Quickthorn Back For More At York In The Boodles Yorkshire Cup

There were few more impressive staying performances last year than that of Quickthorn in York’s Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup, and Hughie Morrison would like nothing more than to show it was no fluke by winning the Boodles Yorkshire Cup over the same course and distance on Friday.

Quickthorn made all for a stunning 14-length win over Coltrane on that occasion and he has been favourite all week for Friday’s Group 2, which is the first race in the staying division of this year’s QIPCO British Champions Series and has attracted a field of seven, headed by St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov. 

“It was a Flightline type performance, but he didn’t get the Flightline-type recognition,” said Morrison, referencing the brilliant American dirt horse who ended an unbeaten career by running away with last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“It might have been a once-in-a-lifetime performance, but I do think it was exceptional, and the disappointment was that neither Stradivarius nor Trueshan ran that day, because we’d have got the credit then. Coltrane obviously didn’t run to his best, but Quickthorn absolutely dominated him, and I think if you look at the sectionals he went fast all of the way.”

Quickthorn did not reproduce the form on either subsequent start, or on his Dubai reappearance, but Morrison can explain.

He said: “The ground had gone when he went to Longchamp, and it was the same story at Ascot. The year before he’d had enough by October, and I think that was probably a factor again too. 

“As for Dubai, it wasn’t easy getting him out of a field in December to have him ready for a fast-ground race in Dubai that looked like a Group 1 three months later. He ran well, but the Godolphin team knew what they were up to and we weren’t going to get an easy ride. My concern is that I might have left my year behind in Dubai, but I’ve been perfectly happy with him at home.”

Tom Marquand was Quickthorn’s regular rider last year but Morrison was reluctant to wait until a firm decision had been made about the participation of last week’s Ormonde Stakes winner Hamish so went ahead and booked Oisin Murphy.

He said: “Tom couldn’t commit himself so I made the decision to go for Oisin at the weekend. Oisin knows Quickthorn well and rode him in Dubai as well as when he won twice two years ago, including at Royal Ascot.” 

The Dubai Gold Cup principals Broome and Siskany are meeting again, along with Giavellotto and Get Shirty, who were among those further behind with Quickthorn. 

A First For O’Brien?

Broome will be at a 3lb weight disadvantage with the Charlie Appleby-trained Siskany, but is sure to make a bold bid to provide Aidan O’Brien with a first win in the Yorkshire Cup. Prior to Dubai the former Group 1-winning seven-year-old’s four most recent runs had been at Longchamp, Keeneland, Sha Tin and Doha, so Friday’s trip to York will seem almost like a home fixture.

Eldar Eldarov, named after a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter from Bahrain, was also a Dubai Gold Cup possible at one stage but waited for this. He is one of three runners who hold a Gold Cup entry at Royal Ascot, and nobody is more excited about his return to action than jockey David Egan.

Egan enjoyed a first Classic win on the colt at the age of just 23 in last year’s Cazoo St Leger, following a last-stride Royal Ascot win in the Queen’s Vase. He said: “I’m really looking forward to it. His preparation has gone smoothly and I’m excited to see him back on the track. There was a chance he was going to go to Dubai, but we bypassed that and the Yorkshire Cup looks a good spot in which to start his campaign as a Cup horse.”

He added: “It was an honour and a privilege to ride him and get the job done for both Shaikh Khalid and Mr (Roger) Varian, with whom I started my apprenticeship when I left the racing school in Ireland at 16. 

Hopefully we can draw a line through it and start the year off fresh

“Eldar Eldarov had shown us what a strong stayer he was at Royal Ascot, and I don’t have any doubts about him getting long distances in the Cup races. He stayed the extended mile and six on slow ground at Doncaster, and he’s a tough horse who relaxes well in his races. I don’t know what happened in the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot after that, but hopefully we can draw a line through it and start the year off fresh.”

Giavellotto passed the post in fourth at Doncaster but was promoted to third on the disqualification of runner-up Haskoy. Trainer Marco Botti said: “I felt he was a bit unlucky in the St Leger. He’s a horse with a big stride and he was checked twice. For me he’d have been much closer otherwise.

“His preparation has gone well since Dubai, where things didn’t really pan out for him from a really wide draw and he ended up a bit too far back. It looks quite a competitive race but he stays well and he’s in good form. He’s in good shape and I’m pleased to see that the ground is drying out as I didn’t want to run him on really soft ground. “He’s not in the Gold Cup, as that trip might stretch him and we don’t see it as the right race for him, but he has plenty of options.”

The field is completed by last year’s third Tashkhan, who is a former QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup runner-up and should not be underestimated.