Race One: The Andy Thornton Hospitality Furniture Apprentice Handicap - Class Four - Seven Furlongs - Runners: 13

The racing action would start off where the previous meeting finished, with a class four handicap over the intermediate trip of seven furlongs. The only difference between the two races would be this one is restricted to apprentice riders as they continue to impress in the saddle. Twelve months ago, a rejuvenated Tolstoy came with a strong late run to win by a clear margin under Shay Farmer for the Brian Ellison stable. Remarkably, the horse would line up twenty-four hours later and win again at York in a rare double success. 

Top weight would be carried by last year's winner Tolstoy, who would return to this race for Brian Ellison. The six year old has been in much quieter form of late, but this would be his first run on the Knavesmire since winning for the third time in July. Another runner from Malton would be Julie Camacho's Desert Falcon. The five year old improved from race to race last year before scoring back to back wins in September. He would return in the same form when second at Thirsk last month. The consistent Mereside Diva would return to York once again for the David and Nicola Barron stable. The mare has finished second here in the past and wasn't beaten far in a similar race at the Dante Festival last month. Al Muqdad finished down the order in a seven furlong handicap here at the previous meeting, but showed improvement after joining David O'Meara's stable in 2024. The chestnut won four times that year and his rating is sliding back towards his most recent winning mark. Jim Goldie is enjoying another strong season so far and relied on Yaaser here. The seven year old was last successful at the start of May and ran well in defeat in two quick races recently. An interesting Irish raider in the line up would be Little Empire for the Anthony McCann stable. The five year old has enjoyed recent trips to Britain, including a win at Ayr last month. Tim Easterby's Quest For Fun is a regular at this venue with a win and handful of placings and ran well again at the Dante Festival when fourth. Another former course and distance winner in the line up would be Feel The Need for the Michael Herrington stable. The five year old finished second in this race last year and looked like he was running back into form with an unlucky in running seventh last time out here. Ivan Furtado's Bowood won three times in a row for current connections last year, but hasn't been successful since. His latest start here was hindered by a slow start. The sole runner for Mick and David Easterby would be Eligible, who is another with a better record on the all-weather, but has won over course and distance in the past. He lined up here last time out after a short break and plenty went wrong during that race. The Caribbean started his career with Aidan O'Brien where he won three times, but has gradually found his feet at the Heather Main stable recently. The four year old has run well this year with two placings recently. Project Geofin's two wins have come at Newcastle earlier in his career and has been generally consistent so far. His only race at York last year offered the promise that he will be suited by a big field and good pace. Completing the fiield would be another from the Tim Easterby stable would be Leap Day, a five year old who has won just once before but has shown encouragement this year to suggest he could add to that tally.

Winner: FEEL THE NEED (#8) (Ribchester x Patterned) - A. Pinna - M. Herrington

There would be drama at the stalls before the race had even started. As most of the field calmly walked into their gate, Little Empire reared up high in his gate, which led to an instant withdrawal on welfare grounds, while Desert Falcon was also unruly before the start and he too wouldn't take the start. While it is common for one horse to be withdrawn at the start, it is rare to see two in the same race.

The field was now reduced to eleven, but the starter send them on the way and the weekend's action was underway. From the outset, the favourite Tolstoy was slightly hesitant from the stalls and lost a bit of ground in the opening strides. Up front, the keen going Leap Day would set only a steady gallop early on under Jake Dickson and a number of his rivals also wanted to go faster. Mereside Diva would move forward to harry the leader, but the pace would remain as a sensible one. The slow starters Bowood, Tolstoy and Yaaser were all able to tag on to the main body of the field without losing too much time as the group rounded the bend to face up to the grandstands. Mereside Diva was well positioned under Will Pyle to make his move and aproaching the two furlong pole, the filly would take over in front. Quest For Fun was also right there challenging but the eye was drawn to Tolstoy, who made rapid headway from further back. Last year's winner moved through to take up the outright lead inside the final furlong and it looked like history would repeat itself. The last to challenge would be Feel The Need, who cut down the deficit with each stride. The two old rivals would go eye to eye inside the final fifty yards with neither giving in easily. Crossing the line, it would be Feel The Need who stuck his neck out when it mattered and he would take the win over Tolstoy. Just over a length back would come Mereside Diva who ran another solid race at York in third, who in turn finished ahead of Yaaser, who was never closer than at the finish. 

