legs can move, they will put them out there and that’s what she did, she went right to the end.”

Content now has options open, but her trainer believes she will thrive wherever she gets the strongest gallop given her style of running, and that could mean a trip to California for the Breeders’ Cup later in the year.

“She could go to one of the fillies’ trials,” mused O’Brien. “She could go to an Arc or a Vermeille or to America. She’s definitely going to be better where the pace is strong, wherever that is, as she is still racing in a gear too high.

“When she gets into a gear which has other horses out of their comfort zone, she will be comfortable, and it will be amazing to see what she can do off that kind of pace.”

THE speedy Celandine (13/2) got herself firmly back on track by making every yard in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York, setting up a double for trainer Ed Walker in the process.

In a strong field, Celandine was allowed to start at 13/2 after defeat in the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, but the return to six furlongs and the more conventional track were both positives for the daughter of Kingman, and she was able to dictate terms where she was always going a stride faster than ideal against the colts at Goodwood.

Heavens Gate was the first to move up to challenge, and looked a danger a furlong out, but couldn’t maintain her run and faded to fourth behind Time For Sandals (Harry Eustace/Richard Kingscote) and Queen Mary winner Leovanni (Karl Burke/James Doyle), with the margins a neck and a length and a half.

The runner-up finished well after switching inside, while Leovanni was conceding weight for her Royal Ascot win and had to do her running widest on the track, which may not have helped.

Up for it

Asked about future plans for Celandine, Ed Walker replied: “The Cheveley Park if the ground is not too bad…and the Breeders’ Cup has got to be under strong consideration as well. I think everyone is quite up for it and the ground over there will be in her favour.

“I probably overthought it hunting around for some fast ground and in hindsight, I should have gone to Newmarket for the Duchess of Cambridge but back against fillies, I think, really helped.

“We freshened her up, we didn’t ride her for a week after Goodwood, just let her get fresh and put on weight and be out in the paddock and I think it’s really done the job, and she’s bounced out of it.

“Today Tom was saving the whole time, he gave her a peach of a ride as he always does, and she was so gutsy at the end; that’s what I love about her. She looked beaten, as though we might cling on for a place, and then she wins and that’s just her. She’s really cool.”

YORK has provided some good days for Ed Walker and owner David Ward, but Thursday was especially sweet for the trainer, with Ward’s Scenic (Oisin Murphy) providing him with a big-race double on the card.

Well held in the Listed Galtres Stakes as a three-year-old, Scenic looked a different proposition altogether one year on, scything through the field in the straight to post an impressive three and three-quarter length win over Karmology (Karl Burke/Sam James).

Walker said: “It took us 10 races to win one with her eventually, but there were always excuses as to why it wasn’t happening. She stays very well, and the race panned out perfectly for her today, Oisin gave her a peach of a ride and I think she just outstayed them really.

“It’s fantastic for David and Sue Ward who are big supporters and obviously had Starman with us. It’s a really big result. Oisin rode her in this last year and was pretty cross with himself, so he kept it really smooth today.

“We’ll think of the Park Hill, but we might have a look at the Prix Royallieu as she probably won’t stay in training next year; David and Sue like to breed.”

Rest of the card

THE richest race of the day was the Harry’s Half Million By Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes, which saw warm favourite Arizona Blaze caught in the dying strides by 22/1 shot Diligently (Rossa Ryan), giving trainer Clive Cox consecutive winners of the valuable sales contest.

The Clipper Stakes over a mile went to the sponsors, with the Steve Parkin-owned Thunder Run (Karl Burke/David Egan) another to make all the running to beat Mirsky and Holloway Boy.

Ryan Moore teamed up with old boss Richard Hannon to win the seven-furlong nursery with Angel Hunter, while the finale went to Craig Lidster’s Alfa Kellenic, who was winning her fifth race on the bounce under Tom Eaves. The winner is part-owned by former champion jockey Paul Hanagan.