York Ebor meeting next week..

Great festival at York next week hopefully the rain stays away and SEA THE STARS takes his place on Tuesday in the JUDDMONTE 4/7 available atm...



MY YORK TEAM - SIR MICHAEL STOUTE


Harbinger (Great Voltigeur):

He will run in the Great Voltigeur. We were going to run him in the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot but he had a muscle tear. He was fit enough for the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood but should be tighter on Tuesday. He needs to be though, it is a very competitive race. We have made no commitment towards the Ladbrokes St Leger - we will run at York and review things.

Doctor Fremantle (Juddmonte International):

I am very happy with him, he is very fresh and well and this is a very good and very valuable race. He has always been ultra-consistent and you can forget his run in the Hardwicke as it was a funny race. I was delighted with his win in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket last time.

Tartan Bearer (Juddmonte International):

I do believe he is best at a mile-and-a-half and he was slightly impaired in the King George last time. I feel we are entitled to have a crack at the International, he won the Dante over course and distance, but he is at his very best over 12 furlongs. I do feel he is every bit as good as ever. I hope he proves that before the end of the year.

Warringah (Ebor): I'm keen to run and it's an enormous prize. I think I'll win the battle with the owner to go to York. He ran well at Goodwood and was handicapped for York before that run. I am looking forward to running him.

Saptapadi: He won't get in the Ebor and we've abandoned plans to go there. He won't go in the Melrose either and misses York altogether.

Kingsgate Native (Nunthorpe): With Fleeting Spirit missing I feel he is justified to be favourite for the Nunthorpe. He twisted a joint at Ascot, we couldn't believe he ran so badly there. I knew the race would bring him on though as he had been out of training for such a long time. We felt he had a valid excuse there but while he had been showing glimpses of real pace, he hadn't been very consistent in his homework. He was just readjusting to being a professional athlete again. Goodwood went very smoothly, he had a good draw, and now we are looking forward to York.

Leocorno (Galtres Stakes): She will run in the Galtres and we are very happy with her. We threw her in the deep end in the Ribblesdale and she just wasn't ready for it. She is a very big, immature filly. York will suit her and she is very well.

Mirrored: He will run in one of the handicaps, probably over a mile, if the ground isn't too fast for him.

Class Is Class: He runs on Wednesday in the mile-and-a-half handicap. His form from the Newmarket July Meeting is working out very well. He is a very, big backward horse who had won an uncompetitive maiden at Yarmouth. Newmarket was the first time the gun had been put to his head and it was a very competitive race.

Morning Hibby, thanks, my early thoughts

Harbinger to win the Great Voltigeur
Sea the Stars a cert for the International Stakes

Ebor: always difficult, Changingoftheguard will top the boards, but will be thinking of the Ladbrokes punter on Red Merlin and Hits Only Vic to run in the places.

Yorshire Oaks Sariska only has to turn up, might be worth the double with Sea the Stars

Nunthorpe is now a poor field, Kingsgate Native and Amour Propre to fight it out.

talk next week.

Forecast provides hope for Sea The Stars team


THE prospect of dual Classic winner Sea The Stars going for a fourth Group 1 win of the year in Tuesday's Juddmonte International Stakes improved on Thursday after the Met Office reduced the amount of rainfall predicted for York over the next few days.

Trainer John Oxx had worried on Wednesday that if the previously predicted rainfall came, the ground would be soft at the time of declaration on Sunday for the big race on Tuesday.

However, after a dry spell, underfoot ground conditions remained goodto firm on Thursday at York, with the GoingStick measuring 8.4.

Clerk of the course William Derby said on Thursday night: "We have had a dry day at York and we are really pleased with the ground and that the rainfall has been downgraded for the weekend."

The prediction on Wednesday had been that 20mm of rain would fall on York on Friday, but a Met Office spokesman said: "York will receive light showers on Friday totalling 5mm of rain at most.

"On Saturday York will see a cold front cause two to three hours of showery rain which will total no more than 10mm.

"Sunday will see aday of sunshine and showers for York. There will be heavy and frequent showers for the north of England and I'm not sure whether York will catch them or not. "

Looking ahead to next week, he continued: "On Monday, an area ofhigh pressure will move in and settle the weather over York, leaving a fine and dry day.

"Tuesday will see that area of high pressure continue to travel through, leaving York with a cloudy day and outbreaks of rain in the early evening."

Murtagh bullish about Craftsman in Juddmonte

JOHNNY Murtagh has raised the tempo for the Juddmonte International at York on Tuesday by suggesting it will not be one-way traffic for the world's top-rated racehorse, Sea The Stars, should he clash with dual Group 1 winner Mastercraftsman.


The ground is still a concern for the Sea The Stars camp with rain due on the Knavesmire on Saturday, although not as much as previously forecast.

Speaking on Thursday at Leopardstown, Murtagh, whose mount was fifth to Sea The Stars in the 2,000 Guineas, said: "There's no doubt Sea The Stars sets the standard and is the highest-rated horse but my horse has won an Irish Guineas and a St James's Palace Stakes. I'm happy with him going there next week.

"It promises to be a good race and we won't go down without a fight."

Murtagh's comments coincided with Paddy Power and William Hill both trimming Mastercraftsman's odds on Thursday with both firms going 2-1, from 9-4 and 5-2 respectively, behind odds-on favourite Sea The Stars.