The result from last year would be reversed this year as the Michael Herrington-trained Feel The Need took the opener. In 2024, the son of Ribchester was slowly away from the start but kept on into a two length second that day on softer ground. Subsequently, the five year old went on to win on the all-weather during the winter before returning to grass in May. All three of his turf runs have come at York, which shows the liking he has for the Knavesmire. After finishing towards the rear at the Dante Festival, he would run much better when seventh at the end of May, not beaten far by the winner. This race would be noticeably easier and he would show a good attitude to win for the second time at York and his fourth win in total. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Feel The Need running back at York sometime before the season is out.

Race Two: The Coopers Marquees Rous Selling Stakes - Class Three - 2-Y-O Only - Six Furlongs - Runners: 15

Next up would see the first of three races in a row over the straight course, the Rous Selling Stakes. This contest for two-year-olds only was once the richest race of its kind in Britain with just shy of £13,000 going to winning connections. The lineup would consist largely of juveniles who have yet to live up to pre-season expectations and the winner of the race is the centre piece of an auction in the winner's enclosure, with prospective new connections looking to take home a ready made winner. Last year, the race went the way of Inconspicuous, who was seemingly the best of Ollie Pears' trio of runners. He would win fairly smartly and was swiftly transferred to Gay Kelleway's stable in Newmarket after the race.

The racecard would be headed by the first debutante in the line up; Brian Ellison's Bestfootleads. The chestnut has some decent winners in his pedigree, but has already been gelded ahead of his debut. Last year's winning stable of Ollie Pears would rely on just one runner this time, the filly Carnation Queen. She would show promise by staying on steadily into fifth at Beverley, albeit at a lower level. Roger Fell's Monty Magoo made his debut in the Brocklesby at Doncaster at the start of the season before having a break until recently at Ripon. In both starts, he would show inexperience and finish down the field, showing limited ability. Our Boy Harry is bred to be useful, but Micky Hammond's two year old has been slow from the stalls in recent starts which has hampered his progression. Gay Kelleway bought the winner of last year's race, but would look to win it outright with the gelding Send The Navy. He has been beaten by large margins in both starts so would need plenty of improvement to feature here. The Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood stable can occasionally find a decent sort at this kind of level and would be represented by Spartacus Force. The gelding is related to a few multiple time winners so would be an interesting debutante. His stablemate in the race would be similarly named Spartacus Warrior. This one has more experience than "Force", and ran his best race last time out when fourth at Beverley. Tim Easterby's strongest contender would be U Turn, who chased home a horse owned by the Nick Bradley Racing outfit. The syndicate was clearly impressed enough to purchase the filly and would race for new owners in this contest. The Richard Fahey stable are no strangers to saddling winners at York first time out and would be represented by the colt Vincent's Vision. The son of Mehmas has plenty of pace on his pedigree page. David O'Meara's Willowinghurn showed promise when fifth at Beverley on debut before running out an impressive winner at Redcar next time out. She would carry a penalty for that win, but could be a cut above this grade. The Jennie Candlish stable had a winner at York's previous meeting and were looking for more with Woody Y Fernandez. The gelding attempted to make amends for a slow start halfway through his debut, but weakened away at the finish. Tim Easterby's Zoumluzzi made a low key racecourse debut earlier in the year. He can lay claim to a Group race winner in his pedigree, so could be better than this level. Another filly in the race would be the Karl Burke-trained Dinamo. The daughter of Dandy Man went close to winning a seller at Beverley two starts ago, but was unable to back that run up at Goodwood the previous weekend. Nigel Tinkler's Lina Codina has looked to be one for lower grade races in the future as the filly has been well beaten in maiden company, but this should be an easier task. Completing the lineup would be a second Nick Bradley Racing owned runner, the Marco Botti-trained Spirit Star. The filly caught the eye on her debut at Wolverhampton, but took a step backward on her next start and made her debut on turf in this contest.

Winner: CARNATION QUEEN (#12) (Cotai Glory x Angel Sun) - H. Russell - O. Pears

The professional riders would take over for this often unpredictable selling contest. Despite the fact a number of these runners were making their debuts or had limited experience, there would be hardly any issues for the stalls handlers and the horses quietly walked into their stalls like old pros.

