The King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tops the racing bill this coming weekend. However, the £1.5 million event at Ascot isn’t the only Group race on offer on Saturday afternoon. Around 200 miles to the north of the Berkshire venue, York lays on a cracking seven-race card headlined by the Group 2 City of York Stakes.
First run in 2006 as a replacement for the Scottish Derby at Ayr, this 1m2½f contest sees the three-year-olds take on their elders for a share of the £150,000 prize pot on offer. The stats for this race suggest the younger contenders are up against it, with 18 of the 19 editions to date falling to a runner aged four or older. If the betting is any guide, that trend may well continue in 2025.
Next Step Up the Ladder for Almaqam
Thirteen remain in contention at the five-day declaration stage, headed by a horse plotting a course to Group 1 company. Having raced only once as a juvenile, Almaqam won twice in 2024, including the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown. Three subsequent outings at Group level produced three defeats but hopes remained high as he returned to the track as a four-year-old in 2025.
Having shed his ring rust with a third-place finish in the Gordon Richards Stakes, he returned to Sandown to claim his first career Group success in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes. That looked strong form at the time and has since been franked by the runner-up – none other than Ombudsman, who stormed to victory in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. Lofty targets, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, were mentioned on the back of that effort. First up, he aims to take the next step up the ladder in this Group 2 contest.
Derby Fifth the Pick of the Three-Year-Olds
A trio of three-year-olds remain among the current entries – the pick of which is the Ralph Beckett-trained Stanhope Gardens. Long held in high regard by his handler, this son of Ghaiyyath went down by just a neck to Coral-Eclipse champ Delacroix during his juvenile campaign.
Reintroduced quietly in a Class 4 event at Salisbury, he won that race in the manner expected before diving into the Derby waters at Epsom. He was no match for Lambourn that day but certainly wasn’t disgraced when finishing a creditable fifth of 18.
No three-year-old has won this one since Best Alibi claimed the inaugural 2006 edition, and trainer Beckett has never landed the prize. Nevertheless, Stanhope Gardens is best in at the weights under these conditions and is the clear second favourite behind Almaqam.
Three in a Row for Shadwell?
Successful in 2023 and 2024, the Shadwell Stud runner Alflaila has since headed off to a life at stud in New Zealand. In his absence, the William Haggas-trained Al Aasy may fly the flag for the powerful owner-breeder.
A winner of 10 of his 25 outings, he’s struck seven times in Group 3 company, though not yet at Group 2 level. Last sighted finishing an unlucky-in-running seventh in the Hardwicke Stakes, this looks like a realistic opportunity to pick up a career-best win.
Burke Takes Aim with Royal Duo
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum is frequently represented in this event but has yet to taste victory. Having sent out the second in 2012 and 2021 and the third in 2023, the man behind the yellow silks with black spots will hope to finally take top spot on the podium in 2025.
The Karl Burke duo of Royal Champion and Royal Rhyme are pencilled in to carry the famous silks, and both boast solid claims on their best form. Now seven years old, Royal Champion went down by just 1½l in the 2023 edition and drops in class from the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Royal Rhyme, meanwhile, was beaten by a similar margin on unsuitably quick going in 2024. Boasting career form figures of 111513 on soft ground, every drop of rain that falls will be in his favour.
He’s done it again! 🔵 ⚪️
𝐀𝐥𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 lands back-to-back renewals of the @SkyBet @yorkracecourse Stakes for @ShadwellRacing and @OwenBurrowsRace @JimCrowley1978 simply refused to yield under intense pressure 💪 pic.twitter.com/SnLKjDoWpw
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) July 27, 2024
The Godolphin duo of Nations Pride and Ancient Wisdom, the highly regarded Bay City Roller, and Richard Hannon’s Group 3 specialist Persica are others to note in a cracking renewal. Almaqam looks the one to beat but this should be a fascinating contest.