York Ebor Festival Day 2: Round-Up

The Middleham handler was widely expected to land the juvenile Group Two affair with Queen Mary winner Dramatised, but the Clifford Lee-ridden Swingalong had not read the script and struck gold over six furlongs.

Sent off at even money, Dramatised – trying the trip for the first time – took the field along on the far side of the track, with Swingalong blazing a trail down the middle and it was clear a furlong from home which of the Burke runners was coming home better.

Queen Me, a 20-1 shot, tried to mount a late challenge inside the distance, but Swingalong was a neck too good, with Irish raider Matilda Picotte taking third as Dramatised dropped away at the line.

👀 @karl_burke wins the Lowther, but not with Dramatised!

Swingalong causes a surprise in the £267,500 G2 @SkyBet Lowther Stakes for @CliffordleexLee @yorkracecourse | #EborFestival pic.twitter.com/WkxCGcOAYm

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 18, 2022

Burke said: “She’s got a huge stride and has only just filled into her frame. She’s got a lot stronger over the last six weeks. I know it was a different class of race, but she had them all beat after two furlongs at Ripon and I knew then we were on the right track so I said straight away we’d come here.

“At the time I didn’t think she’d be good enough to beat Dramatised, but the difference was one stayed and one didn’t.

“The Cheveley Park looks the obvious next step, but I’ll talk to connections. I think she will stay an extra furlong, but she’s got a lot of natural speed so I think we’ll use that and not step her up just yet. All dreams are still alive at the minute.”

Of the beaten favourite Dramatised he said: “To be fair to Danny (Tudhope, jockey) all along he had his doubts. He rode her work over six furlongs two weeks ago, but I wouldn’t have it that she wouldn’t stay. Danny was right and I was wrong. She’ll revert back to five furlongs now.

“Until they’ve been over six you never know and Danny was always on the negative side, but we put that to the back of our mind. I was never that keen on the Nunthorpe, but I suppose the only saving grace is that we didn’t find out she didn’t stay in France in the Prix Morny.”

Shouldhavebeenaring gets up late to bag sales prize

Shouldhavebeenaring justified some lumpy bets when getting up late to win the £250,000 Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at York.

A winner at Ripon on his second start, he was backed into 5-2 favouritism despite a field of 19 heading to post.

Very few of them got into it, in truth, as Tim Easterby’s Northcliff made a bold bit off the front end, battling the challenges of Dare To Hope and Washington Heights entering the final furlong.

Washington Heights eventually wore down Northcliff but Sean Levey got a great tune out of Richard Hannon’s Havana Grey colt and got there just in time to win by a neck.

🚨 How did he win?!

Gutsy grey Shouldvebeenaring comes from a mile back to gamely land the £250,000 @GoffsUK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at @yorkracecourse @LeveySean | @rhannonracing | @MprUpdates | #EborFestival pic.twitter.com/IDrf1n9nFr

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 18, 2022

It was a fifth win in the race for Hannon since 2016 and a fourth for Levey.

Hannon said: “He pulled a muscle behind and had sore shins and it was a real struggle to get him here.

“In his last couple of bits of work I put him right in at the deep end and he worked with Classic and Persian Force. He came up there upsides them, which I didn’t expect.

“He’s not in the Middle Park, I haven’t put him in anything but he’s a black-type horse, for sure.

“It’s good for Middleham Park (owners) as they’ve been great supporters of ours over the years and that is what these races are about.”

Blue For You leads home O'Meara one-two

Blue For You finished with a flourish to deny stablemate Escobar in the Clipper Logistics Handicap.

Following three successive runner-up finishes, Blue For You was the 11-2 favourite to secure a deserved victory, but briefly looked booked for minor honours once more after Escobar swept to the front.

Once the gap came, however, the market leader picked up to run down his fellow David O’Meara-trained runner – getting up to score by a head in the hands of Danny Tudhope.

👏 Take a bow @omeararacing

A 1-2-4 for the trainer as Blue For You sees off stable companion Escobar in the £125,000 Clipper Logistics Handicap @yorkracecourse #EborFestival pic.twitter.com/0nSjXCCP9m

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 18, 2022

O’Meara said: “I don’t know if I’ve got a knack for winning these races, we had six in there so we had a good chance, but late on they were getting in each other’s way.

“Blue For You has been an unlucky loser. He’d been blocked a couple of times, then Escobar looked like he was going to win. Trying to watch six was quite hard!

“Blue For You was second at Goodwood and he’d have beaten Orbaan if he’d got a run that day. Orbaan has run another good race today (finished fourth), but Blue For You got the splits.

“It’s a hard job to keep everybody happy, but at least some of them ran OK.”