York Saturday preview: Dubai Honour favourite for Sky Bet York Stakes

Houston Texas (9/2 joint-favourite) continued his love affair with Carlisle as he recorded his fourth success in as many starts at the Cumbria venue when successful for the second year running in the £40000 Cumberland Handicap Chase (3m 2f). Always travelling well just in behind the leaders, the nine-year-old Dylan Thomas gelding took the lead at…

The nine-year-old, who has recorded seven victories and counting on the Knavesmire, could line up in the'Copper Knight - Winning-Most Horse at York Handicap'. The race is staged over the evergreen gelding's favourite five furlongs and is sponsored by the Yorkshire family that have joint-owned him since early in his three-year-old campaign. Three…

Simon and Ed Crisford's six-year-old proved a revelation at the Meydan carnival in the early part of 2023 and having won the first two legs of the Al Maktoum Challenge, came agonisingly close to big-race glory on World Cup night. He has been off the track since then, but having shown a real liking for the dirt in Dubai in the early part of the…

Having picked up the silver medal behind Ace Impact in the the French Derby and Inspiral in the Prix Jacques le Marois, the Christopher Head-trained Big Rock was sent off favourite to make it third time lucky in Group One company and went straight to the front in the hands of Aurelien Lemaitre. After setting a sound gallop before easing off the…

Isaac Shelby started the year by winning the Greenham Stakes at Newbury before a narrow Classic defeat in the French 2000 Guineas. He subsequently finished fourth to Paddington in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and a neck second to Kinross in the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood last time. Jockey Sean Levey has ridden Isaac Shelby in all bar…

The Spigot Lodge handler will be well represented across the top-class four-day fixture on the Knavesmire and is planning a twin assault at one of the week's Group One features. Novakai is set for a return to the highest level, having put a disappointing run in the French Oaks behind her with a dominant success in the Listed Aphrodite Fillies'…

Following the Coral Stewards' Cup at 3.35pm, a deputation of officials, trainers and jockeys went out to check conditions, with attention focused on the bend into the home straight. The Lillie Langtry Stakes, run at 3pm, took place in a torrential downpour and some jockeys raised concerns about the state of the going on the round course. As the…

Although beaten on debut at two, four straight subsequent victories earned the son of Teofilo a shot at the Derby last year in which he finished eighth behind Desert Crown. After Epsom, trainer Charlie Appleby turned the colt's sights globally and Nations Pride followed up a narrow defeat in the Belmont Derby with wins in both the Saratoga and…

The Timeform race report for the 10 furlong Group 1 reads: "A strong renewal on paper, the field containing 4 bona-fide Group 1 performers who were closely matched on their best form and promised one of the highlights of the week, a mouthwatering clash in anticipation, though that failed to materialise, the quartet upstaged by one that hadn't…

Trained by William Haggas, the four-year-old was unlucky not to bag at least one Group One contest last term. He was beaten a neck when third to Coroebus in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and returned to the Berkshire track to run Bay Bridge to half a length when third in the Champion Stakes. Things have not gone according to plan so…

Adelaide River produced a fine runner-up effort when beaten a length by Feed The Flame in the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Friday evening. The son of Australia, who was eighth in the Derby and then runner-up in the Irish Derby to Auguste Rodin, stuck to his guns admirably having kicked under Ryan Moore a furlong and a half out in the…

A rare son of late Japanese champion Deep Impact, Auguste Rodin gave trainer Aidan O'Brien his 100th European Classic win when Ryan Moore's mount downed stablemate Adelaide River in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday. Owned in partnership with John and Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and Georg von Opel's Westerberg racing…

Dettori, who will retire at the end of the season, enjoyed a double on his previous visit to the Merseyside venue last month after steering Little Big Bear to glory in the Group Two Betfred Nifty Fifty Sandy Lane Stakes and Covey to victory in the Betfred Silver Bowl Handicap. Victory however eluded Dettori and Equilateral on their last appearance…

The Australia colt is unbeaten in two starts this season having followed up his reappearance success in the Alleged Stakes by adding the Huxley Stakes at Chester, to prove he still possesses all the high-class ability he showed when motoring to multiple victories as a juvenile. He is one of three in the mix for O'Brien in the Group One contest…

The Leon and Troy Corstens-trained six-year-old has been based at Marco Botti's yard since arriving in the UK following his second place in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai, with Royal Ascot his ultimate destination. He is due to run in the 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes first and was partnered by Ryan Moore when he worked over five furlongs of the…

Together the pair formed one of the sport's most formidable partnerships in the mid-1990s, with Dettori carrying the royal blue Godolphin silks of Sheikh Mohammed to any number of big-race triumphs. Dettori was aboard Bin Suroor's first British Classic winner, Moonshell in the 1995 Oaks at Epsom, while he later steered home his three winners of the…

Only eighth 12 months ago, Dubai Future returned to Bahrain this year as a Royal Ascot winner having produced a career best to run away with the Listed Wolferton Stakes during the summer. The winning margin wasn't quite so emphatic this time round, but the six-year-old was ultimately well on top at the line having travelled sweetly throughout…

He'll look back on 2022 as the year he also claimed a first Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Westover but Keane, whose talent in the saddle is matched by his affability and intelligence off it, will also look back on a year when Billy Lee gave him the fright of his life. Lee and Keane are good friends and both will, one suspects, be sad the final…

Lightly-raced this season William Haggas' six-year-old has only made three appearances so far this term, but has been on the premises every time. A winner of the Ormonde Stakes at Chester in May, one of the driest summers on record meant the slow-ground preferring six-year-old was stuck in his box for the majority of the summer. He returned form a…

William Haggas trained the first two home in the Coral Rockingham Stakes with Alpha Capture just getting the better of Kyeema Alpha Capture was the 5/2 favourite after coming home a narrow second in the Weatherbys Scientific £300000 2-Y-O Stakes when last seen at Doncaster, with Kyeema the lesser-fancied contender at 9/1. In the final furlong…

2/7 favourite Flying Honours was expected to take the Group Two contest but he was under pressure two out as he tried to reel-in Dubai Mile who set a steady gallop before increasing the tempo. The danger looked to be Greenland on the outside of the field but he lost momentum as the leader wandered. In contrast The Foxes stayed straight and true by…

The home team, who finished over 50 points clear of defending champions the Ladies in second, had the multi-team event wrapped up before the last - but the race for the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle awarded to the leading rider went right down to the wire. Jamie Spencer had earlier ridden a double on the card, but was matched by teammate Neil…

The most famous meeting of the year has come around again and this year's Royal Ascot should be somewhere in the region of'normal' after it was run behind closed doors in 2020 (desolate) and with a restricted crowd in 2021 (marginally better). Here are a handful of potential outcomes that will make the five days sensational for me in 2022... Much…

Epsom was where it all started for Richard Kingscote. While it might not have been the Derby, it might well have felt like it to the teenager was thrown in the deep end for his very first ride in public, taking on the likes of Frankie Dettori, Johnny Murtagh and Kieran Fallon - all now Derby-winning jockeys themselves - in a conditions race there…

Left handed, flat. In essence, York is a very fair track, ideal for the long-striding galloper. In recent seasons, the field tends to come more down the centre of the track than has historically been the case, particularly if conditions are testing. The track was made into a circuit in 2005 and offers a straight five furlong/six furlong track, on…