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York Ebor festival

All about Enable as Arc favourite looks to extend amazing run

Enable: chasing fourth straight Group 1
Enable: chasing fourth straight Group 1Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Day two of the Ebor Festival looks to be all about Enable, who has illuminated the season so far and will bid for her fourth Group 1 of the summer in the Yorkshire Oaks. Elsewhere the Wesley Ward bandwagon rolls on to York after the American trainer made Royal Ascot his own. Here are some of the stories to get you smiling on day two.

Enable aims for her fourth Oaks of the season

There is only one place to start on the Thursday, and it is all about John Gosden's star filly. The Arc favourite has won the Cheshire Oaks at Chester, the English Oaks at Epsom and the Irish Oaks at the Curragh.

She will be aiming for her fourth Oaks in the Yorkshire Oaks and will receive 9lbs from the older horses, with fellow three-year-olds Coronet and Alluringly also engaged.

Enable faces some strong competition, but they will need to improve to put any pressure on the King George winner, especially considering she has proved herself to be just as versatile as she is talented.

Gosden also runs Ribblesdale winner Coronet, who followed up her Royal Ascot victory with a respectable fourth in the Irish Oaks. Group 1 winner Journey is also entered – she has yet to produce her best this season but usually comes good at this time of year.

Lowther hotting up with supplementary entries

Both Wesley Ward's Happy Like A Fool and Mark Johnston's Threading have been supplemented for the Group 2 Lowther Stakes for £15,000.

Ward's charge had a towering reputation before she was beaten into second when odds-on for the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, and she has remained in Britain since. After missing an intended engagement in the Molecombe Stakes at Goodwood due to the soft ground, connections will be happy with the dry forecast.

Threading also adds spice to an exciting field. Mark Johnston's filly was very impressive when winning her maiden at Goodwood by six lengths, but this will be a big jump in class.
Happy Like A Fool (left) finished second to Heartache in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot
Happy Like A Fool (left) finished second to Heartache in the Queen Mary at Royal AscotCredit: Edward Whitaker

She holds entries in both the Rockfel and the Cheveley Park but the supplementary entry shows connections clearly feel she's up to the task now.

September, Hence, Actress and Butterscotch are still engaged for Aidan O'Brien, although September and Hence are declared to run beforehand.

Grimthorpe hoping for big-race double

The Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes has attracted a field of fifteen, and Mori, whose dam Midday was trained to perfection by Cecil, looks the star attraction.

The Ribblesdale runner-up will be looking to give the famous Juddmonte silks a double providing Enable doesn't become unstuck earlier in the day, and Lord Grimthorpe, chairman of York Racecourse, will be hoping his two big guns can deliver at his home track.
Mori (pink cap) is just held off by Coronet in the Ribblesdale Stakes
Mori (pink cap) is just held off by Coronet in the Ribblesdale StakesCredit: Mark Cranham

Sir Michael Stoute's daughter of Frankel remains lightly raced, and having contested a hot Group 2 last time, she looks a likely favourite back at Listed level.

Published on 18 August 2017inYork Ebor festival

Last updated 11:30, 21 August 2017

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