Lady Iman leads 17-strong Nunthorpe field

Lady Iman heads a field 17 when she bid to become the first two-year-old in 18 years to win the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Friday.

Ger Lyon’s youngster has dazzled throughout the current campaign and was supplemented at a cost of £40,000 after advertising her claims in the Molecomb at Goodwood last time.

She is joined in a mouthwatering feature on day three of the Ebor Festival by a stellar cast of sprinting talent, with fellow Irish raiders including Adrian Murray’s Sapphire Stakes scorer Arizona Blaze and Jack Davison’s ultra-consistent stable star She’s Quality.

Australian ace Asfoora will continue her European odyssey and attempt to better last year’s fourth in this race for trainer Henry Dwyer, while Washington Heights was sixth 12 months ago and is one of two in the race for Kevin Ryan alongside Ain’t Nobody.

Ed Walker is another handler with two in the mix as he saddles both Mgheera and last year’s Lowther Stakes winner Celandine, with John and Sean Quinn putting their faith in King George Stakes winner Jm Jungle to continue his progress through the ranks at a track he knows well.

Fellow course winner Sayidah Dariyan returns to the Knavesmire looking to give Richard Hughes a first win as a trainer in a race he twice conquered as a jockey, while other notable names include Michael Bell’s two-year-old Spicy Marg and Jonathan Portman’s Rumstar, who like Lady Iman have been supplemented into the contest.

In the supporting Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup Stakes, John and Thady Gosden’s emphatic Gold Cup winner Trawlerman is the standout name in a field of six that also includes stablemate and standing dish of the staying division Sweet William.

Karl Burke’s Al Qareem brings strong course form to the table, while Tom Clover’s Al Nayyir was beaten a short head in this last year and returns to correct the record after a similar narrow defeat at Sandown last time.

A field of eight will line-up for the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes where Walker’s Do Or Do Not has the chance for a first victory at Group level.