Let's talk about... the Yorkshire Cup | Send in your favourite memories

Who are your favourite Yorkshire Cup winners? Share your thoughts with us via racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and they will appear at the foot of the article.

Ben Linfoot – Geordieland, 2008

Geordieland won two races from 18 for Jamie Osborne, but he was a horse with considerably more ability than that paltry strike-rate suggests.

The grey French import had a reputation for not putting it all in, shirking the issue, being soft. Indeed, he was called a few names by punters after often travelling the best only to find zilch off the bridle.

Yet Osborne always said he burst blood vessels and was tremendously difficult to train.

But, despite this, he was second to the great Yeats in two Ascot Gold Cups and third in another, so, without the greatest stayer Ballydoyle ever had, perhaps Geordieland might’ve been remembered a little bit differently.

I loved him for what he was and he was undoubtedly a complex ride. Frankie Dettori was 0/4 on him and Jamie Spencer 0/5 – including four seconds.

By the time he lined up for the 2008 Yorkshire Cup, under a new jockey in Shane Kelly, his reputation preceded him.

Punters were wary. His form behind Yeats in the previous year’s Gold Cup arguably made him the form pick, but he was sent off 13/2 third best with the market preferring the claims of two younger, more progressive, stayers in Honolulu and Royal And Regal.

The latter led the way for much of the contest under Neil Callan and at one point his lead looked insurmountable, especially when it became clear the only danger had a penchant for finishing second.

Geordieland had travelled well, as he usually did, and between three out and two out he was visibly tanking as he scythed his way through the field. Kelly inched him off the rail and a gap opened up at just the right time.

He didn’t have to break his stride and that proved crucial as Royal And Regal was sent for home. Kelly asked Geordieland to quicken and catch the Michael Jarvis-trained horse, which he did, his perfectly-timed challenge gaining the verdict by a head.

If Kelly had gone even a smidgen earlier you sense Geordieland might’ve found a way to lose. He so often did. But not this day, in the 2008 Yorkshire Cup, a thrilling renewal and one of the highlights of Geordieland’s frustrating career.

Mike Vince – Clever Cookie, 2016

Every so often racing throws up one of those lump in the throat emotional results which sweeps up everyone at the track and often beyond whether you have backed the winner or not.

Think of Aldaniti at Liverpool, Estimate at Royal Ascot.

And think of Clever Cookie’s Yorkshire Cup.

The year was 2016, and a small but select field went to post.

Amongst them was Clever Cookie bidding to become just the second eight-year-old (after Sergeant Cecil in 2007) to land the prize. Trained just up the road from the Knavesmire, Cookie was the apple of trainer Peter Niven’s eye and had an outstanding York record. He had won a handicap and dead-heated for the Grand Cup in 2014 and then returned to win that race outright in 2015.

There was drama beforehand with the second favourite Flying Officer withdrawn and that left Luca Cumani’s Second Step, with Andrea Atzeni up, to go to post odds-on.

Silvestre de Sousa, on the outsider Glaring, led for much of the way, with PJ McDonald settling Clever Cookie on the Inside.

Passing the three-furlong pole Atzeni made his move, took up the running and set sail for home, but a furlong out it was Clever Cookie who emerged going the better, and with the decibel count in the stands blasting past fortissimo he hit the front.

But the race nearly had one final twist - Curbyourenthusiasm, who had been slowly away, emerged in McDonald’s wing mirrors eating up the ground, but to the unbridled joy of the thousands watching the Yorkshire Cup stayed at home - Cookie, for Peter Niven, had half a length to spare.

Yes, to this day it remains one of those special ‘I was there’ days.

Send us your views

Send in your favourite memories of Yorkshire Cup winners at York and other contributions to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com while if you’ve any ideas for more topics you want covering over the coming days and weeks, please let us know.

Feedback from readers

Dave Parker: I believe the race is Ninety years old this year and only two horses have won it twice in back to back years; Ardross and Lester Piggott in 1981 and 1982 & Stradivarius and Frankie Dettori in 2018 and 2019. Ardross trained by Henry Cecil and Stradivarius trained by John Gosden. What a feat it would be if Stradivarius could win it for a third consecutive year? Hopefully the race will go ahead in this very unusual year and see a new record if Stradivarius wins something to look forward to.

Dave Youngman: MEMORIES for me of the Yorkshire Cup started back in 1966 when I was a lad at Newmarket with trainer Noel Murless, we won the race that year with AUNT EDITH ridden by Lester Piggott, she has always been one of my favourite horses. Warren Place had a great record in the race as a stable, Henry Cecil winning it with ARDROSS two years running but my favourite winner of the race that Henry trained was MANIFEST, this horse won it in 2010 when Tom Queally was in the saddle, unfortunately the horse had a leg problem and training it proved difficult so he didn't reach the heights we had all hoped for. Here at Newmarket the watered gallop has opened over racecourse side of town and there will be a number of workers out there tomorrow morning, I plan to be out on the gallops early as I want to see ENABLE work, she is doing very well and always works in behind her lead horse Crossed Baton. With racing due to start up again on first of June there is a real buzz around the gallops here at Newmarket.

Darren Ashworth: In 1982 Ardross , won his second Yorkshire Cup beating a field that included future Ascot Gold Cup winner Little Wolf for Lester Piggott , Sir Henry Cecil and Charles St George. In October he lost the Arc de Triomphe by a neck.

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