Mick Kinane, looking to steer Sea The Stars to a fourth Group 1 win of the season, stressed again that the ground issue was paramount.

"This horse is seven to ten pounds below himself on soft ground," said Kinane. "So we have to plan things in the interest of the horse, but hopefully he'll have his ideal conditions on Tuesday."

Shower falls at York after officials water course

OFFICIALS at York started watering the course on Saturday afternoon after the substantial rain forecast for the racecourse earlier in the week had failed to materialise.

Showers which delivered 2mm of rain during later in the day did not do enough to alter clerk of course William Derby's plans.

Mid-week predictions had suggested up to 20 millimetres of rain could fall on the course on Friday, but a decision by the Met Office to revisethat forecast proved to be well founded after the track missed any rain that fell in the area - until the light shower. The rain failed to have any impact on the going, which remains good to firm.

Derby told racingpost.com before the shower arrived: "We have had a blustery day. There have been some showers bobbling about but they have missed the racecourse.

"We put on four millimetres of irrigation just to maintain. The ground remains good to firm with a GoingStick reading of 8.5."

Derby would not be drawn into discussion over the prospects of Sea The Stars lining up in Tuesday's Juddmonte International other than to confirm that he had been having "regular dialogue" with trainer John Oxx.

The Met Office were anticipating a fewshowers on Saturday night and then a cloudy start with some rain on Sunday.

Sea The Stars-Craftsman clash on in International


DUAL Classic hero Sea The Stars will take on St James's Palace Stakes winner Mastercraftsman in Tuesday's Juddmonte International after both were on Sunday among only five declarations for the Group 1.

Trainer John Oxx had issued warnings that the Stanjames.com 2,000 Guineas, Investec Derby and Coral-Eclipse scorer, Sea The Stars, would not run if the ground became testing, as it did when the three-year-old missed the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.



However, the rain did not fall and Oxx on Sunday confirmed the son of Cape Cross was all set for a scintillating clash with the Aidan O'Brien-trained four-time Group 1 winner Mastercraftsman.


Oxx, "delighted" with the drying conditions at York, said: "The rain didn't arrive and in that respect everything's looked favourable since Friday. I knew that the weather pattern had changed for the better and we're now all set to go."

O'Brien took the Juddmonte International when it was run at Newmarket last term with Duke Of Marmalade and has bolstered the field with prominent racers Set Sail and Georgebernardshaw.

The only other runner is the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Tartan Bearer, second inthe Prince Of Wales's Stakes and the Betfair King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes so far this season.

When questioned about tactics for Sea The Stars, Oxx said: "I don't know what Aidan is thinking in terms of how the race will be run, but the presence of pacemakers in the field is what I expected.

"We shall assess the situation regarding our own tactics nearer the time, but ultimately it will be down to Mick [Kinane]. If they make it a fast pace they will hardly be ignored, but then again they might well go a slow pace. Who knows?"

Assessing the return to a left-handed course, and the galloping nature of the Knavesmire, Oxx added: "I imagine it will be ideal for him. The track is fair and looks very suitable."

The ground at York was on Sunday officially described as good to firm all over and plans are in place to maintain this by watering if necessary.

5 runners in the juddmonte and o`brien has two also rans in the field,wonder what tricks he has up his sleave? to slow the pace down?

A strong gallop will suit Tartan Bearer and Sea the stars,although sea the stars has a great kick as well...

both Russian Sage and Mythical Fight go on the 21st at York

Sea The Stars to get ideal ground for Juddmonte


THE world's highest-rated racehorse is set to bid for a fourth consecutive Group 1 victory on good to firm ground after York clerk of the course William Derby decided to water the track in a bid to maintain perfect Flat racing conditions.

In stark contrast to 12 months ago when the fixture was abandoned due to waterlogging, a quick surface will be galloped on by Sea The Stars, Mastercraftsman and the latter's two pacemakers in the £600,000 Juddmonte International.

Derby said on Monday: "It's been a blustery, not particularly warm day and we've had no rain other than the 1mm we had at 4am. The forecast we then have is for a bright, dry Tuesday into Wednesday with high cloud.



"The going is good to firm with a GoingStick reading of 8.6 and we'll be aiming to maintain that by using irrigation tonight to replace evaporation lost today."

Sea The Stars will showcase the first ever British Group 1 race staged without any British runners after Tartan Bearer was withdrawn having been reported lame by trainer Sir Michael Stoute.


In his absence, Sea The Stars is an even hotter favourite to add to victories in the Stanjames.com 2,000 Guineas, Investec Derby and Coral-Eclipse Stakes.

Looking ahead to Tuesday's race, trainer John Oxx said: "I'venever actually had a runner in this race before and obviously it would be nice if all goes well.

"It's a great race with a great bit of history to it, but there are always problems to overcome, so we just have to hope for the best."

In contrast to the International, the Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes will be an all-British affair with the Stoute-trained Harbinger heading a seven-runner line-up for the premier St Leger trial. The Betfair Gordon Stakes winner trades as short as 3-1 for the Ladbrokes-backed Leger with Coral.

I am really looking forward to watching Sea the Stars today, and just hope he as good as we think he is?

At York today I like Poet's Voice, Harbinger and Sea the Stars...take the treble.

Brighton eachway double Namu and Cavendish Road.

tartan bearer scratched according to tabgold