Five Irish-trained horses to follow at the Ebor Festival

Trainer: Paddy Twomey. Race: Great Voltigeur Stakes (Wednesday)

Carmers has run three times and he has won three times.  He continues to progress, and we don’t know how high he could go.

Weak in the market before he won over a mile and five furlongs on his racecourse debut at Ballinrobe in early May, the market had cottoned onto him before he ran in the Listed Yeats Stakes at Navan just over a week later, and he duly justified the confidence that was placed in him then.  He stepped forward from that last time too when stayed on strongly to win the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.

The Queen’s Vase is looking like an even stronger race now that it did at the time.  Fifth-placed Scandinavia ran out an impressive winner of the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket next time and followed up by winning the Goodwood Cup, the first three-year-old to win the Goodwood Cup since Stradivarius, who won three more. 

Pinhole, eighth in the Queen’s Vase, won a good handicap next time back at Ascot on King George day, and even 12th-placed Al Wasl Storm won a handicap at Newbury on Saturday.  Also, runner-up Furthur, disappointing behind Scandinavia in the Bahrain Trophy, bounced back to form on Saturday when he won the Geoffrey Freer Stakes impressively.

Carmers will be dropping down in trip on Wednesday for the Great Voltigeur Stakes, he hasn’t raced over a distance short of one mile and five furlongs in his brief career, and Lambourn is obviously a formidable rival, but he does not lack pace.

Immaculately bred, by Wootton Bassett and out of a half-sister to Lord Shanakill, a Group One winner over a mile and a Group Two winner over six and seven furlongs, and Fillies’ Mile winner Together Forever (also City Of Troy’s dam) and Oaks winner Forever Together, Paddy Twomey’s horse has the class to be competitive over the slightly shorter trip.

Trainer: Paddy Twomey. Race: British EBF Fillies’ Handicap (Thursday)

Bought by Twomey and Bond Thoroughbreds at the Goffs London Sale after she won her maiden at Cork for Gavin Cromwell, Bonus Time was well backed in a seven-furlong Leopardstown handicap on her first run for her new connections, when she was just caught close home by fellow top weight Sounds Like A Plan.  She finished nicely ahead of Shelbiana though, who won her maiden next time.

Dropped in trip to six furlongs at Naas next time, the Too Darn Hot filly made no mistake, making all the running and winning nicely.  She only got home by a half a length in the end from Kodilicious, but she left the impression that she had at least a little more in hand than the bare winning margin.

York’s seven furlongs should suit her well and, a three-year-old who has raced just four times in her life, she has the potential to go beyond the handicap rating of 93 off which she will race if she takes her chance in Thursday’s fillies’ handicap.

Trainer: Aidan O'Brien. Race:  Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes (Friday)

Wise Approach sets a good standard in Friday’s Gimcrack Stakes, but Neolithic could go well against him if he takes his chance in the race.

Aidan O’Brien’s colt also held an entry in Wednesday’s Acomb Stakes, but this could be a better fit for him at this stage of his career, over six furlongs.  You can easily allow him his run in the maiden that Gavoo won at Listowel in early June over six and a half furlongs.  He was slowly away that day from his wide draw, and he could never really find his racing rhythm around the bend in a race in which the prominent racers dominated.

The Sioux Nation colt proved that run to be all wrong anyway last time in a median sires’ series race at Naas.  A little to his left at the start, he was quickly into his stride in front on the far side, and he kept on well against the far rail in his first-time cheekpieces to win impressively.  The runner-up from that race, Howd’yadoit, won his maiden next time at Dundalk and followed up by winning the valuable Ballyhane Stakes at Naas, while his stable companion Sir Alfie, back in fourth that day, won a good nursery at The Curragh on Saturday off a mark of 85.

Neolithic should progress again from his run at Naas, and the prominent style of racing employed there is well suited to York.

Trainer: Jack Davison.Race: Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (Friday)

She’s Quality hasn’t won since she won the Listed Abergwaun Stakes at Tipperary last September, but she has run four big races in defeat this season, all four runs in Group races in Britain.

Second in the Palace House Stakes, second again in the Temple Stakes, and second yet again in the Coral Charge, Jack Davison’s filly probably put up the best performance of her career when she finished second once more in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood last time.

Last of the seven horses who raced on the far side through the early stages of that race, she travelled well into her race, she made nice ground towards the centre and she came with a run from inside the furlong marker that took her to within a neck of the winner Jm Jungle.

The speed test that York presents should suit her well.  She continues to progress, five furlongs is her trip, and she could be a big player in the Nunthorpe.

Trainer: Ger Lyons. Race:  British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes (Friday)

Krasimir will be an interesting contender if he takes his chance in the Convivial Maiden on Friday.

A promising third in a maiden at Fairyhouse in July on his racecrouse debut, when he was checked in his run and had to deliver his challenge widest of all, Ger Lyons’ colt stepped forward from that last time when he finished second in a six-furlong maiden at Naas, going down by a neck to a well-bred newcomer of Fozzy Stack’s, with the pair of them coming well clear of their rivals.

Out of a half-sister to Nassau Stakes winner Winsili and a full-sister to Franconia, who won a listed race over 10 and a half furlongs at York, Krasimir should improve for his Naas run, and he could improve again for the step up to seven furlongs.  This is usually a hot maiden, but he is fully deserving of his place in it.