Breege won the Sky Bet City of York Stakes | report and free video replay
By Sporting Life
15:42 · SAT August 24, 2024
Breege (33/1) ran on strongly to spring a surprise in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes.
Audience, a close second in last year's renewal, was expected to take all the beating in the seven furlong Group Two having won the Lockinge Stakes and Lennox already this season but things didn't go the way of the 4/7 favourite on the Knavesmire.
Second favourite Lake Forest played up in the stalls and was withdrawn and his antics affected Audience in the adjacent stall with Rab Havlin reporting his mount had been upset, kicking the front of the stalls and didn't let himself down during the race.
They just about hit the front but could never shake off their rivals with Shouldvebeenaring challenging on the outside and three on their inner. The writing was on the wall as Breege, a winner at the Epsom Derby meeting, burst through, keeping on well to win by a length and a half.
Vafortino came through for second, edging out Shouldvebeenaring by a head for minor honours. Audience was a further length back in fourth.
The winner was trained by John and Sean Quinn who saddled two runners during the Sky Bet Ebor Festival and saw both claim first prize.
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John Quinn told ITV Racing: "This filly has got a very, very good pedigree. Her mother is a half-sister to the best two-year-old we trained, The Wow Signal. We trained her mother; she was a good, honest filly but this filly has always shown a bit of class and she'd been placed, before she won a Group race, in five Group races and then she won her Group race at Epsom.
"We worked her last Monday and we had her in the Celebration Mile and in this. I rang Andrew Black (owner) and I said I'm not saying she'll win but I've never seen her work as well and I said the money that York put up, which we're very, very grateful for, is immense. I said she's not short of speed and he said we should go to York and I'm delighted we did."
Breege was ridden by Colin Keane who added: "A little bit of a surprise.
“Beforehand we were basically riding to be third and trying to pick up as much prize-money as possible. I thought it would unfold as it did, with Art Power going along and there would be plenty of pace. I thought we’d pick up as much as we could and we got the lot!
“He (Lake Forest) was next door to us and she didn’t bat an eyelid when he nearly came over on top of us, so she obviously has a very good mind. It was a true-run race and when she got between them, she really came alive and quickened away well.”
Victory was not a complete surprise according to Sean Quinn though.
We worked her on Monday morning and she worked particularly well, John said that was the best he’s ever seen her work," he said.
"This probably wasn’t the plan at that stage, but he said we’ll take her down the road as there’s a heap of money on offer and we’re going to try to get as much of it as we can.
“She was our first Group winner since we joined the licence (when winning the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom in June) and to do that today is pretty special. She’s very important to the yard and it’s important to be competitive on the big days.
“Colin has had three or four rides for us and he won the Boomerang on Irish Champions Weekend on Safe Voyage, so we’ve had a lot of luck with him. He’s fantastic, Jason (Hart) is our stable jockey but unfortunately it didn’t work out today. He went to Goodwood to ride a favourite for us in a Group race and it didn’t pan out, but he’ll be back on her very shortly.
“All the big seven-furlong races (will be considered), she’s not in the Foret but we might have to speak to her owners about supplementing her for it.”
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