Trainers to fly Ryedale flag at Ascot (From Gazette & Herald)

Trainers to fly Ryedale flag at Ascot

Frankie Dettori will be missing from next week's Royal Ascot at York extravaganza, and so too will Attraction, but the 'home team' will be out in force, aiming to make their presence felt throughout Britain's most colourful and exciting five-day meeting of the entire calendar.

Ryedale trainers, and others throughout North Yorkshire, are determined to make a stand as the biggest Flat-racing show of the year comes to Knavesmire, and Mick Easterby will be among the first to throw his familiar cap into the ring.

The Sheriff Hutton-based trainer, who sent out the brilliant Lochnager to win the King's Stand Stakes back in 1976, will be attempting to notch his first Royal Ascot success since that memorable day, next Wednesday when Bow Bridge contests the £70,000 Queen Mary Stakes.

A daughter of Bow Peep, a sprint handicapper formerly trained by Easterby, Bow Bridge shows next to nothing on the home gallops, but she is a totally different proposition on the racecourse.

The two-year-old has won her last three races, following up successes at Ripon and Thirsk, with a Listed victory at York last month when she got home in a photo finish with Gift In Gold.

"She doesn't show a thing at home, and never has done. But she's obviously a pretty good filly," says Easterby, who trains Bow Bridge for owner-breeder Anne Jarvis.

Regular rider is Dale Gibson, who is relishing the prospect of having a fancied mount in a Group Two contest at the Royal Ascot meeting.

"She's more than earned her place in the line up because her form stands up to the closest inspection," says Gibson, whose big-race opportunities are few and far between and usually come in valuable handicaps. "This will be a bit different," he says. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Blue Spinnaker could be Easterby's representative in the Royal Hunt Cup on the same afternoon and this able handicapper, who rarely runs a poor race, will not be lacking in supporters. But, with the Queen looking on, Malton trainer Richard Fahey could have the most aptly-named winner of this £100,000 showpiece in King's Point, a horse who has been trained with Royal Ascot firmly in mind.

Formerly with Richard Hannon, King's Point, bought by Fahey at last autumn's sales, showed he was running into form at the right time when finishing third, one place behind Blue Spinnaker, in a seven furlongs handicap on Knavesmire last month.

The extra furlong of the Royal Hunt Cup, plus the expected quicker ground, should benefit King's Point greatly and he is certainly not one to underestimate in this event. Paul Hanagan will have the mount.

The Coventry Stakes is the big juvenile event on Tuesday's opening programme - which saw Mark Johnston's Double Obsession strike an early blow for North Yorkshire last year - and the Hambleton-based duo of Kevin Ryan and Bryan Smart are both set to be strongly represented.

Ryan has Amadeus Wolf, an impressive Ayr winner, to rely on, while Smart may saddle the speedy Sir Xaar, unbeaten in both his races, which includes a valuable event at Pontefract last time. David Nicholls also has the Coventry option for the high-class Strike Up The Band, but he may wait until the following day and run him over the Norfolk Stakes over the minimum distance.

Each and every day of Royal Ascot brings something new and exciting, and we'll look at the Thursday-Saturday action in closer detail next week when local representatives are likely to make a bold bid in the Wokingham Handicap, and Tim Easterby will have the choice of running either or both of his Group One-winning sprinters Fayr Jag and Somnus in the Golden Jubilee Stakes, Fayr Jag having won the race 12 months ago.

Last season also saw Mark Johnston's Middleham flag-bearer Attraction, the "Queen of Yorkshire", win the Coronation Stakes under Sheriff Hutton jockey Kevin Darley. But she will be absent this time, after her unsuccessful assault in Hong Kong last month, and is now being aimed at the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket next month.

As for Frankie Dettori, a six-day riding ban, incurred at Haydock last week, rules him out of the entire Ascot meeting, where last year he rode a remarkable six winners.

With or without Dettori, the scene is set for an unforgettable feast of top-class racing - and fashion, if that's what turns you on - in what promises to be the most memorable five days in the long and colourful history of York racecourse. Enjoy.