Although they were behaved walking into the stalls, some of these were a bit ponderous once the gates opened. The likes of Carnation Queen, Bestfoodleads and Woody Y Fernandez would all miss the break, but up front it would be Spartacus Force who led the way in the opening exchanges. The fifteen runners would race as one down the centre of the track but they would be well bunched. Spartacus Force was surrounded by U Turn, Willowinghurn, Spartacus Warrior and Send The Navy, all of whom helped to push the leader along. The race would begin to heat up approaching the final furlong pole as Spartacus Force quickly weakened away and U Turn was spotted travelling very strongly under David Allan. As the Tim Easterby-trained runner looked set to collect a nice prize, Carnation Queen had weaved her way through toiling rivals and emerged on the scene to challenge the leader. The two would do battle inside the final furlong and began to pull clear of the rest. In a driving, head bobbing finish, it would be hard to seperate the two leaders. U Turn's nose was ahead for one stride, Carnation Queen's a stride later. Crossing the line, Carnation Queen got her head up at the right moment to touch the finish line first, by a narrow margin to U Turn. There would be a wide gap back to third, which was taken by Zoumluzzi with the favourite Willowinghurn settling for third. 

It would be a good training feat by trainer Ollie Pears, who was winning this race for the third year in a row. In 2023, Celestial Flight would win this race for the Malton handler in the same ownership as today's winner. Carnation Queen would complete a unique treble of wins and did so in fairly useful style. Following a steady start, the daughter of Cotai Glory wasn't rushed by Harry Russell and she was allowed to find her stride throughout the race. She would make gradual headway and soon had the leader to aim for where she then showed a willing attitude to battle for the win. Previously, she made a slow start on debut at Redcar, which resulted in a seventh place finish, but things were much better on her second start. Racing in a selling race at Beverley, Carnation Queen was noted for keeping on well up the hill at Beverley over five furlongs, which suggested the extra furlong of this race would be within her reach. After the race, Carnation Queen went unsold, which means her current connections can look forward to more time with this winning filly. 

Race Three: The British EBF Supporting Racing With Pride Handicap - Class Two - Six Furlongs - Runners: 13

The feature race of the afternoon would see a competitive and valuable handicap for fillies and mares over six furlongs. With so little between progressive handicappers and pattern class sprinters, contests like these often attract a quality line up. Winners since the turn of the decade include the listed placed mare Shepherds Way, the useful Radio Goo Goo and Gale Force Maya, who went on to win at listed level and placed in Group company. Last year, the theme of classy winners would continue as the locally trained Alfa Kellenic continued her progress, giving Craig Lidster a first win at York before adding the Ayr Silver Cup handicap to her CV later that year.

This year's renewal would see the four year old Queen's Guard carry top weight on her debut for the Iain Jardine stable. The four year old's latest win came in October, but was down the order in a listed race when last seen. She could be a classy recruit to the yard. Richard Fahey does well with sprinting fillies and would saddle former course and distance winner Tropical Island in this contest. She would return to her best by winning easily at Ripon, but ran poorly at Hamilton last week. Next up came the Ed Bethell-trained Rogue Sensation. The three year old won for the first time in smart style last year and has since run well in listed company on her last two starts. Greydreambeliever made a stylish winning debut at this venue last summer and ran to a decent level afterwards. After contesting the Dubai Duty Free Stakes at Newbury, she would run below form back in handicap company at Ripon last time. The one with a progressive look to her form would be Raneenn for the William Haggas stable. After winning twice last season, she continued to improve by winning at Doncaster at the end of April so this race looks to have been planned. The three year old Lady Of Andros began her career in France, winning on debut for Andre Fabre and competing at Listed level. Over the winter, she would join the Ollie Sangster stable and ran well her best race in Britain when second at Chester. Harvanna won on this card two years ago and was a fairly smart sprinter earlier in her career. In recent times, she has struggled for consistency and could only manage seventh last time for Mick Appleby. Next up would be the Michael Herrington-trained Powdering, who is a regular on the all-weather. The five year old mare has won on turf in the past, but her better form comes on the synthetic surfaces, including last time when third over seven furlongs. Jim Goldie has already taken a high profile sprint handicap at York this year and would look for another with Mostar Dreams. The four year old is adaptable in terms of ground and distance and landed her most recent win at Carlisle two starts ago when finishing strongly. Gemma Tutty's Ormolulu had the option of the opening seven furlong contest, but connections opted for a tilt at this prestigious prize. The five year old mare loves Southwell and won a nice race there back in March this year. The unexposed Easy Peeler lined up for the John and Sean Quinn stable and looked an interesting runner. The three year old has finished in the frame in all starts and stayed on well into third last time out. The John and Gosden stable would combine with Cheveley Park Stud in this race with the filly Pelean. The daughter of Pinatubo took a few starts to break her maiden tag, but did so in impressive style to suggest she can improve in handicaps. Completing this classy contest would be Eve Johnson Houghton's Glamour Show. She would continually find one rival too strong last year, but finally landed a win of her own back in April. Since then, her best performance came last time out when third at Chester.

