'We're here and ready to rock' - Sheila Lavery out to secure first success in Britain with Moracana in Listed event

Sheila Lavery has yet to saddle a winner in Britain, but the County Meath-based trainer has an excellent chance of making a breakthrough in the Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes (4.10 York).

Irish trainers have been responsible for two of the last four winners of the Listed event and Lavery’s Moracana could enhance that record after finishing fifth in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes last time.

The form of that Royal Ascot handicap has been boosted with Live Your Dream, who finished a length ahead of Moracana in third, subsequently landing a £100,000 handicap at Newmarket’s July festival.

Moracana will be a 15th runner in Britain for Lavery, who said: “She's been in good form. She was so unlucky at Ascot, she ran an absolute blinder. With a clear run, she could have been bang there. 

“She seemed to really enjoy finishing up the hill at Ascot. York is a beautiful track and hopefully the course will suit her. We're here and ready to rock so fingers crossed she can run her race.”

Moracana is the only filly to have scored at Listed level, courtesy of her Noblesse Stakes success at Cork in April, yet Modaara is the highest-rated in the 13-runner line-up. She was last of five in the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes last time and drops in grade for Roger Varian, who won this race with Gold Wand in 2020.

Gold Wand was second in York’s Lyric Fillies’ Stakes prior to that success and Scenic is the only filly in this year’s race to have contested that 1m2½f contest at the track last month, finishing third at 80-1.

“She'll not be anything like those odds this time as she's proven herself a lovely, progressive filly,” said trainer Ed Walker. “She should stay a mile and a half and she'll probably go on improving for a while yet.”

Scenic was fifth behind subsequent Group 2 Ribblesdale winner Warm Heart at Newbury in May, where she beat the reopposing Lmay.

As well as Lmay, John and Thady Gosden are represented by Spring Fever, who could provide Frankie Dettori with a record-extending eighth win in the race, and One Evening, for whom Ryan Moore – 3-5 for the Gosdens in 2023 – is an interesting booking.

Sea Theme has a Group 1 entry on Champions Day and represents William Haggas, who won back-to-back runnings of the Galtres in 2013 and 2014. Haggas also steps Market Value up in grade for the King and Queen.

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