NEXT week’s Juddmonte International Stakes at York is shaping up to be one of the races of the season.
Several of this summer’s stellar performers could line up with Harbinger a possible along with Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Twice Over and Byword.
The Group One contest on August 17, which is sponsored by Abdullah, looks the likely destination for Byword, who trained in France by Andre Fabre, and brought home a one-two for the Abdullah in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot with Twice Over.
The Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over also went on to land the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. And with connections of Harbinger, a superb 11-length winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes last week, also eyeing a drop back in trip for the 1m2f contest on the Knavesmire it could be a mouth-watering race.
Abdullah added to his Group One haul for the season with the Cecil-trained Midday’s second successive win the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on Saturday.
And his racing manager, Teddy Grimthorpe, said of a twin-pronged assault on more glory at the top level at York: “Twice Over and Byword are heading towards York at the moment. Both horses are in good form.”
Connections of Harbinger are also looking at York.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt, who was officially rated the best in the world after his 11-length demolition of Cape Blanco at Ascot, is a best-priced 2-1 favourite with Sportingbet for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.
That is still the chief aim for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned four-year-old.
But connections want to get a run into their colt before then and Highclere manager Harry Herbert said: “The horse looks really well and Sir Michael reports that he has now put back all of the weight that he lost during the race.
“He feels that it is too long a gap between now and the Arc for Harbinger not to have another race and with this in mind, we are seriously considering running him in the Juddmonte International on August 17.”
The Darley Yorkshire Oaks could also see a fascinating clash of the generations with Nassau winner Midday set take on dual Oaks heroine Snow Fairy.
Following Midday’s success at Goodwoodlikely to head to the Knavesmire
Midday could also head to York for the Darley Yorkshire Oaks next week.
Grimthorpe added: “She is very tenacious and it was very exciting on Saturday. It is the Yorkshire Oaks next for her.”
Snow Fairy, who won at Epsom and the Curragh, may also run at York, but she would not line up if the ground became too fast on the Knavesmire.
Her Newmarket trainer Ed Dunlop said: “Everything is still on the agenda. We haven’t made any decisions yet. The logical next race is the Yorkshire Oaks. We will consider that but if the ground was very firm – no disrespect to York, but it does look quite quick now with the new drainage - there would be doubts.
“She is being trained for that and we will see how we get on.”
TODAY’S NAP: Baldemar (3.45pm Ripon).
