Yorkshire Jockeys Horse Racing

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COUNTY Durham trainer Michael Dods has high-class sprint duo Mecca’s Angel and Easton Angel in good order ahead of the four day Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, which begins on Wednesday 19 August.

Easton Angel, second at Royal Ascot in the Queen Mary Stakes and then an unlucky-in-running fourth in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket, is all set to tackle the richest ever renewal of the Group 2 Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes on Thursday at York.

Stable-mate Mecca’s Angel is reported by Dods to be in fine fettle but will only contest next Friday’s Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe, another contest offering boosted prize money at £310,000, if the ground is ‘good’ or easier.

Dods said: “Easton Angel is in very good form. Her work is good and the plan, as long as we get no setbacks, is that she’ll be running.

“Possibly the Newmarket race came a bit quickly after Ascot. But she seems in better form now than she was before she went to Newmarket. So, I’m very pleased with her at home anyway.”

A tilt at the Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes, now worth nearly £210,000 after the addition of the money from supplementary entrant, Lumiere; could mean a rematch with Illuminate, who won the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes. The race didn’t pan out for Easton Angel, who was denied a clear run at a crucial stage.

Dods assessed it thus: “We were sort of stopped in our run and carried across the track. We didn’t have a lot of luck in running – and the ground was plenty quick enough for Easton Angel.

“We’ve got to hope that, with a clear run, there won’t be a lot between them. Plus, we have a 3lb pull with Illuminate, so hopefully that gives us a chance of beating her.

“But obviously it’s a tough race and there is more than just her in it – there are some other good horses. It will take a bit of winning but we know we go there happy and hope that we run a big race.”

Dods has been pleased to see the recent rain for both her and Mecca’s Angel, the yard’s Coolmore Nunthorpe entry, who was beaten a neck in a Group 2 at The Curragh on July 18, as the speedster prefers juice in the ground.

Dods said of Mecca’s Angel: “The weather is the issue because she definitely needs to get her toe in. We’ll definitely leave her in and hope that the rain keeps a bit of cut in the ground.

“As long as the ground is no faster than ‘good’ – and towards the easier side of ‘good’ – then she would take her chance. But if there was any firm in it, we wouldn’t be taking the chance.

“She is in great form. I’m very pleased with her. Paul Mulrennan rode her in the middle of this week in a gallop. He was very happy with her.

“She is ready to run but the ground is the most important factor with her. If she doesn’t get her ground, then she would struggle.”

Indeed, the size of Dods’ team for the Knavesmire is likely to hinge on how the weather unfolds over the next few days.

He added: “We’ve been happy to see a bit of rain about for everything that we’ve got in at York next week.

“We have Hernandoshideaway for the Melrose (Saturday 22 August). He won at Pontefract last week – he’s in good form. He would need a bit of cut.

“We’ve got a few (Mass Rally, Spinatrix, My Name Is Rio, Desert Ace) in the Symphony Group Sprint and will decide what we run there.

“And in Friday’s mile handicap, we’ve got Get Knotted who won his last race, a decent handicap at Ayr.”

The four-day Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival takes place from Wednesday, August 19-22, inclusive.