Turf Travel IV

York Ebor Meeting 2009

Yorks Ebor Meeting really is one of our favourite travel destinations - great track, great racing , great atmosphere. After being washed away in 2008, the crowds returned to the Knavesmire for this prestigious meeting in august 09 to see -once again- racing at its brilliant best. Too young to have seen Mill Reef and Nijinsky live, I firmly believe Sea The Stars is the horse we will talk about when retired to the rocking chair and slippers, and he did not disappoint his fans on this occasion - has he ever? Also the gutsy, classy and oh so beautiful Dar Re Mi pulled out all stops to beat Sariska in yet another thrilling edition of the Yorkshire Oaks, and Borderlescott truely brought the house down when taking back-to-back Nunthorpe Stakes, and on his home-soil this time as well. Fairytales surely do not come much sweeter than his story - I must have been the only one left rueing his luck after my nice bet on old favorite Benbaun was touched off by Borderlescotts late rattle.
As usual we hope you enjoy the photos:



Monitor Closely wins the Great Voltigeur Stakes, at 28-1 as well; sure enough the first time I did not back him this season:

But day one was all about one horse, and one horse only - Sea The Stars. In the knowing hands of master trainer John Oxx and a new lease of life for Mick Kinane, this son of Cape Cross and the wonderful Urban Sea had carried it all before him in 2009: he took the English 2000 Guineas in may, went on the win the Derby at Epsom, then dropped back in trip to take the Eclipse Stakes. He veni- vedi- vici in York, and for good measure added the Irish Champion Stakes a couple of weeks later. Hot favorite for the Arc at time of writing, we are sure he will create another piece of history in Longchamp in a couple of days.

Stretching clear of Mastercraftsman

A good drink after:

Adoring connections:

Day 2 - and Askar Tau (blinkers) takes an -admittingly weak - edition of the Lonsdale Cup in fighting style:

One of the talking horses of day 2 was Showcasing, and the son of Oasis Dream had no trouble justifying his lofty home reputation when winning the Gimcrack Stakes in the style of a very useful horse indeed:

It was the Ebor Handicap next, and this little mare with her promising claiming jockey was star of the show: Sesenta

Topweight Warringah, who bravely tried to make all, with his big white face in red towards the right of the picture has given his all and starts to fade, and Johnny Murtagh is trying to seal the race -in Magnier-dark-blue- on the favorite Changingoftheguards, but young G.F. Carroll brought Sesenta with a well-timed run to head the field when it mattered most

Lady of the Desert looked at least useful when taking the Lowther Stakes by a wide margin:

Two ultra-tough fillies are giving their all in the Yorkshire Oaks, with Dar Re Mi -in pink- just getting the better in the end. Sariska, stunning here in may in the Musidora and breathtaking in the Epsom Oaks, did lose nothing in defeat and was later found to be in season, and very sore after her heroic battle down the Knavesmire straight:

Lady Lloyd-Webber says thank you to her star-performer:

... who can be seen here sporting her wonderful winners rug:

Already on to the last day and Jimmys nap of the day Akmal, in Hamdan colours and with his big white face easy to spot, duly obliges in the opener:

But Palavicini and Dream Lodge duly bomb us out of the placepot in the next race:

One of my all-time favorites Court Masterpiece (see his entry in the Racing Great(!) section) had been off to stud, as every Group 1 winner should. Something somehow went wrong though, so back to the racing stables he went, only to prove a very sad sight now every time he has to contest a race. Finishing last in a Listed Race won by Dream Eater and Confront in a thrilling dead-heat on this day, Court Masterpiece couldnt even land a seller in his next outings.

The grey Dream Eater and Khalid Abdullah´s Confront going head to head:

But day 4 in Nunthorpe day and this race was all about one horse - Borderlescott. So often the nearly horse in the big sprint Handicaps until winning his first Group race, and a Group 1 at that, in last years edition of the Nunthorpe,at Newmarkets July Course, he came back for more here. The 2-year-old Radiohead on the left runs a huge race to finish 3rd, Borderlescott, in blue and red, has already taken the lead under new pilot Neill Callan; Kingsgait Native, who won this as a 2-year-old 2 years ago, is on the retreat, with Amour Propre and Tax Free both unable to challenge either. Benbaun, who ran a cracking race in second, is on the far left all on his own and not in the picture:

Borderlescott does not like Neill Callan to get too pally ...

...and I forced Jimmy to take a photo of my darling Benbaun (see his entry in the Racing Great Section too) in his 2nd spot as well: