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Review of the 2009 Season at York

Listen to the audio reviews of the year below.

BY GRAHAM ORANGE

It started with Frankie Dettori riding Moonquake to victory in the opening race of the season in May and concluded with Trip The Light – trained by Malton-based Richard Fahey and ridden by Paul Hanagan, York’s leading trainer and jockey of the campaign – winning the final race on a sunny autumnal Saturday afternoon in October. Yes, 2009 was a year to remember on the Knavesmire – for all the right reasons.

A record total attendance of 322,234 plus an Ebor Festival extended to four days to produce racing of the highest class which included victories by the highest rated horse in the world, Sea The Stars in York’s richest race, The Juddmonte International Stakes and local favourite, Borderlescott storming to a famous victory for the second successive year in the flagship race for sprinters, The Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes. The performances of these two superstars had York’s racegoers in raptures, and they embodied the very essence of a season which had so many wonderful highlights.

There’s no doubt about it, Sea The Stars topped the bill when he landed Britain’s highest-rated race, The Juddmonte International Stakes on the opening day of the Ebor Festival in August. There was great excitement and anticipation as the colt – trained in County Kildare by John Oxx and ridden by the ice-cool veteran jockey, Mick Kinane – attempted to preserve his unbeaten record in the highest company. He was already a dual Classic winner, after his exploits in both the 2,000 Guineas and the Investec Derby; he had secured the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park and now York was on the agenda. It demonstrated, if any were needed, that York’s most valuable race is very much on the radar of the connections of the very best bloodstock. Sea The Stars did not disappoint. In a contest of four Irish-trained colts, including Mastercraftsman, the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner and successful in the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, Sea The Stars teased his followers at the furlong pole before kicking on to win comfortably by a length in a course record time. The reception given to the colt by the knowledgeable York crowd was something to behold. His proud owner, Christopher Tsui received the coveted trophy from Prince Khalid Abdullah, the owner of Juddmonte Farms, sponsors since 1989 of a race that is rated in the top three in the world. After his exploits at York, Sea The Stars has confirmed his status in racing’s stratosphere by landing The Irish Champion Stakes and The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. So, York was the last British run for the superstar and an integral part of his landmark season.

Trained in the tiny village of Cowthorpe near Wetherby by Robin Bastiman, Borderlescott once again demonstrated his top-notch sprinting credentials when he lit up the (new) fourth day of the Ebor Festival by defeating Benbaun (trained at Hambleton near Thirsk by Kevin Ryan) by a neck in a thrilling Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes. He is surely the ‘king of the sprinters’ and don’t bet against him repeating the feat next year. No horse has won three ‘Nunthorpes’, so racing history beckons for Borderlescott, the fastest horse in Yorkshire.

Two of Europe’s best fillies clashed in the third Group 1 race of the Ebor Festival, The Darley Yorkshire Oaks. Sariska had won The Tattersalls Musidora Stakes on the opening day of the York season, en-route to gaining a Classic double in the English and Irish Oaks. Lady Bamford’s home-bred filly only found one too good in her quest for the Oaks ‘treble’, having to settle for second place to Dar Re Mi, owned and bred by Lord Lloyd-Webber in another epic encounter on the Knavesmire.

Young Irish-based apprentice jockey, Gary Carroll was catapulted into the spotlight when partnering Sesenta to a stunning 25/1 victory in the Totesport Ebor for Willie Mullins, who is based in County Carlow; meaning the victor in richest flat handicap in Europe also resides in the Emerald Isle. Askar Tau took The Weatherby’s Insurance Lonsdale Cup and then emphasised his burgeoning reputation as a top stayer by completing a notable Yorkshire double when winning the DFS Doncaster Cup at the Ladbrokes St. Leger Festival.

Other notable winners from the Ebor Festival included Showcasing (winner of the Irish Thoroughbred Gimcrack Stakes) and Lady Of The Desert (successful in the Jaguar Cars Lowther Stakes) as well as Elusive Pimpernel (first home in the Racing UK Acomb Stakes), as they advertised their claims for big-race consideration in 2010 Malton trainer, Tim Easterby hit the jackpot when Midnight Martini won the DBS £300,000 St. Leger Yearling Stakes providing yet another Knavesmire name to follow.