Winner: EASY PEELER (#11) (Due Diligence x Satsuma) - R. Scott - J & S, Quinn

As the feature contest got underway, the field would make an even break for the six furlong contest. However, in the Cheveley Park silks, Pelean reared up as the gates opened and would lose a fair chunk of her chances in the race by trailing the field. Up front, there would be plenty of competition for the lead with a host of prominent runners in the field. Former course winner Harvanna would lead narrowly at the halfway stage and she would bring the field down the middle of the track. Greydreambeliever, Queen's Guard, Glamour Show, Raneenn and Mostar Dreams would all race up with the pace which contributed to a decent gallop. 

The field would begin to fan out approaching the final furlong as many of the fillies and mares began to wind up for their challenge. The eye was drawn towards the rear as the red and blue striped jacket of Lady Of Andros was travelling strongly but had a wall of horses in front of her. Queen's Guard was the one to capitalise of Harvanna surrendering the lead and she would make a bold bid for success on stable debut. On the stand's side of the group, Easy Peeler would quicken up nicely and grabbed the new leader inside the final furlong and began to pull away. Lady Of Andros was finally out in the clear and responded well to pressure. Easy Peeler's lead was narrowed down with each stride, but the line came just in time for Easy Peeler as she landed this valuable prize. Lady Of Andros would be an unlucky second for the Charlie Fellowes stable as Ormolulu ran one of her better races to take third. Queen's Guard would round out the top four in a race that quickly changed complexion.

The lightly weighted three year old Easy Peeler arrived to this race with an attractive, progressive profile. The daughter of Due Diligence was making just her fifth career start for the John and Sean Quinn stable, but she had improved with each run. After winning as a juvenile on her second start last year, she made her reappearance at Haydock at the end of May. She would be uncharacteristically slow from the stalls that day but made decent late headway to take third behind Maelstrom, who would be a leading contender for the big six furlong handicap in twenty four hours' time. This was a smart winning performance and it suggested there should be more to come. She could even emulate last year's winner Alfa Kellenic by winning a heritage handicap, if the conditions suit.

Race Four: The Juddmonte EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes - Class Two - 2-Y-O Only - Five Furlongs - Runners: 7

The focus would switch to the future with this juvenile novice race over the minimal trip of five furlongs. Since 2020, the ill fated but talented Jadhlaan and smart sort Harvanna both feature on the list of previous winners, but this race tends to fall slightly short of the high standard of York novice races. Last year saw a small field with the Harry Eustace-trained Havana Glia stepping up to improve on her second start, but that remains her only win so far.

The class of 2025 would see Tim Easterby's Bleep Test at the head of the racecard. She ran above expectations on debut at Redcar when finishing second before showing a nice turn of gear to win at the same course recently. Big spending owners Amo Racing would be represented here with the newcomer India Love for the George Boughey stable. The grey has a nice mix of speed and stamina in her family so connections will be hoping for a good start here.  Kevin Ryan has a good history of saddling juvenile winners at York and this time he would saddle Regal Dream. The filly has lots of speed in her family so it wouldn't be a surprise to see her start over the minimum trip here. Ed Bethell is another local stable on the rise and they would saddle Rogue Temptation, a half sister to a talented sprinter in Hong Kong, but also a distant relative to the brilliant Space Blues. John and Sean Quinn's Soca Star has a little bit more experience than some of her rivals and has shown ability in two starts so far. Despite finishing third on both starts, she shapes as if she will be suited by a longer trip. Karl Burke would introduce the debutante Stargazed, who should make a very speedy filly on paper. She would also have the profile to match as a full sister to a quality sprinter. Completing the field would the newcomer from Richard Fahey's stable, Vita Scienza. She has some class further down in her pedigree, which includes some classy horses from Shadwell such as Muthabara. 

Winner: INDIA LOVE (#3) (Havana Grey x Little Lady Katie) - D. Egan - G. Boughey

Despite the inclusion a previous winner in the field, this race still looked tricky to solve with questions to ask over the remaining six. 

