Sky Bet City Of York Stakes: Williams has high hopes for Quinault

Stuart Williams reckons his Sky Bet City of York Stakes contender Quinault is still on an upward trajectory.

The five-year-old gelding is being trained for his first domestic Group 1, the latest top division race at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival, set to run on Saturday 23 August.

It will be a return to familiar territory for Quinault, who has won all of his three starts on the Knavesmire. As a three-year-old, he landed the valuable Macmillan Sprint Handicap and in 2024 sped to success in the Listed Garrowby Stakes. In June this year Quinault stepped forward again with victory in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes over course and distance – the first time the Group 3 has been staged at York.

That triumph gave him a golden ticket into the £600,000 Sky Bet City of York Stakes, which has been upgraded to Group 1 status, the first all aged seven-furlong contest in Britain over this trip.

Newmarket trainer Williams said: “We had him spot on for that race (in June) and you’re delighted to win a race there, of that prestige, and get the win and you’re in prize for the City Of York.

 “He obviously loves the track, it’s suited him really well and he's unbeaten up there.  

“It’s hard to assess what’s going to run at the moment, but they’ll have to run hard to beat him. He tries like hell and wherever he finishes he’ll do his absolute best. They’ll have to keep up with him because he’ll go a good clip – and he keeps going.

“In the race (the Criterion) he won there, they were sort of catching him halfway up the straight, but he did the second-quickest last furlong, so he was not stopping at the end. We’re hopeful he can do that again. 

“I still think he's got more to offer – I still think he's on his improve.”

Williams is pleased the Sky Bet City of York Stakes is now an elite contest. He said: “I think it's an important thing for the calendar to have a Group 1 seven-furlong race in Britain – it fits in well with the (Prix de la) Foret, which is six weeks further down the line. It should be a nice steppingstone for that.

“We’ll enjoy the day whatever happens, I'm sure he'll do his best and he won't be far away.”

The four-day Sky Bet Ebor Festival gets underway on Wednesday 20 August when a seven-race card will include a star-studded Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes.