TATE JUVENILES SET TO CLASH AT YORK
TRAINER James Tate will be doubled-handed in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York on Thursday having supplemented impressive Princess Margaret Stakes winner Under The Stars.
Connections of the Saeed Manana-owned filly paid £15,000 to add their unbeaten juvenile to the Group 2 line-up, which also includes stable companion Nasaiym.
A three-length winner on debut at Ripon, Under The Stars built significantly on that form when landing the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot last month, staying on strongly under PJ McDonald to win with something in hand.
Having pleased Tate in her recent homework, the daughter of Night Of Thunder will now test her credentials in the £225,000 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes – run on Thursday, August 22, the second day of The Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival.
“We supplemented her for the Lowther as this was the logical next step after Ascot,” said the Newmarket-based handler.
“Although she works nicely, she doesn’t overdo herself at home, so we didn’t know how much she had in hand before the Princess Margaret.
“But it was nice to see the improvement she made there and she seems to have come on again. Hopefully she can repeat that form, or even build on it.”
Under The Stars has been strong at the finish in both starts so far, but Tate has no fears about the sharp six furlongs on the Knavesmire.
“She hit the line hard in the Princess Margaret because we waited with her,” Tate added.
“PJ held her up and only asked her for her effort in the last furlong. She was very impressive there.
“She didn’t blow after the race and it didn’t take much out of her. The quicker six furlongs won’t hold any fears and I am very optimistic about her.”
Nasaiym is on an upward curve of her own having beaten a subsequent winner when breaking her maiden at Newbury and Tate has reason to be believe she is capable of further progress
He said: “Nasaiym has always been a filly we’ve liked. She won nicely enough at Newbury, but I thought she won in spite of the soft ground and she did it on class.
“These are lightly-raced horses and we’re still learning about them. While this is obviously a big step up, my gut would be that she could take a significant step forward on better ground.”
A total of 16 fillies remain engaged in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes, while the card also includes the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
The seven-strong line-up for that £400,000 contest is spearheaded by the exceptional Enable, who won this race in 2017 and is unbeaten in her last 11 starts.
Old foe Magical, who finished behind the John Gosden-trained superstar in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, has been supplemented by Aidan O’Brien at a cost of £30,000.
The Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival runs from Wednesday 21 August 21 until Saturday 24 August inclusively.