The race would get underway to a relatively even break, with the exception of the newcomers India Love and Vita Scienza, who were both a little slow from her gate. Bleep Test would be sent straight into the lead as David Allan made best use of her experience. She would bring the field down the centre of the course once more and just behind her came Soca Star, Stargazed and a recovering India Love. There wouldn't be much change in the order throughout the first three furlongs, but with the grandstands looming large, the race began to heat up. Bleep Test bravely held on to her narrow lead, but the grey India Love was the only one to give her a challenge. Soca Star would gradually weaken out of contention along with Stargazed, who had used up valuable energy early on by racing keenly. It would leave two contenders remaining and India Love began to gain the upper hand, edging slightly ahead of Bleep Test, but her rival wouldn't give in easily. The finish would remain neck and neck through the final furlong but India Love showed a nice attitude to emerge on top crossing the line to make a debut success. Bleep Test lost little in defeat in second and there would be a small gap back to Soca Star, who would finish third for the third time in her career.

The silks of Amo Racing are always well respected when introducing a debutante in novice company as the outfit often spend big at the yearling sales and have a good network of talent scouts. The daughter of Havana Grey is a half sister to Enraged, who won three times at a lower handicap level, but is generally a reliable sort. Onlookers will have been impressed with her professionalism on debut as she knuckled down well to fend off a previous winner. The form of this race will be put under the microscope now, but George Boughey's filly could develop into a listed race level type. 

Race Five: The Seat Unique Handicap - Class Two - One Mile, Two Furlongs - Runners: 12

The third and final class two event of the afternoon would see a very tricky looking handicap over ten furlongs for older horses. With the John Smith's Cup in a month's time, this would be one of the final opportunities for connections to add their horse into contention for the historic race. Last year, the race would see a heart-warming success story as the farmer-cum-trainer Ray Craggs saddled his pride and joy Ron O to a shock success, beating some high profile names in the training ranks in the process.

This classy contest would see the popular Sir Busker carry top weight here. The nine year old rolled back the years by winning over course and distance at the Ebor Festival last year. but has struggled in listed races this year. The totally unexposed Burrito lined up for the John and Thady Gosden stable for just his fourth career start. The very well bred gelding coped well with a step up to this trip by getting up close home at Newbury on seasonal comeback. Jim Goldie's Faylaq is one of the best bred geldings in training and has won plenty of high quality handicaps in recent seasons, albeit over much further than this trip. The nine year old remains in top form having won twice already this year at Hamilton. The Ed Bethell-trained See That Storm progressed rapidly over the past twelve months, winning four in a row and showing a liking to Redcar. He would run another great race last time when losing out in the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar by the smallest margin. Last year's winner Ron O returned to the scene of his biggest win, but is now trained by David Thompson. The seven year old would place twice more here later in the season and was last seen trailing home in the Cambridgeshire Handicap. Another lightly raced and progressive four year old would be Sovereign Sea from the Roger Varian stable. After winning on debut, the gelding has finished second a frustrating four times since then and deserves to go one place better. Liberty Coach developed into a very smart handicapper during his first season last year, winning three times. The John and Sean Quinn-trained four year old broke new heights by gamely landing the Zetland Gold Cup in the final strides and would face the reopposing rival See That Storm here. Lining up for the Dan and Claire Kubler team would be Siempre Arturo. The five year old has won five times already over a range of distances and marked a return to form with a third at Kempton last time out. Dark Moon Rising is a former winner at York over twelve furlongs, but is still a reliable sort at this level. Kevin Ryan's six year old has good form at this trip but was last seen running over a mile and a half last time out. Tim Easterby would be represented by Austrian Theory in this contest and the six year old started off the season with two promising runner up efforts, but could only finish in midfield at the Dante Festival in a similar contest. Another raider for Scotland here would be Paddy The Squire for the Iain Jardine stable. The lightly raced five year old has a likeable profile and gained another win by sticking his neck out at Chester's May meeting. The Newmarket stable of John Butler would saddle Zain Blue in this contest. The four year old landed a decent race over a mile last year at York and confirmed his liking for the venue with a good fifth over course and distance at the Dante Festival.

