Two Step Kid can hit a high note for the second time on Knavesmire this season at tomorrow's first-ever York Music Showcase Day.
Jeremy Noseda's high-class sprinter is one of 15 runners facing the starter in the £50,000 Skybet Dash, the highlight of the seven-race card at this new fixture.
There will be live music after racing, with world famous band The Commitments being supported by the Ransome Silver Band, one of the country's premier brass bands.
Two Step Kid underlined his class on this course last month when winning the valuable William Hill Trophy. Although he was beaten into third place at Newmarket earlier this month, that defeat was in one of the toughest three-year-old handicaps races of the season.
Two Step Kid takes on older horses tomorrow, among them a trio of runners from David Nicholls yard, but he is fancied to have the edge all the same. Eddie Ahern has the mount.
Nap selection Wonderful Mind should not be overlooked in the Skybet Nursery over five furlongs.
Tim Easterby's Beverley winner just failed to last home when tackling a similar race here earlier in the month, but if this speedy juvenile can be relaxed a touch more in the early stages he will surely take plenty of catching tomorrow. Robert Winston will be in the saddle.
Richard Fahey's promising Rising Shadow (2.50) is also worthy of interest, while course-and-distance winner Sporting Gesture (5.20), trained by Mick Easterby, may carry too much firepower for Tim FitzGerald's hat-trick seeking Inchnadamph.
Tomorrow's major race is the £750,000 King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot.
A field of 11 will line-up, headed by Doyen, who is my choice to provide Frankie Dettori, Saeed Bin Suroor and the Godolphin team with another big victory.
An unlucky loser of the Coronation Cup at Epsom, Doyen made no mistake in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, which provided him with an impressive success.
He will be very hard to beat. The tough-as-teak Warrsan and French challenger Vallee Enchantee may be the two to chase him home.
The £150,000 totesport International Heritage Handicap is the main supporting race to the 'King George' and looks a devillishly difficult one to solve.
Sound cases can be made out for a dozen or more horses, including Ettrick Water, winner of his last two starts. Tomorrow could see Luca Cumani's useful performer chalk up a third success.
Saturday's tips:
York
1.50 Claret And Amber, 2.20 Wonderful Mind (Nap), 2.50 Rising Shadow, 3.25 Two Step Kid, 4.00 Grey Clouds, 4.45 Effective, 5.20 Sporting Gesture.
Ascot
2.00 Prince Samos, 2.35 Mister Monet, 3.10 Soar
3.45 Ettrick Water, 4.25 Doyen, 5.00 Distant Country, 5.35 Court Of Appeal.
Tomorrow's other meetings are at Lingfield, Newcastle, Nottingham and Salisbury.
Updated: 14:05 Friday, July 23, 2004
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