Racing commentator Mike Cattermole previews day one of the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival, where Churchill can land the feature.
This year’s star-studded Juddmonte International, by some way top of the bill on the opening day of the Ebor Festival at York, offers us so many questions and no obvious answers.
Forget for a moment about who the most likely winner is, what about the tactics? Who will take this top-class field along and prevent it from becoming a strategical game of equine chess?
We certainly don’t want another Eclipse, which was a fabulous race in the end between Ulysses and Barney Roy, but an extremely messy affair all told, in which the chief sufferer was undoubtedly Cliffs Of Moher. He was snatched up and lost around three lengths and plenty of rhythm halfway down the back straight.
The Derby runner-up then suffered a troubled passage all the way up the home straight at Sandown and was certainly not able to show his true ability. He may not have been beaten far with an untroubled run. I think he will go well.
With so many hold-up performers in the line-up, Cliff Of Moher is my pick to be the front-runner, something he has done once before when landing his maiden at Leopardstown last October by an impressive five lengths from Orderofthegarter. Whether he is good enough to hang on, though, is another matter.
Note, however, that Ryan Moore has not been tempted to get off Churchill, and that has to be significant. The dual Guineas winner, so impressive on both of those occasions at Newmarket and the Curragh, ran flat in the St James’s Palace Stakes when Barney Roy got his revenge.
Reasons for that misfire have not been revealed and he steps up in distance here. He was no certainty to stay the Derby trip (lots of speed on the dam’s side) but there are not many Galileo progeny who fail to stay even an extended 10 furlongs.
If he is back to his best, he appeals as the most likely winner as Aidan O’Brien, seeking a sixth win in this, has had time to freshen him up since Ascot.
Sir Michael Stoute has also won it five times and his Ulysses travels like a champion and beat Barney Roy by a whisker in the Eclipse. A few weeks on, the weight-for-age difference is now 3lb in Ulysses’ favour but Barney Roy shapes as though the long, level straight will suit him as he does take time to find his top stride and was arguably unfortunate not to get closer to Churchill in the Guineas.
Meanwhile, Ulysses was a very good second in the King George behind Enable but will that hard race catch up with him here? It wouldn’t be the first time that a King George runner leaves his race behind at Ascot.
Shutter Speed, who beat Enable earlier in the season, is an intriguing runner but needs to find plenty more to trouble these stars. Decorated Knight needs to find imoprovement from somewhere and, for me, My Dream Boat is showing signs of too many tough races.
Earlier, Frankie Dettori can get his week off to a good start by taking the Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes on Cracksman whose placed efforts in the Derby’s at Epsom and the Curragh were excellent runs and gives him the best form on offer.
I also feel he was given plenty to do at the Curragh behind Capri and he can take this en route to a go at the Arc perhaps, as he is not in the St Leger.
The meeting begins as usual with the ultra competitive Symphony Group Handicap. Shamson, whose blindfold was removed too late last time, remains well treated and has to be on the shortlist.
However, I just prefer Moviesta who ran extremely well in fourth behind Washington DC in a Group Three at the Curragh last time when his young and talented rider Robbie Downey was unable to claim his 3lb allowance.
The Tattersalls Acomb Stakes contains a line-up of unexposed juveniles, including Goodwood winner Dee Ex Bee who recorded a very good time there and so gets a narrow vote for Mark Johnston and James Doyle (who also has a good mount in Penglai Pavilion in the 4.15).
But there are others to consider seriously, including Wells Farhh Go who did it well over the course and distance last month and also the Windsor winner Lansky.
Danzan won by 10 lengths at Pontefract and given the way Karl Burke’s two-year-olds have been mopping up the big prizes over the past few weeks, Beatbox Rhythm has to be respected, too.
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