Tim Easterby may have made a sluggish start to the season, but the Great Habton trainer hit the fast lane last week when sending out six winners in three days.

Easterby was on the mark with Special Gold, ridden by Frankie Dettori, at Nottingham and with 25-1 shot Flash Ram at Newcastle on Wednesday. Brave Bear at Hamilton and 33-1 chance Distant Times at Haydock both came in on Thursday, as did Malcheek at Thirsk and Fizzlephut at Haydock on Friday. By any standards, an impressive haul.

Kieren Fallon may have come up short in last Saturday's Vodafone Derby, but thanks to local trainers, John Quinn and David Nicholls, he twice made it into the Epsom winners' enclosure during the afternoon.

Settrington-based Quinn gave the former Ryedale-trained jockey, now based in Ireland as number one to Aidan O'Brien, the leg-up on Crow Wood, easy winner of the Vodafone Handicap, while Nicholls, based at Sessay near Easingwold, saw Fallon steer his Gift Horse to a nail-biting success in the Vodafone Sprint Handicap.

Crow Wood, formerly trained by James Given, before being shrewdly purchased by Quinn at last autumn's Newmarket Sales, had finished a close third in the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar earlier in the week.

Those exertions clearly took little out of the tough-as-teak six-year-old, who, after attracting significant support which forced his price down to 9-2 favourite, scooted home with two lengths to spare for Fallon. He had had to settle for fifth place earlier in the day on Gypsy King in the Derby, a race he had won in each of the previous two years.

A win on Derby Day at Epsom was obviously a sizeable feather in the cap of Quinn, who was achieving the feat for the second successive year, following the victory of Caribbean Coral 12 months ago in the Vodafone 'Dash' over five furlongs.

Alas, Caribbean Coral ran into all sorts of difficulties on Saturday when bidding for a repeat triumph and, after getting no sort of run, finished unplaced to the Richard Hughes-ridden Fire Up The Band, who beat his stablemate Peace Offering into second by a length and a half.

This wonderful 1-2 for David Nicholls initiated a cracking Epsom double for the North Yorkshire handler, whose Gift Horse got home by a head and the same under Fallon in the concluding race on the card.

John Wainwright has a talented new recruit at Kennythorpe - one who, despite not having had a saddle on her back for two years before she came to Ryedale in March, won at 33-1 on her comeback outing at Doncaster last Saturday.

Queen's Lodge, who paid almost 40-1 on the Tote, won by a head and a neck in the six furlong handicap, getting up near the finish under Tony Hamilton after overcoming a tardy start.

It was hardly a surprise that Queen's Lodge was a bit race-rusty, as this was her first outing for some three years and only her third race of her career.

"She's been off the track for so long - I think she was in a stud at Newmarket - that I didn't really know what to expect, even though she'd been working okay at home," said a delighted Wainwright, who trains the five-year-old for Horses 4 Courses, a syndicate run by Wayne Bavill.

Formerly trained by Luca Cumani, Queen's Lodge, a winning juvenile, who also ran in Group Three company, looks an interesting addition to Wainwright's team.

"She could be a useful mare," adds John.

Ryedale owner Steve Hull is beginning to regard Doncaster's famous Town Moor as his favourite racecourse - after landing two victories at the home of Yorkshire's only Classic on successive Saturdays.

Sporting Gesture did the business for Steve a couple of weeks ago when trotting up under Dale Gibson and the same jockey was on board Top Dirham last Saturday when the gelding carried the Hull colours to a dramatic success after coming from virtually last to first over seven furlongs.

Next stop for Top Dirham, who, like Sporting Gesture, is trained by Mick Easterby, is likely to be the historic Carlisle Bell, which he won in 2003.

The Easterby horses are in great form at the moment, none more so than Strong Hand, whose Haydock victory last Thursday was her third in a row.

Updated: 11:03 Wednesday, June 08, 2005