Audience seeking starring role in City of York

Audience is out to enhance his stellar 2024 campaign by going one better than 12 months ago in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes.

John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old had to settle for second behind Kinross last year but has taken his form to the next level this term.

A shock winner of the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May, he failed to figure in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, but thrived for a drop back to seven furlongs in the Lennox Stakes last month.

He ran out the most impressive winner at Goodwood – coming home four lengths clear of Tim Easterby’s reopposing Art Power – and the mount of Robert Havlin arrives on the Knavesmire with plenty of momentum.

“He has no Group One penalty to carry, which is obviously an advantage, and he ran very well in this race last year when he was second to Kinross,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud.

“I think Goodwood showed seven furlongs suits him better than the stiff mile at Ascot, where he ran very well in the Queen Anne but probably didn’t quite get home.

“It’s a competitive race, as ever, but if he can produce his last run, hopefully he’ll be right there.”

Kinross could only finish third behind Audience in the Lennox Stakes but has fond memories of both York and this race as Ralph Beckett’s consistent stalwart seeks his third successive victory in the Group Two event.

Another previous Ebor Festival winner in the race is William Haggas’ Lake Forest, who lifted the Gimcrack at this meeting 12 months ago and now moves up in trip after two fine runs in defeat so far this season.

Second to Inisherin when reappearing in the Commonwealth Cup, he bumped into another Sheikh Obaid-owned speedster when runner-up to Elite Status at Newbury.

Owned by Brighton & Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom in partnership with Ian McAleavy, the son of No Nay Never relishes quick ground with his team hoping conditions will allow him to put his best foot forward.

Haggas said: “He’s in really good form and this is the race we want to have a go at, but he doesn’t want any cut in the ground. He wants really quick ground and hopefully it will be fast enough on Saturday.

“We’re not (completely) sure about the trip, there’s enough on the dam’s side of his pedigree to say he wants the trip. I don’t know really though, he certainly races well over six furlongs but he looks like seven will suit him well as he’s been a strong finisher twice this year.

“He’s never been better than at the line both times, so it could be that he is better over seven maybe, but we will see.

“In the Commonwealth Cup it was a strong race and the Hackwood Stakes was a much better race than the grade, so he’s done well.”

Shouldvebeenaring has also struck at this meeting in the past and Richard Hannon’s colt has risen through the ranks since winning the valuable Goffs sales race as a two-year-old.

Now a regular in Group-race company, he has primarily run over six furlongs with connections now keen to test the waters once again up in distance.

“We’re sort of undecided whether his best trip is six or seven furlongs, but if I had to go for one I’d probably say seven,” said Tim Palin of owners Middleham Park Racing.

“He’s a genuine Group One/Group Two performer and we’d love to make him a Group One or Group Two winner before the end of the season.

“I think he goes to York with a fighting chance. He’s tightly matched with Kinross and Lake Forest. Audience is perhaps the class horse in the field and was an impressive winner at Goodwood, but I do wonder whether he and Art Power got loose on the front end that day.

“Hopefully the ground is fast. There are showers forecast I believe and we could do without any rain as fast ground is him playing at home.

“It is slightly more than seven furlongs and over that trip we could do without a slog in a bog.”