Await The Dawn poised to make his mark at Group 1 level

Await The Dawn wins at Royal Ascot.  Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

Await The Dawn has run just twice this season and only six times in his career despite being well into his third season of racing, but few horses have caught the eye this year as much this fine looking son of Giant’s Causeway.

On Wednesday he will finally have chance to prove just how good he is when he contests the richest ever race staged at York, the £700,000 Juddmonte International Stakes.

It is the sixth race in the Middle Distance division of the QIPCO British Champions Series and the last one before the finale on QIPCO British Champions at Ascot on Saturday 15 October.

Await The Dawn has won his last four starts, the last three all in deeply impressive fashion.

He sluiced up by nine lengths on his final start of last season in a Group 3 race in Ireland, then made his four-year-old debut at Chester in May when an easy winner of another Group 3 contest.

His last start was in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, when he handled the soft ground with ease and forged clear to win by three lengths.

That was over a mile and a half and Wednesday’s race is a furlong and a half shorter in distance, while he is now coming up against proven Group 1 performers like Midday, six times a winner at the highest level, Twice Over, who has three Group 1 victories to his name, and possibly Snow Fairy, who has four Group 1s under her belt.

He may also face his stable companion, the filly Misty For Me, who has also chalked up four Group 1 victories against her own sex.

The potential in Await The Dawn is obvious, however, hence he has been installed a hot favourite for the race by the bookmakers at around the 5-4 mark, ahead of Midday on 7-2.

It promises to be a fascinating contest and if you can get to York to experience the opening day of the incomparable Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

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