York preview: Dunlop looking to Leeper to deliver Ebor honours

Win, lose or draw in the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York on Saturday, Ed Dunlop has confirmed that one-time Derby hope John Leeper will race again next season.

The four-year-old won two of his first three career starts and was an 8-1 chance for last year’s Epsom Classic, but finished down the field behind Adayar.

While he has failed to win in nine subsequent starts, the Newmarket handler has not lost faith in this son of Frankel, who is named after his late father, Classic-winning trainer John Leeper Dunlop.

Though admitting he has been “frustrating”, Dunlop is adamant his staying-on run behind subsequent Group One scorer Rebel’s Romance in the mile-and-a-half Queen’s Plate at Goodwood was the ideal prep for the richest handicap in Europe.

John Leeper, who will be ridden by Adam Kirby, will shoulder 9st 9lb in a race where three of the last four winners successfully carried over 9st 5lb to victory.

Dunlop said: “Goodwood was very much a prep race. It was an inadequate trip and they went slowly and quickened. He is a huge horse and we wanted to give him a run in preparation for the Ebor.

“All systems have been pointed to this for a while. He is a bit of a frustration, but he is still very talented and he is in very good form, and we were pleased with his last piece of work.

“Touch wood, he will go well, but it is very competitive and there are a lot of runners. We need some luck.”

Three of the top five in the market hail from Ireland, with Paddy Twomey’s Earl Of Tyrone heading most lists following a clear-cut victory in an extended mile-and-a-half Listed race at Limerick. That form was franked when the runner-up scored in a Group Three next time.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Okita Soushi, who was third in the Copper Horse Stakes at Royal Ascot, is another leading contender despite a wide draw in stall 22, along with Jessica Harrington’s Ever Present, who has a more favourable position in six.

The six-year-old made a good impression when taking a valuable big-field handicap at Leopardstown in September, and when making a comeback after 314 days on the sidelines in defeat at Down Royal last month.

Harrington said: “This race has been the plan for a long time and we hope it will go according to plan.

“We were happy enough with his comeback run at Down Royal. He is in good form and that run will have blown any cobwebs away.”

The home challenge is led by William Haggas’ pair of Gaassee and Candleford. The former tries the trip for the first time, while Tom Marquand sticks with the latter, who scored in the Duke of Edinburgh at the Royal meeting.

Frankie Dettori teams up with the John and Thady Gosden-trained Trawlerman in the Godolphin blue.

The addition of a hood helped him win over a similar distance at Goodwood and while he retains the headgear, connections are mindful of an awkward draw.

Thady Gosden said: “He ran at Goodwood with the hood on last time and he got a nice ride from Benoit (De La Sayette). He won well enough.

“His two starts in between that and his win at the start of the year did not quite go according to plan and he is a horse who obviously stays the trip. He just over-travelled a bit, hence the hood, which helped him settle.

“He has been well since and obviously we are drawn 20, which is not ideal. But you can only play the hand you are dealt and we will come up with a plan.”

Jim Goldie is heading to the Knavesmire in confident mood with Euchen Glen, who is berthed in stall two. Paul Mulrennan rides the hard-knocking handicapper, who bids to become the first nine-year-old to land the prize since Sea Pigeon in 1979.

Goldie said: “He has been a consistent horse. Hopefully he will be very consistent on Saturday.

“It is an interesting race with a lot of interesting horses in it. He has been in quite good form and it is a track he has performed well at before, so we are hopeful.”

Though beaten narrowly into third by Trawlerman at Goodwood, Goldie was pleased to see him hit the board again.

He added: “He is letting you know that he is still here.

“I am not really worried about the draw – we will just ride a hold-up race. I’m expecting to win! I always set off with that expectation. It is all about the anticipation. Realistically, if you have the best horse in the race in the best handicaps, you expect to win.”

Richard Hughes may never have won the race as a jockey, yet would be confident of bagging the prize as a trainer, should it rain heavily at York before now and 3.35pm on Saturday.

He saddles Calling The Wind, who was placed in both the Cesarewitch and the November Handicap last year and was a fair third to Coltrane in the Esher Stakes at Sandown on his previous run.

“You had better do a rain dance – I need rain,” said Hughes. “I really do. If we get it, we’ll be going, but if we don’t we probably won’t run.

“But he is in great form and if it went soft, he would have a huge chance. If it is good to firm, I won’t run.”

Sandrine bids to follow up Glorious Goodwood success in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes on Saturday.

A winner at Group Three and Two level as a juvenile last season, Andrew Balding’s filly kicked off the current campaign by finishing fifth in the 1000 Guineas.

The daughter of Bobby’s Kitten was subsequently well held in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, but bounced back to finish third in the Falmouth before successfully dropping back in trip to win last month’s Lennox Stakes.

She faces several of the same horses in this weekend’s £400,000 Group Two, and Balding is more hopeful than confident she can confirm her superiority.

“She maybe had the run of the race last time at Goodwood and there might be a few in behind who felt a bit unlucky, so it is not going to be straightforward,” said the Kingsclere handler.

“She’s in great form and ran well in the Lowther last year so we know that the track won’t be an issue. We hope she will go very close again.”

Sandrine renews rivalry with Goodwood runner-up Kinross, the third home Pogo and the fifth-placed Sacred, with connections of the latter expecting an improved performance.

Chris Richardson, managing director for owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: “She’s in good form. Things didn’t quite go her way at Goodwood, but William (Haggas) has been happy with her since.

“As long as there’s not much rain, the ground should be ideal for her on Saturday and seven furlongs suits, so fingers crossed.”

Other hopefuls include the Charlie Appleby-trained Al Suhail, Eve Johnson Houghton’s Hungerford Stakes winner of last weekend Jumby and Brad The Brief, who is on a hat-trick for Hugo Palmer.

Johnson Houghton said: “He’s in great form, he seems to have come out of Newbury really well.

“He loves fast ground so I think we should keep running him while the ground is good.

“It’s obviously a quick turnaround. He seems to be bouncing, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say.”

The final day of the Ebor Festival gets under way with the Group Three Sky Bet And Symphony Group Strensall Stakes, for which Mighty Ulysses is the likely favourite.

Beaten less than a length into fifth place in the St James’s Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting, John and Thady Gosden’s charge made the most of having his sights lowered when comfortably winning a Listed prize at Newmarket last month.

“He ran well in the Henry Cecil last time and the step up in trip to nine furlongs shouldn’t be a problem to him,” said Thady Gosden.

“He’s a horse we have always liked and has plenty of talent. He ran a huge race in the St James’s Palace then dropped back in grade and won and deserves to run in this company.

“It’s a deep field, but he goes there in good order. All these races at York are very competitive, as they should be given the quality of festival it always is.”

The Cheveley Park silks are carried by Bashkirova, who won the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom before finishing fifth behind the top-class Saffron Beach in the Duke of Cambridge.

Richardson added: “Some rain might be a help to her as she likes a little bit of ease in the ground.

“We did think about going for the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville on Sunday, but a Group One might be shooting a little bit too high with her and we thought we’d roll the dice at York instead.

“William is very happy with her and thinks she’s a good, progressive filly.”

Pontefract Listed winner Alflaila (Owen Burrows) and Cadillac (Kevin Philippart De Foy) also feature.

A fiercely-competitive Sky Bet Melrose Handicap includes Caius Chorister, who bids for a remarkable sixth successive win for David Menuisier.

“She’s fine and has been really progressive all season,” said the trainer.

“We think the step up in trip will suit her – her dam stayed well – and hopefully she can keep on improving.

“At the end of the day she owes us nothing, so we’ll go there hopeful and ready to enjoy the day.”