SIR Michael Stoute, who has such a wonderful record on Knavesmire, can prove the star of the opening show tomorrow by saddling Medicean to clinch the Juddmonte International Stakes.

The £450,000 Group 1 contest, the richest race of the year at York and the showpiece of the celebrated three-day August meeting, has attracted a multi-talented nine-strong field.

Medicean, installed the 5-2 joint-favourite with Sakhee, is unbeaten in three starts this season, winning the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and the Coral Eurobet-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, where he had half-a-length to spare over Grandera.

The runner-up renews rivalry tomorrow, but Medicean is again expected to prove his master and also take care of Sakhee, who represents the Godolphin organization.

Second to Sindarr in last year's Derby, Sakhee made a belated seasonal reappearance at Newbury last month and readily disposed of lower-class rivals to justify odds-on favouritism.

That performance underlined his wellbeing, but he will need to be right back to his best tomorrow in a field which also includes dual-Group 1 winner Black Minnaloushe, trained by Aidan O'Brien, who sent out Giant's Causeway to clinch this prestigious prize 12 months ago.

The honours this time are expected to go to Stoute, courtesy of the admirable Medicean, who is napped to oblige in the hands of Kieren Fallon.

Stoute and Fallon can also win the opening Paradime Acomb Stakes with Comfy, a highly-regarded colt who looks capable of stepping up considerably on his third-placed debut effort last month.

The £150,000 Great Voltigeur Stakes offers Storming Home a great chance of adding to his high-class reputation.

Barry Hills' colt, a fluent Royal Ascot winner in June, after finishing fifth in the Vodafone Derby, has since finished a highly-respectable fourth to the mighty Galileo in the King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot.

Hills can also win the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Stakes with Rainbow High, who is assured of the strong gallop he needs with confirmed front-runners Persian Punch and Yorkshire trading blows at the head of the field from the outset.

Sporting Gesture, trained by Mick Easterby, scored at Pontefract yesterday and is set to make a quick reappearance in the Ladbroke Knavesmire Handicap.

The Sheriff Hutton gelding is in the form of his life, having won his last three races and, despite a 7lb penalty, looks sure to make a bold bid to gain a popular success.

Northern Tara, trained by John Quinn, and an unlucky loser at Goodwood last time, can be another local winner in the Gerrard Eglinton Nursery, while Dandy Nicholls can round off proceedings by taking the Links of London Handicap with Undeterred.

The five-year-old, a course and distance winner, did not enjoy a clear run when third to Guinea Hunter in the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood. Compensation now awaits him in the hands of Fallon, also the rider of nap selection Medicean.

MOT JUSTE heads a field of nine in the £250,000 Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks at York on Wednesday after today's final declaration stage.

Ed Dunlop's filly, runner-up to stablemate Lailani in the Kildangan Stud Irish Oaks last month, is among seven three-year-olds taking on two older horses in the Group One race.

The older fillies are the four-year-old Sacred Song, smooth winner of the Halliwell Landau Lancashire Oaks at Haydock last month and Henry Cecil's only runner at the York meeting, and Italian-trained five-year-old Super Tassa.

Michael Bell has declared his Italian Oaks victor Zanzibar, who has not raced since being badly jarred up when finishing last in the Vodafone Oaks at Epsom in June.

Tomorrow's tips:

YORK

2.00 - Comfy

2.35 - Rainbow High

3.10 - Medician (NAP)

3.45 - Storming Home

4.15 - Sporting Gesture

4.45 - Northern Tara

5.15 - Undeterred

HAMILTON

2.20 - Whistling Dixie

2.55 - Unleash

3.30 - Racing Bailey's

4.00 - Swynford Elegance

4.30 - Kilmeny

5.00 - Waterford Spirit

Updated: 12:38 Monday, August 20, 2001