York Friday

THE Group 2 Yorkshire Cup produced a surprise winner, and plenty of controversy with the St Leger-placed Giavellotto (Marco Botti/Andrea Atzeni) surviving a stewards’ enquiry after winning at an SP of 14/1.

Giavellotto travelled ominously well early in the straight behind long-time leader Quickthorn, but swerved left as he was asked to go past that rival, causing serious interference to the weakening Quickthorn and having a knock-on effect to the staying-on Broome (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore).

Eldar Eldarov (Roger Varian/David Egan) was able to switch outside to make his challenge, and was closing at the line, but couldn’t catch the winner, who had half a length to spare, with Broome a length behind him in third.

In truth, the interference, serious though it was, made no difference to the order of finish, with Giavellotto clearly getting the better of a brief tussle with Quickthorn before he lugged to his left, and replays show that Eldar Eldarov was being angled out for a run before the interference occurred, losing no ground as a result.

Atzeni was culpable in the incident as he pulled his whip through to his right hand as he was getting the better of Quickthorn, with a stroke of the stick in that hand the catalyst for the winner’s antics.

Confident

“He’s still very lightly raced,” pointed out the winning handler. “It was a good field with the St Leger winner and Broome in there, but I thought we would be here with a chance. I put a line through the race in Dubai, he was drawn in stall 15 and it just didn’t go to plan but we were confident he would run a good race.”

He added: “It’s very important; it’s been a couple of quiet years so to have a horse of this calibre is great. It’s great for the staff at home and for the owner, who bred the horse.”

The winner is in the Northumberland Plate but not in the Gold Cup.

Eldar Eldarov is entered at Ascot, however, and his trainer is excited about his prospects with this encouraging reappearance under his belt.

“It was a very good run with a view to the Gold Cup,” said a satisfied Roger Varian.

“That was over a mile and six furlongs and we’ve always felt that he would get the Gold Cup distance. We put a line through his run at Ascot in October; it was heavy ground that day, which he won’t run on again.

“Every time he’s run over this trip he has looked like he is only getting going at the line and that is why we think the Gold Cup will suit him.”

The winner finished behind several of these rivals in the Dubai Gold Cup won by Broome at Meydan in March but was poorly drawn and persistently short of room there, and there seemed no fluke about this win, as he travelled best in a well-run race, and looks to be progressing.

Penalty

He was reversing St Leger form with Eldar Eldarov here, but it should be noted that the latter was carrying a penalty for his classic success, and still comes out the best horse at the weights.

As an aside, Broome was reported to the stewards by the starter and will now have to pass a stalls test before he can run again.

Burke pair heading to Ascot

KARL Burke will target Royal Ascot with both Got To Love A Grey (Sam James) and Dorothy Lawrence (Ryan Moore) after they dominated the finish of the Marygate Fillies’ Stakes at York.

The pair went head-to-head from the outset, and produced a stirring finish, with Dorothy Lawrence looking likely to get the better of the winner a furlong out but edged out by the stronger stayer in the closing stages, with the margin of victory half a length.

Got To Love A Grey was a six-length winner on debut at Nottingham last month and was sent off at 5/2 to follow up, while Dorothy Lawrence was beaten by Persian Dreamer at Newmarket, but turned the tables on much faster ground that may not have suited the favourite, a daughter of Calyx, who could finish only fourth here.

The first two could clash again in the Queen Mary Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot, although Burke is also considering the six-furlong Albany Stakes for the winner, who he views as the stronger stayer of the pair.

THE Listed Michael Seely Memorial, run as the Oaks Farm Stables Fillies’ Stakes, produced one of the best finishes of the week at York, with victory going to the Jessie Harrington-trained Sounds Of Heaven (Ronan Whelan), who rallied gamely to deny the unlucky Queen For You (John & Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin) and Silver Lady (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) after that trio had separated themselves from the pack in the last couple of furlongs.

Sounds Of Heaven disputed the lead early before settling just behind leader Stormy Sea, and when that filly began to weaken over a furlong out, she made her bid for glory, along with Silver Lady towards the far side.

The latter initially ducked inside when asked to pick up, which caused both Clochette and Queen For You to be carried left towards the far rail. That gave Sounds Of Heaven the advantage, only for Queen For You and Silver Lady to join her 100 yards out, but the daughter of Kingman found extra in the final strides to snatch the verdict by a short head and a neck.

The 14/1 winner lacked a recent run and had just a Leopardstown maiden to her name prior to this run, but she comes from an excellent family, with the likes of dual classic winner Hermosa, Hydrangea and The United States in her page, and she was an expensive purchase at 650,000gns as a yearling for international partners Craig Bernick and John Camilleri.

She still has some way to go to recoup that sales tag but travelled like a classy filly here before running green in front and looks very promising.

There was another stylish performance in the mile Darley Novice Stakes when Dark Angel’s son Mostabshir quickened away to win by five lengths.

John and Thady Gosden’s colt was unable to make a meaningful impact in the Craven Stakes on his return at a time when the stable’s horses were short of peak, but he made it two wins from three with a smart effort to concede weight to all his rivals, and looking full value for the five-length winning margin over some promising rivals.

He retains an entry in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, and would not be a forlorn hope if turning up there.