Connections of six horses - including Glorious Goodwood winner Pershaada - have taken advantage of the trial second entry stage for races at York's Sky Bet Ebor Festival.
A second entry stage has been a standing dish in France for many years and was trialled in the UK last season for the Middle Park and Futurity Trophy.
The Flat Pattern Committee were keen to extend the trial and York stepped up to adopt it for the Sky Bet Ebor Festival.
A second entry stage was introduced for eight races at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival, including the Juddmonte International and Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes.
Royal Hunt Cup winner and Lennox Stakes second Rogue Diplomat was added to the field for the Sky Bet City Of York Stakes, Dubai Champion - a close second under Ryan Moore in a Goodwood nursery after drifting across the track - to the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes while Sexy Chick, Livenka and Crownbreaker were all entered for the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes.
Middleham Park Racing had previously announced their intention to take advantage of the new initiative with Pershaada.
Trained by Richard Hannon, Pershaada showed plenty of dash at last week's Qatar Goodwood Festival when burning off her rivals late on in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes.
In the post-race interviews it was put to Hannon that the Nunthorpe might be a tempting option for the juvenile - who will receive a healthy weight-for-age allowance if lining up against her elders on the Knavesmire - and he did little to quell that line of questioning. He explained: “She’s a very talented filly and I think we might go for the Nunthorpe now. Lyric Fantasy (trained by Hannon’s father, Richard senior) did and she looks like she’s quick enough too.
“I’m delighted for the owners, this is a very, very good filly who we bought from (Tattersalls) Book One.
“It seems to me that with the weight allowance she’ll have a great chance (at York).”
Middleham Park Racing manager Tim Palin duly confirmed that she would follow the same route as their The Platinum Queen who ran in the Alice Keppel at Goodwood before finishing two lengths second to Highland Princess in the 2022 renewal, returning her supplementary fee and more besides with earnings of over £114,000.
The last two-year-old to win the Nunthorpe Stakes was the aforementioned Lyric Fantasy in 1992.
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