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Confirmed runners and riders for the City of York Stakes and Ebor on Saturday
Michael Owen is hoping the fine recent form of his Manor House Stables can be capped by a first Group 1 winner for trainer Hugo Palmer since he relocated from Newmarket to Cheshire in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes.
The Two Plus Three Two Plus Four syndicate, which consists of current and former Brighton and Hove Albion footballers, will have extra interest at 3pm on a Saturday this weekend when Seagulls Eleven bids to justify their decision to pay £40,000 to supplement him for the City of York.
Big-screen footage of Brighton players watching Seagulls Eleven record a first victory of the season in the Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood went viral, and Palmer has opted to pitch their gelding back at the highest level for the first time since he was last of 11 in the 2,000 Guineas.
Owen has already outlined his ambitions to make Palmer, who replaced Tom Dascombe at Manor House Stables in 2022, British champion trainer.
Speaking in advance of the City Of York Stakes, the former England striker said: "We had two winners at Goodwood, which was great, hot on the heels of a double on King George day at Ascot — a Group 3 double at that — which was amazing.
“We've had lots of big winners and, importantly, stakes winners, which we all love. The season's going fantastically well, so long may it continue. The team led by Hugo is flying and we want to keep it going.”
Palmer has already hit the target at York this week, with Ruby’s Angel landing the closing £100,000 nursery at 33-1 on Wednesday, before Soldiers Star struck at Kempton to complete an across-the-card double for the stable and Roudee Racing syndicate.
The same syndicate who own Seagulls Eleven also enjoyed a two-year-old winner at Pontefract last Sunday with debutant Mr Seagull.
Seagulls Eleven, the son of Palmer's 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold, will take on ten rivals in the City of York, which is being run as a Group 1 for the first time.
His Goodwood success came under Oisin Murphy, but the rider is committed to Group 2 Summer Mile winner Never So Brave, so James Doyle will partner the Palmer-trained horse for the first time.
Owen said: "He won his Group 3 and deserves his chance. We've always held him in high regard. I wouldn't have thought seven furlongs will be an issue. Hugo was tracking the race for some time, so it was worth the supplementary fee. It's a big call, but we got into the sport to be involved in these races and get Manor House on the biggest stage."
Also dropping back to seven furlongs in the £665,000 event are Qirat and Rosallion, who finished in that order in the Sussex Stakes last time.
Qirat will bid to prove that 150-1 success was no fluke and provide trainer Ralph Beckett with a third win in four years following Kinross’s successes in 2022 and 2023.
Paddy Power: 7-4 Rosallion, 11-4 Never So Brave, 6 Maranoa Charlie, 12 Audience, Lake Forest, Qirat, 16 Seagulls Eleven, 20 Exactly, 25 Quinault, 50 Ten Bob Tony, 66 Annaf.
Ante-post favourite Hipop De Loire heads a full Ebor field of 22
Ante-post favourite Hipop De Loire features in a full field of 22 declared for Saturday's Sky Bet Ebor Handicap (3.35). The Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old will attempt to emulate stablemate Absurde, who won the £500,000 contest in 2023 off the back of a run over hurdles.
Hipop De Loire was an 11-length winner of a maiden hurdle at the Galway festival last month and is now reunited with Colin Keane, who steered him to fifth in last year's Ebor when he was rated 3lb lower.
Mullins and Absurde's owners, the H O S Syndicate, will also be represented by Ethical Diamond, who runs for the first time since his Duke of Edinburgh Stakes success in June. Ascending is another making his first appearance since a Royal Ascot victory and the Ascot Stakes winner bids to make it back-to-back Ebor wins for Henry de Bromhead, who trained Magical Zoe to win last season's race.
Royal Ascot winner French Master returns to handicap company after finishing fifth in the Goodwood Cup and he heads the weights off a rating of 108, a mark 8lb higher than when he landed the Copper Horse Stakes.
PJ McDonald is having a good week courtesy of his Group 3 Acomb Stakes win on Gewan and the rider partners last year's runner-up Kihavah. Michael Bell has booked 5lb claimer Archie Young to ride his Group 3 Sagaro Stakes winner Yashin for the first time, while Hollie Doyle is a new rider for Roaring Legend.
Shadow Dance was successful at this meeting last year on his only course start and looks a lively contender, along with last year's Northumberland Plate winner Onesmoothoperator.
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Sky Bet City of York Stakes (Saturday 3.00)
Annaf Rossa Ryan
Audience Robert Havlin
Lake Forest Tom Marquand
Never So Brave Oisin Murphy
Qirat Colin Keane
Quinault Jason Hart
Rosallion Sean Levey
Ten Bob Tony William Buick
Maranoa Charlie Aurelien Lemaitre
Seagulls Eleven James Doyle
Exactly Ryan Moore
Sky Bet Ebor Handicap (Saturday, 3.35)
French Master James Doyle
Hipop De Loire Colin Keane
Yashin Archie Young (5)
Queenstown Ryan Moore
Kihavah PJ McDonald
Ethical Diamond William Buick
London City Sean Levey
Onesmoothoperator Ben Robinson
Subsequent Oisin Murphy
Real Dream Joe Leavy
Roaring Legend Hollie Doyle
Stressfree Daniel Tudhope
Shadow Dance Silvestre de Sousa
Siege Of Troy Patrick McGettigan
Enemy Richard Kingscote
Oneforthegutter Saffie Osborne
Ascending Seamie Heffernan
Almosh'her Clifford Lee
Majestic Warrior Rossa Ryan
Charlus Jamie Spencer
Fleetfoot Ross Coakley
Mr Percy Tom Marquand
Loughville first reserve
Aeronautic second reserve
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Published on inYork Ebor festival
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