Sea The Stars ready to go in Tuesday's Juddmonte International
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Sporting Life:
John Oxx on Sunday morning said he was "delighted" with the drying conditions at York and the forecast of similarly clement weather in the run-up to Tuesday's Juddmonte International Stakes.
Only four have been declared to take on the 2000 Guineas, Derby and Eclipse Stakes hero, with two of those being apparent pacemakers from Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable.
In effect, the Group One showpiece is now a three-horse war between Sea The Stars, O'Brien's Irish 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner Mastercraftsman and Sir Michael Stoute's Tartan Bearer, runner-up in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and King George.
After learning about the opposition to his stable star, Oxx reasoned: "The rain didn't arrive and in that respect everything's looked favourable since Friday. I knew that the weather pattern had changed for the better and we're now all set to go."
On the question of the race becoming more tactical than anything Sea The Stars has yet experienced, Oxx added: "I don't know what Aidan is thinking in terms of how the race will be run, but the presence of pacemakers in the field is what I expected.
"We shall assess the situation regarding our own tactics nearer the time, but ultimately it will be down to Mick (Kinane). If they make it a fast pace they will hardly be ignored, but then again they might well go a slow pace. Who knows?"
Assessing the return to a left-handed course, and the galloping nature of the Knavesmire, Oxx went on: "I imagine it will be ideal for him. The track is fair and looks very suitable. The colt will fly to England on Monday and be stabled overnight at the racecourse."
Clerk of the course William Derby is happy with conditions on the Knavesmire and the forecast for the next 48 hours is set fair.
"The latest forecast we have got is for it to remain dry for the rest of today, it's a cloudy day, about 19 degrees," said Derby on Sunday morning.
"There is a possibility of showers coming down from Scotland tonight, about two millimetres it looks like, with it clearing at dawn on Monday morning which should be a bright day with sunny spells with it being dry into Tuesday itself.
"We're not going to water today, we don't need to, it's bob-on at the moment and we'll monitor today and see if we get any precipitation tonight and look at it again on Monday.
"If we need to we can and will water but if we don't we won't.
"We want to keep conditions as they are at the moment, we are very happy with the racing surface at the moment," he told At The Races.
John Oxx on Sunday morning said he was "delighted" with the drying conditions at York and the forecast of similarly clement weather in the run-up to Tuesday's Juddmonte International Stakes.
Only four have been declared to take on the 2000 Guineas, Derby and Eclipse Stakes hero, with two of those being apparent pacemakers from Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable.
In effect, the Group One showpiece is now a three-horse war between Sea The Stars, O'Brien's Irish 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner Mastercraftsman and Sir Michael Stoute's Tartan Bearer, runner-up in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and King George.
After learning about the opposition to his stable star, Oxx reasoned: "The rain didn't arrive and in that respect everything's looked favourable since Friday. I knew that the weather pattern had changed for the better and we're now all set to go."
On the question of the race becoming more tactical than anything Sea The Stars has yet experienced, Oxx added: "I don't know what Aidan is thinking in terms of how the race will be run, but the presence of pacemakers in the field is what I expected.
"We shall assess the situation regarding our own tactics nearer the time, but ultimately it will be down to Mick (Kinane). If they make it a fast pace they will hardly be ignored, but then again they might well go a slow pace. Who knows?"
Assessing the return to a left-handed course, and the galloping nature of the Knavesmire, Oxx went on: "I imagine it will be ideal for him. The track is fair and looks very suitable. The colt will fly to England on Monday and be stabled overnight at the racecourse."
Clerk of the course William Derby is happy with conditions on the Knavesmire and the forecast for the next 48 hours is set fair.
"The latest forecast we have got is for it to remain dry for the rest of today, it's a cloudy day, about 19 degrees," said Derby on Sunday morning.
"There is a possibility of showers coming down from Scotland tonight, about two millimetres it looks like, with it clearing at dawn on Monday morning which should be a bright day with sunny spells with it being dry into Tuesday itself.
"We're not going to water today, we don't need to, it's bob-on at the moment and we'll monitor today and see if we get any precipitation tonight and look at it again on Monday.
"If we need to we can and will water but if we don't we won't.
"We want to keep conditions as they are at the moment, we are very happy with the racing surface at the moment," he told At The Races.