TRAINER James Bethell is targeting the opening day of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival a York with promising two-year-old Ulshaw Bridge.

The High Chaparral colt is a proven course performer, having comfortably won the John Smith’s Novice Median Auction Stakes over six furlongs on Knavesmire last month.

Connections are now aiming for a first run in Group company, in the £90,000 Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes, staged over seven furlongs, on Wednesday.

An alternative option is the richest nursery in the land, the £70,000 Betway-supported contest over six furlongs that concludes the same card.

Ulshaw Bridge – named after the medieval structure that crosses the River Ure, a couple of miles east of his training base in Middleham – was 12-1 for that first career success in July, beating several fancied prospects.

“I was very impressed with him,” said Bethell. “The second (Midnight Wilde) has come out and won and I think something that finished way behind (Sands of Mali) has come out and won. So the form looks quite good.”

Ulshaw Bridge was subsequently a fast-finishing third, beaten just half-a-length, in a six-furlong conditions race at Chester where the winner and runner-up both carried less weight than him.

It was the manner in which he finished that race, powering from last to almost win, that really caught the eye.

“I think that just the course being so sharp just caught him out a bit,” assessed Bethell. “But when he hit the straight he flew very fast. Another half a furlong – well, even less than half a furlong – he'd have won, I think.”

The fact he was doing his best work late on has Bethell leaning towards the seven-furlong Tattersalls Acomb Stakes.

“We think he'd be better suited by seven furlongs but I’m possibly going to put him in the six-furlong nursery as well – just in case there's something very smart in the Acomb. But we'd like to go for the Acomb if we can.”

The colt, owned by Geoffrey Van Cutsem and Partners, is in good shape ahead of whichever opening day assignment he contests at York.

“He is well now and won't do a lot of fast work,” said Bethell.

As for Ulshaw Bridge’s long-term prospects, Bethell is envisaging a horse that will keep taking forward strides as a three-year-old. “He should definitely progress and get stronger. He is a very nice horse to train.”

The Ebor Festival runs from Wednesday to Saturday.