Glaring when racing in France before he was bought by Amanda Perrett. Image courtesy of Racingfotos.com.

Amanda Perrett is hoping that Glaring will show himself to be a leading candidate for staying honours this season in the Betway Yorkshire Cup at York on Friday – the first race in the Long Distance category of this year’s QIPCO British Champions Series.

The five-year-old French import is among six final entries today revealed for the £160,000 feature.

Glaring raced prominently for a long way on his British debut in the two-mile Longines Sagaro Stakes at Ascot last month but faded in the closing stages and finished seventh of the nine runners, beaten about seven and a half lengths in a race won by Mizzou.

Clever Cookie (second), Flying Officer (third) and Suegioo (fourth) finished ahead of him on that occasion and are set to reoppose but Perrett will be disappointed if, at the very least, Glaring, who will be ridden by champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa, does not finish much closer to them.

“He travelled really well at Ascot but lack of a run found him out in the final furlong and a half,” the Pulborough-based trainer said. “He’s a big, stuffy horse who’s quite lazy at home and, with that under his belt, hopefully he will be more competitive with the horses who beat him.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure dropping back in trip is the right thing to do because he’s a powerful galloper but he’s come out of that Ascot race really well and a galloping track like York will suit him down to the ground.”

The going at York is good, good to firm in places after 5.3mm of rain fell from 1pm yesterday to 9.45am today, but, with dry weather forecast over the next two days it is expected to be on the quick side by Friday’s off-time at 4.05pm.

“Good ground would probably be perfect [for Glaring] but I’m sure there will be a good covering of grass,” Perrett said. “I don’t think the ground will worry or hinder him.”

Glaring ran ten times in France for Andre Fabre, when owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah, before being purchased by Perrett at Tattersalls in October for 50,000 guineas.

“He had not run for a bit, but he was recommended to me and his form reads really well,” said Perrett, who saddled Bulwark to finish third in the 2007 Yorkshire Cup at 40-1. “He’s an imposing individual with plenty of ability and he has a lovely long stride on him. He was a very competitive Group runner in France last year, being placed on several occasions over a variety of trips.”

Glaring now carries the colours of George Materna and could become a regular in QIPCO British Champions Series, with a tilt at the Qatar Goodwood Cup on July 28 definitely on his agenda.

“George loves to have a Goodwood Cup runner; that race has always been his passion,” Perrett said. “I would imagine Glaring will gallop all day and, before that, he could run at Royal Ascot in either the Gold Cup or Queen Alexandra Stakes, which should be right up his street.”

Perrett also had Astronereus engaged until scratching him this morning. He will instead contest the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes over 1m4f at Newbury on Saturday.

“We felt it would be too firm for him at York, plus we’d rather run him mile and a half first time,” she said. “His wheels are a little bit fragile bit he’s got plenty of ability. I think he will improve for a step up in trip and he will probably have a couple of runs and then also head for the Goodwood Cup.”

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Bondi Beach, the ante-post favourite, was another to be withdrawn but Luca Cumani, successful with Eastern Mystic in 1986 and Arzanni in 1991, will attempt to turn the clock back with Second Set, whose efforts last year included winning a Group 1 prize in Germany.

Clever Cookie, Flying Officer and Suegioo finished close together in the Sagaro Stakes and also met in the Long Distance Cup on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot in October.

On that occasion Flying Officer came out on top, although many observers felt Clever Cookie, who is a triple course winner at York and will be equipped with first-time cheekpieces, was unlucky not to overhaul him.

The progressive Curbyourenthusiasm completes the line-up. He began last season with an official rating of just 73 but chalked up three wins and officially improved 2st during the campaign.