Nunthorpe Stakes Guide

Trainer - Charles Hills

Jockey - Jim Crowley

The first runner of the day is one of the quickest horses on the planet when he is tuned up and this season Battaash has ran to a good standard but still could not get the better of Blue Point.

With the Godolphin horse now retired, he should be primed to go and win this contest for how he has ran this season, landing the Temple Stakes on his seasonal debut and then Landing the King George at Goodwood for a third year in a row after his second at Royal Ascot.

He is one of the leading contenders to take this contest but last year he ran below par in this contest and has been known to underperform on the big stage occasionally.

Saying that, the yard have mentioned that he is in fine form and came out of Goodwood well and if being on it should be tough to beat.

Trainer - Tim Easterby

Jockey - David Allan

Copper Knight has ran to a good standard this season in five furlong sprint contests but they have come in lesser events and the step up to Group one is worrying.

He does like racing at this track winning four times over course and distance in Listed races and handles big fields well so won't mind the frantic pace and company when in running.

overall though he is 50/1 for a reason and last time was well held behind Battaash and he is the standard you are aiming to beat in this event.

Trainer - John Quinn

Jockey - Jason Hart

Another bright sprinter this season is El Astronaute for trainer John Quinn who has ran to a good standard this year but has never been at his best in Group races and may find some too good here.

He loves racing at York being a course and distance winner which helps his place claims and doing most of his racing in Ireland this season he took the Rockingham Handicap at the Curragh nicely.

He does not lack any speed but there hoses with better record in tougher races and it would need a career best to be in the mix here

Trainer - David Griffiths

Jockey - Phil Dennis

This outsider is not in the same calibre of class as most of these runners but at Goodwood ran a career best when finishing third behind Battaash.

He is a very pacy front runner that suits a stiff five furlongs but he has had a very tough campaign already this season and last time out also at Goodwood was poor in a lower standard of race.

Will have to have come out that festival in peak condition to try and get in the placings here but looks really exposed and can be opposed.

Trainer - Charles Hills

Jockey - Kieran Shoemark

The second of Charles Hills runners in the race is Garrus who has been running to a fair standard this season not finishing outside of the top three and looks a progressive three year old.

He started the season off in great style landing his first two contests under trainer Jeremy Noseda, including a Listed contest over course and distance.

He has ran in better races since joining Hills' yard finishing a good second in the Group Three Coral Charge at Sandown and then a good third in a Group Two at the Curragh and looks like he could snatch a place with improvement.

Trainer - Richard Spencer

Jockey - Oisin Murphy

Has been a frustrating three year old this season holding bags of potential from his juvenile days when he landed a Group Three at Goodwood in the Molecomb Stakes.

This season he has not been at the races, finishing last on his seasonal debut at Ascot and then seventh out of nine runners at Sandown.

He was much better at Goodwood finishing fourth behind Battaash in the King George but he likes the course there and they may have papered over the cracks and he must improve to be involved at York.

Trainer - Archie Watson

Jockey - Daniel Tudhope

Soldier's Call is a really bright youngster who holds plenty of ability that just needs to get back to his best in this one having slightly underperformed last time out.

On his seasonal debut he finished third behind Garrus at Ascot but next time out was a very good third behind Blue Point and Battaash in the Group One King's Stands Stakes.

Last time out over in Ireland in the Sapphire Stakes he did not run to his best and will have to reverse the form against a few of them in this one but has the potential to.

Trainer - Aidan O'Brien

Jockey - Ryan Moore

The favourite in the sprint contest is Aidan O'Brien trained ten Sovereigns who was one of the most hyped about sprinters leading into this season and never fully showed his true talent until recently.

He ran over a mile on debut in the 2000 Guineas and showed he needed to drop back in trip as he was an out and out sprinter and at Ascot he was much better finishing fourth in the Commonwealth Cup but still not at his best.

He was turned around quickly for the July Cup at Newmarket and was superb landing the contest with ease with Advertise in second franking that form recently.

He now drops to five furlongs for the first time but with how pacy he is it should no be a worry and he has to be hugely respected.

Trainer - Michael Dods

Jockey - Ben Curtis

The first of Michael Dods chances in the contest and Intense Romance looks very opposable with his best performances coming on soft or heavy ground and he has the opposite conditions today.

Last season he finished the season with a hat-trick but so far this season he has been below par in lesser events than this which does not read well stepping back into this sphere.

Trainer - Michael Dods

Jockey - Gerald Mosse

Mabs Cross has been in the news this week with a big jockey change on board the mare ahead of this race but this five year old is a big talent that has to be respected.

Gerald Mosse gets the leg up instead of Paul Mulrennan and he has only ever joined up with Mabs Cross once and they have a 100% strike rate together when they won the Group One Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp last year at the Arc meeting.

The Nunthorpe left a sour taste in the mouth of connections to the sprinter last year when she was agonisingly touched off in a photo finish by Alpha Delphini and missed out on what would have been her first black type win of her career.

But now heading into this seasons contest she has had a good preparation winning on her seasonal debut and then running well in defeat in some good races.

She loves racing at this track and is sure to give a bold run.

Trainer - Aidan O'Brien

Jockey - Donnacha O'Brien

The second of the Ballydoyle brigade is Fairyland who is another sharp sprinter from the yard that last season won her first Group one when taking the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket but since then has struggled.

She started her season in the 1000 Guineas where the mile was to far but she tried again in the Irish 1000 Guineas and again she did not have the stamina.

Back at five furlongs in the King's Stands Stakes she was a good fifth and looked more comfortable but will have to give a career best to be in the mix with some of these runners.

Trainer - Aidan O'Brien

Jockey - Wayne Lordan

The final runner of the race is the last of O'Brien's attack on the race and So Perfect is a horse that is always talked about as holding potential but never really shows it.

If she was under a different and lesser known trainer she would not be odds of 16/1 but the O'Brien factor makes her look like a good each way shout when in reality she needs a career best to go close here.