The Saturday before Royal Ascot may feel like a quiet affair but there is still plenty of high-class action, with York hosting the 1m6f Listed Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes and Sandown Park featuring the 5f Listed Scurry Stakes.
Israr heads the betting for the 1m6f Listed Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes (3:05). One of two four-year-olds in the contest, the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt tries 1m6f for the first time after a good second behind Haskoy in the Group 3 Aston Park Stakes at Newbury. He made the filly (now retired) work doggedly by staying on in the closing stages and was only denied by a short head at the line. Having only finished out of the frame once in nine career outings this looks like a good opportunity for Israr to make his mark in this company.
In comparison, Roberto Escobarr returns to 1m6f for the first time since 2021 and has looked like an improved horse since a gelding operation in December. He finished third at Wolverhampton on his return to action and won the Group 3 Henry II Stakes at Sandown on his second start, battling hard to win by a neck.
It will take a big performance to beat the proven Quickthorn, who is only second-favourite due to two below-par efforts this season. He produced some big performances last season, including a fourteen-length demolition of subsequent winner Coltrane in the Group 2 Lonsdale Stakes. He had excuses on both runs this campaign – ran into a good winner in Broome when sixth in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup and hampered when three-lengths fourth at York in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup. If he's back to his best, Quickthorn will be tough to beat.
WIN: QUICKTHORN
The three-year-old sprinters are on show in the 5f Listed Molson Coors Scurry Stakes (2:50) at Sandown Park and the unbeaten Tajalla catches the eye. He was a ready winner of an early-season Newmarket novice as a juvenile and returned after a near year-long absence to take a Hamilton Park novice stakes by a head. The second-placed horse Silent Words has since finished fourth in the Listed Westow Stakes behind Great State, who looks set to be sent off favourite here.
Great State took a well-deserved step up in class when taking the Listed Westow Stakes by two-and-a-half lengths from Pillow Talk. The form of the race could be questioned with the second-placed horse subsequently unable to feature in a French Listed contest, but the manner of Great State's victory was pleasing. He has an excellent record over 5f (3-4) and will be firmly in the mix.
Yet if the form-line of the Westow Stakes is in question, Perdika is the likely winner of the top three in the market. She was a short-neck winner of the aforementioned Listed Marchand D'Or Stakes at Chantilly, seven lengths ahead of Westow Stakes second Pillow Talk. She has been consistent throughout the season so far and boasts some excellent beaten form – a fourth behind Mawj in Meydan and a second behind Azure Blue at Newmarket, who have both subsequently won Group 1 events.
WIN: PERDIKA
