2010 Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes

The York Ebor festival kicks off on Tuesday at York Racecourse in England with the first card featuring the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes.  Other races scheduled to take place during the four-day Ebor festival are:

Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes (8/17)
Group 3 Acomb Stakes (8/17)
Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes (8/18)
Group 2 Lonsdale Cup (8/18)
Group 2 Lowther Stakes (8/19)
Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks (8/19)
Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes (8/20)
Group 3 Strensall Stakes (8/20)

The entire meet can be seen on HRTV, should your cable or satellite provide be so generous as to provide that channel to you.

I am by no means an expert on racing in the U.K., but here are a few of my thoughts on some of the top contenders for Tuesday's Juddmonte:

• Rip Van Winkle (IRE) was second to Canford Clifffs by a ¼ length last time out in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.  Prior to that he was 6^th to Goldikova (IRE) at Royal Ascot after finishing tenth to Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
• Byword (GB) won the Group 1 Princes of Wales's Stakes over Twice Over at Royal Ascot and has finished first or second in each of his four races in 2010.  He's shown an ability to track the leaders in the early stages during most of his races.
• Twice Over (GB) didn't fare too well at Meydan in the Dubai World Cup, but he seems to be right back on his usual form after finishing second in the Prince of Wales's followed by a win in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on July 3^rd.  Six of his eight lifetime wins are at the mile and a quarter and he seems to fit well in this spot; Twice Over could be peaking for a big effort.
• Dick Turpin (IRE) will stretch out to ten furlongs after running at a mile in each of his last four events.  On July 4th he won the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly over Siyouni (FR); his current form is excellent but he's a question mark at the distance.
• The Italian-raced Jakkalberry (IRE) is one of the longer shots to win the Juddmonte but is certainly isn't due to any stamina issues.  He won the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano at San Siro on June 13^th at a mile and a half and all six of his career victories have occurred at a ten or twelve furlongs.  The competition gets a lot stiffer than what he's faced in Italy but he's a bit of an intriguing long shot.

Selections

Rip Van Winkle's form doesn't seem to be as good as it was last summer and I've got a bit of a question as to whether ten furlongs is his ideal distance (even though he did finish a nice 2^nd to Arc winner Sea The Stars in last year's Coral-Eclipse).  I'm going to pass on the current betting favorite and focus on Byword, who I think might end up in a very nice position tracking Dick Turpin and Stimulation (assuming that one breaks on top) through the early parts of the race.  He should get the jump on Twice Over in the later stages and would be my pick to prevail in this spot. 

If the pace is fast enough, perhaps Jakkalberry can make his way towards to front a grab a top three finish.

Going Report

As of 3pm on Monday, York had rated the going as "Good", although rain is forecast for the early morning hours.  You can find the latest going ratings for each segment of the York course here.

Odds

The table below summarizes the field along with the approximate current odds offered by British bookmakers.  The link in the table will take you to the summary card at the Racing Post (UK).