TRAINER Clive Cox has Group 1 stars Profitable and My Dream Boat ready to roll into York for next week’s Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival.

Lambourn-based Cox sent out both colts to big-race glory at Royal Ascot with Profitable landing the King’s Stand Stakes and My Dream Boat victorious in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

At York, My Dream Boat could contest the richest ever race on the Knavesmire, the £900,000 Juddmonte International, on the opening day, Wednesday, August 17, while Profitable is lined up for the sprint showpiece, the £340,000 Coolmore Nunthorpe that headlines Friday.

Cox said: “Profitable is in excellent form and I have been very pleased with him. The Nunthorpe is looking like a race to savour and we are very much looking forward to it.

“We decided after Ascot that we would like to give him a run between then and the Nunthorpe. We gave him a break last year and he didn’t thrive on it, so we felt that it was in his best interest to have another run.

“Being a Group 1 winner he would have carried a penalty in the King George at Goodwood over five furlongs so we took our chance in the July Cup over six. He ran with credit (to finish fourth) and you couldn’t say he didn’t stay, but he is more effective over five (furlongs).

“The Nunthorpe is shaping up to be a very hot race – like I said, one to savour – but we are very happy with Profitable.”

Owned by Alan Spence, Profitable is a course and distance winner, which partly explains his being around a 7/2 chance for the five-furlong Group 1, vying for favoritism with last year’s winner, Mecca’s Angel, from the northern yard of Michael Dods.

The Paul and Clare Rooney-owned My Dream Boat is a possible contender for the Juddmonte International, on Wednesday 17 August.

Cox added: “My Dream Boat is also in excellent form. He worked very well on Saturday morning and is under consideration for the Juddmonte International.

“The main factor in determining his participation will be the ground as he wouldn’t want it too fast. But he’s in excellent shape and I have been pleased with him.”

The Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival gets underway on Wednesday, August 17 and runs to Saturday, August, 20 (inclusive).