Winner: BURRITO (#2) (Lope de Vega x Thistle Bird) - J. Doyle - J & T. Gosden

With a field of relatively experienced and hardy handicappers, the race would get underway to a level break, although the returning Ron O was a little rusty leaving the stalls and lost some ground early on. After rounding the dog leg bend into the straight alongside the woods, Liberty Coach emerged with the lead under Jason Hart, but the pace would be just a steady one. Just behind the leader, Burrito and See That Storm would be well positioned in second and third as Paddy The Squire would be trapped wider than ideal. Another to race keenly would be Sovereign Sea, who would prefer a stronger gallop. The pack would negotiate the sweeping bend into the home bend and the race began to take shape. Halfway down the home straight, Liberty Coach's time in the line had come to an end and it would be inherited by See That Storm and Callum Rodriguez. Burrito would go with his running partner and the pair remained locked together approaching the final furlong. Once Burrito had shaken the attention of See That Storm, the four year old began to pull clear inside the final furlong and had the race wrapped up crossing the line. See That Storm was left trailing by two lengths but still continued his consistent profile while Paddy The Squire ran well in the circumstances to take third. Zain Blue would also keep on from the rear to take fourth, proving his ability to stay this trip.

The entry of Burrito in this race caught the eye a week previously as the four year old had made just three starts previously. The late developing gelding could be a typical improver through the ranks for the John and Thady Gosden as he is bred to be a pattern level horse at the very least. The son of Lope de Vega is a half brother to Group Three winner Epictetus, who ran for the same connections, and his dam Thistle Bird was a high class racemare by winning two Group Ones in her career. After making a smart winning debut at Newmarket in June last year before getting left behind in second next time out at Chester. He would make a successful comeback at Newbury in May, where he outbattled Sovereign Sea in game style. The style of this success suggested he will be much better than a handicapper and is potentially a last minute contender for the John Smith's Cup Handicap over course and distance in a month's time before aiming high in Group races.

Race Six: The Knavesmire Handicap - Class Four - Five Furlongs - Runners:15

Next on the card would be a new race for this season, a class four handicap over the flying five furlongs. The race would be restricted to three year olds and it gave the potential for a strongly run race. It would be a challenge for punters to find the winner as potential improvers could emerge from the shadows. 

Heading the weights would be Dylan Cunha's Just King High, who progressed nicely last winter and scored at Southwell. He would reappear in a slightly stronger contest here at the Dante Festival where he returned ninth, making decent late headway at the finish. Dan Tucker's one poor run came in listed company last autumn but away from that, he has been fairly consistent. Jedd O'Keeffe's landed his first win at the sixth attempt and this would be an interesting move back down to five furlongs. Adrian Keatley's Do It Now showed ability last season, but his form plateaued at the end of the year. After running well on seasonal comeback, he finished down the order last time out in a similar race to this one. Dothan landed his first success when getting up in the closing stages at Doncaster in April and Ed Bethell's gelding failed to last the extra furlong last time out at Hamilton. Farandaway continues to frustrate his trainer Grant Tuer as he remains winless in eight. Despite this, the gelding has finished second five times so far, so is due a win at some point. One from the David O'Meara yard would be Mae Amor, who scored over six furlongs at the end of last year and has since run well in decent company so far this year. Ben Haslam's filly Beaujolais Nouveau saw out the five furlong trip strongly when winning at Beverley last season and has continued to run consistently this year. She has finished in the frame in all starts this season including at Thirsk a week ago. Bonnie's Boy posted good efforts in defeat during his juvenile season where he kept bumping into talented winners, but the Richard Fahey-trained gelding hasn't progressed as well as hoped in handicap company this year. The filly Forager would win for the second time in her career last time out at Yarmouth where Simon Pearce's charge showed a lot of bright speed to make all to success. Cape Sovereign is another long standing maiden who has done little wrong so far, so would be a deserving winner here. Kevin Ryan's gelding has yet to finish lower than fifth in his career and showed race winning potential by staying into fourth in a similar contest at the Dante Festival last month. The Mick Appleby-trained Winchurch won on his debut last year and even took part in the selling race on this card, but returns here as a two time winner thanks to his recent win at Leicester. That win came after a spring break and he looked better suited to five furlongs. Roger Fell's Boyne Lady finished a place behind Cape Sovereign here at the Dante Festival but went on to win on her next start just a few days later. Her form has improved dramatically since dropping to five furlongs in recent starts.  Another Scottish raider would come to York, this time in the form of Katie Scott's Luna A Inbhir Nis. The filly has found form this year with four wins from five starts and her rapid progression continued last week at Musselburgh with a win in this grade. Another runner for Tim Easterby would be Marajito, who comes from a family that the stable know well. The filly still shows quirks, but has plenty of natural speed and was caught close home at Southwell on her latest start. Invincible Annice won twice last season during a busy campaign but since joining the Tracey Waggott stable, she has struggled to be competitive in a pair of races this year. The field would be completed by another Tim Easterby runner, the lowly rated Barmyblade. Despite his basement mark, the gelding arrives in good form with three wins this season alone and his latest run saw him finish third after softened ground blunted his speed.