Dialling back to the start of the season, at the opening Dante Festival in May, Ballydoyle maestro, Aidan O’Brien produced Black Bear Island to land the UK’s foremost Derby trial, The totesport.com Dante Stakes, while the champion trainer of 2009, Sir Michael Stoute teamed up with the champion jockey of the campaign, Ryan Moore, to win The Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup with Ask. The latter went on to win a pair of Group One contests, the Coronation Cup at Epsom and the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp in October.

Dale Gibson, in his final season as a jockey, made his mark on the May Saturday, courtesy of Caracciola, the winner of the Listed Stowe Family Law LLP Grand Cup and fittingly, the rider bowed out at the final meeting of the season in October with victory in a dead-heat on Jeannie Galloway in the Garbutt & Elliott Nursery Handicap Stakes. The popular rider had made his debut as an apprentice jockey at York in 1985 and 24 years later, he was given a rousing send-off by his weighing room colleagues at the conclusion of the season.

Katie Cooper, secretary to Tadcaster trainer, Tom Tate, put herself in her boss’s good books when taking The Queen Mother’s Cup on the 39th Charity Day in June on Mull Of Dubai and Ryan Moore displayed his prowess in the saddle by winning The Reg Griffin Memorial Trophy aboard Swiss Diva for David Elsworth.

Eddie Ahern had a red letter day on the Friday of the John Smith’s Meeting when riding a trio of winners, including Serious Attitude in the Group Three Cuisine de France Summer Stakes. The following day, Sirvino, trained at Maunby near Thirsk by David Barron provided a ‘home win’ in The 50th John Smith’s Cup. Hits Only Vic, trained at Sledmere by Declan Carroll took the main supporting race that day, the Listed John Smith’s Extra Smooth Silver Cup.

Barry Hills and his jockey son Michael combined to good effect on ‘Music Showcase’ Friday evening in July. This evening also saw Godolphin’s Vale of York win its maiden in the Racing UK Median Auction Stakes, the same colt that later in the season took one of the most prestigious races for two-year-olds in the Grade 1, The Juvenile at the Breeders’ Cup. The European Breeder’s Fund Lyric Stakes with High Heeled, while the next afternoon, Richard Fahey and Barry McHugh struck to maximum effect with Knot In Wood, who powered home in The Sky Bet Dash. Earlier that afternoon, Frankie Dettori had partnered Kirklees to success in the Group Two Sky Bet York Stakes, the Godolphin hero since has campaigned in Pattern company Down Under. The ‘Rollin’ Clones’ strutted their stuff on stage after racing on the Friday evening, while stars from the ‘X Factor’ wowed racegoers at the conclusion of racing on the Saturday. Once again, this meeting was part of the ‘Go Racing in Yorkshire’ Summer Festival.

The annual Press Family Raceday on the first Sunday in September attracted many youngsters and special appearances by those TV characters, ‘Peppa Pig’ and ‘George’! There was a real party feel to the proceedings, as the racing produced a couple of 25/1 winners – Able Master and Middlemarch.

The Friday of the concluding October fixture saw Frankie Dettori weave his magic once again, this time on Peligroso in The Acorn Web Offset Conditions Stakes. The final day of the campaign – Saturday, 10th October – was a triumph for Malton trainer, Richard Fahey, who saddled three winners, including Kaldoun Kingdom in the main race, The Coral Sprint Trophy, to put the seal on his fourth consecutive Minster Jaguar trainers’ championship at York; a remarkable, record-breaking 14 winners at York this term for the Musley Bank trainer. His stable jockey, Paul Hanagan won the last two races on the concluding day to be leading rider at York for the first time with a tally of nine victories to land the écurie25 Supercar Trophy. For good measure, fellow Yorkshire trainer, David Nicholls, based at Sessay near Thirsk, won The Coral Rockingham Stakes with Layla’s Hero.

Talking of heroes, soldiers from the 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment received their operational service medals for their recent tour in Afghanistan prior to racing on 50th John Smith’s Cup Day in July, while the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed their musical finale to the season at the conclusion of racing on the final day in October.

On a poignant note, the one of the burgeoning talents in the saddle, Jamie Kyne had the biggest win of his all too brief career when winning the sportingbet.com Sprint on Ishetoo for Sheriff Hutton trainer, Alan Dickman. Jamie and another highly-promising young rider, Jan Wilson were to lose their lives in a Malton fire in the early hours of Saturday, 5th September. Two of our brightest stars were taken and York was proud to be able to help the racing mourn and pay their respects at our Sunday meeting.

York is the place to see the stars and the heroes of our time; 2009 certainly was a stellar year on the Knavesmire.