Rest of York review: Swingalong foils stablemate Dramatised in Lowther

Swings and roundabouts for Burke

As expected, Karl Burke won the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York – but it was Swingalong who prevailed in a 25/1 shock and not stablemate and hot favourite Dramatised.

The Middleham handler was widely expected to land the juvenile Group Two affair with Queen Mary winner Dramatised, but the Clifford Lee-ridden Swingalong had not read the script and struck gold over six furlongs.

Sent at even money, Dramatised – trying the trip for the first time – took the field along on the far side of the track, with Swingalong blazing a trail down the middle and it was clear a furlong from home which of the Burke runners was coming home better.

Queen Me, a 20/1 shot, tried to mount a late challenge inside the distance, but Swingalong was a neck too good, with Irish raider Matilda Picotte taking third as Dramatised dropped away at the line.

'Cheveley Park looks the obvious next step'

Burke said: “She’s got a huge stride and has only just filled into her frame. She’s got a lot stronger over the last six weeks. I know it was a different class of race, but she had them all beat after two furlongs at Ripon and I knew then we were on the right track so I said straight away we’d come here.

“At the time I didn’t think she’d be good enough to beat Dramatised, but the difference was one stayed and one didn’t.

“The Cheveley Park looks the obvious next step, but I’ll talk to connections. I think she will stay an extra furlong, but she’s got a lot of natural speed so I think we’ll use that and not step her up just yet. All dreams are still alive at the minute.”

Of the beaten favourite Dramatised he said: “To be fair to Danny (Tudhope, jockey) all along he had his doubts. He rode her work over six furlongs two weeks ago, but I wouldn’t have it that she wouldn’t stay. Danny was right and I was wrong. She’ll revert back to five furlongs now.

“Until they’ve been over six you never know and Danny was always on the negative side, but we put that to the back of our mind. I was never that keen on the Nunthorpe, but I suppose the only saving grace is that we didn’t find out she didn’t stay in France in the Prix Morny.”

Family fortunes

Runner-up Queen Me was remarkably bidding to emulate her dam Queen Kindly, her granddam Lady Of The Desert and her great-granddam Queen’s Logic – all previous winners of the Lowther.

Trainer Kevin Ryan said: “It was a great run and lack of experience midway through the race probably just cost her.

“She’d only had the one start and did it very easy first time. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get another run into her, which we would have liked, through no other reason than the ground being so firm. We wanted to mind her and run her on nice ground so we waited to come here.

“We’ve always liked the filly and she’ll progress again from that. We’ll go home and sit on the fence, but she’s proved now she’s up to this level and galloped all the way through the line, which is always a good sign.”

Saeed bin Suroor felt ground conditions turned against his Duchess of Cambridge Stakes winner Mawj, who finished a creditable fourth.

He said: “The jockey (Ray Dawson) said the ground didn’t suit her today – it was a little bit loose on top.

“The good to firm ground at Newmarket was good for her and he said on good to firm ground she would win.

“The Cheveley Park is the plan.”

Lightly-raced Haskoy making giant strides

Haskoy brought home a Juddmonte one-two British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes at York, as Ralph Beckett’s filly flew home up the far rail in the hands of Ryan Moore to deny Harry and Roger Charlton’s Time Lock.

It was the winner’s stablemate Luna Dorada that set the early pace and Rob Hornby tried to take the sting out of the field when kicking for home as the runners entered the straight.

Luna Dorada’s challenge was soon over and it was the William Buick-ridden Time Lock who was looming up ominously looking like the winner.

The Frankel filly was soon clear of the third Judith and charging for home, but with all eyes on the centre of the track, it was Moore and Haskoy, who having sat and waited in rear in the early stages, that were finishing with a rattle away from the action on the far side to shade the verdict at 13/2.

Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s racing manager, said: “That was magic and they are two good fillies.

“The winner has always been good, but she had a bad injury last year. Ralph has liked her since he got her but we didn’t think she’d know enough today.

“Ryan said the penny only dropped in the final furlong and William (Buick) said his filly didn’t see the other one as she had more to give.

“Neither of them would be troubled by going further, but they’ve no fancy entries.”

Beckett said of the winner: “I’m not sure I’ve ever had one win a black type race just 20 days after making its debut. I’m sure I might have as I’ve trained enough of this type, but I can’t think of one.

“I thought she was very professional and we might have a look at the Park Hill at Doncaster now.”

Easy as 1-2-4 for O'Meara

Blue For You finished with a flourish to deny stablemate Escobar in the Clipper Logistics Handicap.

Following three successive runner-up finishes, Blue For You was the 11/2 favourite to secure a deserved victory, but briefly looked booked for minor honours once more after Escobar swept to the front.

Once the gap came, however, the market leader picked up to run down his fellow David O’Meara-trained runner – getting up to score by a head in the hands of Danny Tudhope.

O’Meara said: “I don’t know if I’ve got a knack for winning these races, we had six in there so we had a good chance, but late on they were getting in each other’s way.

“Blue For You has been an unlucky loser. He’d been blocked a couple of times, then Escobar looked like he was going to win. Trying to watch six was quite hard!

“Blue For You was second at Goodwood and he’d have beaten Orbaan if he’d got a run that day. Orbaan has run another good race today (finished fourth), but Blue For You got the splits.

“It’s a hard job to keep everybody happy, but at least some of them ran OK.”

Shouldvebeenaring leaves it late for big sales prize

Shouldvebeenaring justified some lumpy bets when getting up late to win the £250,000 Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at York.

A winner at Ripon on his second start, he was backed into 5/2 favouritism despite a field of 19 heading to post.

Very few of them got into it, in truth, as Tim Easterby’s Northcliff made a bold bit off the front end, battling the challenges of Dare To Hope and Washington Heights entering the final furlong.

Washington Heights eventually wore down Northcliff but Sean Levey got a great tune out of Richard Hannon’s Havana Grey colt and got there just in time to win by a neck.

It was a fifth win in the race for Hannon since 2016 and a fourth for Levey.

Hannon said: “He pulled a muscle behind and had sore shins and it was a real struggle to get him here.

“In his last couple of bits of work I put him right in at the deep end and he worked with Classic and Persian Force. He came up there upsides them, which I didn’t expect.

“He’s not in the Middle Park, I haven’t put him in anything but he’s a black-type horse, for sure.

“It’s good for Middleham Park (owners) as they’ve been great supporters of ours over the years and that is what these races are about.”

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