Winner: FORAGER (#11) (Showcasing x Angel of the South) - P. Mulrennan - S. Pearce

The field would be reduced by one as Beaujolais Nouveau was declared a non-runner on the morning of the race, but this race remained just as difficult to work out as before. 

As the race got underway to a decent break, the opinion on where the best ground was would be split as the field divided into three small groups. Over on the far side, the filly Forager would have the overall lead under Paul Mulrennan as she showed plenty of early speed. Also in that group, Dan Tucker, Mae Amor and Farandaway would latch on to the tow of the leader. In the central pack, Do It Now would lead his group from the likes of Luna A Inbhir Nis and Barmyblade. The side closest to the grandstands saw Marajito attempt to keep tabs on the leader on the other side of the track and led River Boyne and Bonnie's Boy in the opening stages. It would still remain a wide open contest reaching the final furlong, but Forager grimly held onto her lead. Dan Tucker had bridged the gap in the far side group and chased down the leader approaching the line. In a head bobbing, driving finish, Forager was running on fumes as Dan Tucker breathed down her neck. Forager managed to hold on bravely to land this competitive race, winning by a short head over Dan Tucker with Farandaway staying on into third, finishing in the placings yet again. The top four finishers would all race on the far side as Mae Amor completed the frame as Luna A Inbhir Nis finished best of those who raced away from the far side. 

It would be back to back wins for the diminutive filly Forager, who showed a lot of speed and bravery to give Simon Pearce a first winner at York. The daughter of Showcasing was given a fairly busy first season last year as she ran eight times on both the turf and all-weather. She would be successful just once, but also placed three times to learn the craft. She would run poorly just once in 2024, but that would be in a very competitive sales race at Newmarket. Making her reappearance at Windsor in April, she looked in need of the run by finishing down in eighth, but she hasn't looked back since. Lining up at Yarmouth on her latest run, a change of tactics saw the filly bowl along in front which she appeared to enjoy as he won by a comfortable length. Races of this nature at York are hard to dominate in this style, which rates this win higher and connections could have a good filly on their hands. 

Race Seven: The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Handicap - Class Four - One Mile, Two Furlongs - Runners: 20

The finale of the first half of this two day meeting would see a class four handicap over ten furlongs. This race would be well attended and produced a large field for punters to get stuck into. Races at this level can provide an opportunity for some of the smaller yards in racing to enjoy the thrill of a winner at York. Last year, Invisible Friend travelled strongly throughout before winning comfortably for the Kevin Ryan stable before improving further to place in a pair of listed races later in the season.

