Native Ruler out to maintain 100% record for Cecil and Queally

Image from racingfotos.com

Native Ruler is reported a likely runner in Friday’s Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup, the third race in the QIPCO British Champions Series, on the final day of York’s Dante Meeting.

After Frankel’s brilliant victory in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas for trainer Henry Cecil and jockey Tom Queally, Native Ruler would be their second QIPCO British Champions Series runner (they weren’t represented in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas) as they look to establish early leads on the Trainer and Jockey of the Series leaderboards.

Native Ruler came agonisingly close to giving them a big race double on QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day, failing by just a nose to win his comeback race after 20 months off recovering from injury. That race was over 1½ miles and the step up to 1¾ miles in the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup, the first race in the QIPCO British Champions Series Long Distance category, will be a step into the unknown for the five year-old.

Henry Cecil knows exactly what’s required to win the race, however. He has won it four times, including with Manifest last year and with the brilliant Ardross, victorious in both 1981 and 1982.

The Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup is the final day highlight of the wonderful Dante Meeting, which lights up the Knavesmire, just outside the beautiful city of York, each May. If you can’t make it along in person, you can catch the race live on Channel 4. It is due off at 2.30pm.