Top weight would be carried here by the Tim Easterby's Candonomore, who has begun this year in great form with two wins already. The four year old bounced back from a poor run by finishing second at Wetherby at this trip last time out. The David Evans-trained Eagle Day has plenty of experience on the all-weather, but has a few good efforts on turf too. The six time winner showed encouragement on the turf last time when third, albeit over a mile.  Jane Chapple-Hyam would send up First Officer from her Newmarket base and the six year old has plenty of good form at this level. After a promising reappearance, he weakened out of contention over a mile and a half last time. The in form Gincident would line up here for another Newmarket trainer, James Owen. The five year old has proven his stamina for this trip by winning last time out, his second win for new connections. David O'Meara is another stable which enjoys a winner at York and would saddle Westernesse. The six year old is a sporadic winner, but often runs well over a range over distances. The handicap newcomer would be Michael Wigham's Perry Mason, who showed ability on his first two starts but blew out on his latest run at Chelmsford. This would look a tricky contest to start out in handicaps. Another Yorkshire based runner would be Capla Lazarus for the Mick and David Easterby stable. The grey did the job nicely when winning for the first time at this distance but failed to stay the extra two furlongs when last seen at the Dante Festival. The seven year old It's A Love Thing arrived at York in top form having won three of his last six starts for the Sam England stable. His good year continued by winning on the flat in April before posting an excellent effort over hurdles when last seen. The Michael Dods-trained Pol Roger often travels well but struggles to get his nose in front. The five year old finished second in this race last year and has returned this year by finishing not far away from the winner. Yokohama would line up for the John Butler stable, but hasn't won since his debut two seasons ago. Despite this, the gelding has run well in defeat and a potential second win shouldn't be far away based on recent races. The grey Molinari goes well at York and has won on the Knavesmire in the past. Martin Todhunter's gelding continued his good record here with a fourth over a mile and a half last time. The Ben Brookhouse-trained Redhot Whisper remains a maiden as a four year old but was considered good enough to compete at the highest lever earlier in his career. He would move back up in trip after finishing fourth over a mile last time out. Another runner for the Mick and David Easterby stable would be Shimmering Sands, who had excuses for a poor run in this race last year and went on to place three times later that season. He wasn't beaten far when sixth last time out at Ayr on seasonal comeback. Another runner from Sheriff Hutton would be the Mark Walford-trained Spioradalta. The four year old would break a long losing streak by gamely holding on for the win at Ripon last time out and arrived here in good spirits. Ruth Carr is an expert at rejuvenating smart horses who had lost their way and Dawn Of Liberation fits into that category. The six year old had been out of form for a while until winning at Beverley two starts ago and looked a different horse when scooting clear at Nottingham last time out and came here full of confidence. Another runner for the Ian Williams stable would be Giselles Defence. The five year old has raced mostly over longer trips so would be looking for a good pace to chase and bring his stamina into play. A former course and distance winner lined up in the form of Anjo Bonita, trained by Sara Ender. The mare's last win would come at this venue in September 2023 and she produced her best run since when third at Beverley last time out. Yet another last time out winner would be the mare Princess Niyla. Alan Brown's five year consistently runs well, but returned to winning ways at Beverley in nice style. Scott Dixon's Golden Pharaoh has generally struggled for form in Britain since arriving from France last year, but he produced his best effort on this shores when second at Southwell on his latest run. Another Scottish-trained runner would be Jim Goldie's Cascade Hall. The six year old didn't start on the flat until this year and he went narrowly close to winning over two miles recently so this would be a steep drop in distance. The field would be completed by another Richard Fahey-trained runner, Mystical Maria. The well bred grey won for the first time last year, but has struggled for consistency on the whole. 

Winner: DAWN OF LIBERATION (#15) (Churchill x Danetime Out) - W. Fentiman - R. Carr

A maximum field of twenty would line up over ten furlongs, which mean those drawn on the wide outside would have a struggle to find a prominent position. Once the field settled into a rhythm, it would the handicap newcomer Perry Mason who took up the early running as Pol Roger had to be rousted from his wide draw in stall nineteen to sit in second. Redhot Whisper, Candonomore and Yokohama would be some of those to race prominently, but a number of the runners would race keenly in the early stages. Approaching the final stages of the race, Pol Roger had displaced Perry Mason in the lead as his rival began to retreat through the field. The eye was drawn to Candonomore as the four year old travelled strongly approaching the two furlong pole, but his effort soon wilted. The favourite Dawn of Liberation had started slowly, but was finishing strongly as he made a big move past rivals on the inside and the forward momentum took the six year old further clear inside the final furlong. The race would be signed and sealed for Dawn of Liberation as Warren Fentiman was able to ease his mount down for a first victory in the saddle at York. The consistent Gincident ran another good race to take second as Yokohoma weakened into a well held third; Molinari continued his profitable record at York to take fourth over a trip that probably didn't suit. 

North Yorkshire trainer Ruth Carr is widely renowned for improving older horses who have lost their way and this would be a perfect example with Dawn of Liberation. The six year old gelding is bred to be very classy as a half brother to Group Two winners Toormore and Estidhkaar and started his career with promise for the Richard Hannon stable. His career best effort would come when fourth in a listed race in 2022, but his form would begin to regress following that. Moving north to the Ruth Carr at the start of 2024, the signs didn't look promising as he lacked confidence in his races and finished down the order on numerous times. Things would suddenly improve in May this year as Dawn of Liberation was dropped into a class six handicap at Beverley and everything would click into place as the gelding returned to winning ways. He won that race from a rating of 62 when his peak rating was 102, which showed the rapidness of his decline. He would win very easily on his next start, this time at class five level and lined up at Newbury for a race just over twenty-four hours earlier. A slow start would blow his chances at Newbury where he finished fifth and connections opted to race him here just a day later. The style of this win showed the power of good that confidence can have to a horse with three wins in four starts and this is also a fine advertisement of the skills of Ruth Carr.