Improving four-year-olds Blue RC and City Of Poets give trainer James Tate a strong hand as they take on some seasoned rivals in the Sky Bet Thirsk Hunt Cup on Saturday, May 2.
With a record prize fund of £60,000, the mile handicap is the highlight of the season at Thirsk and supported for the first time by Sky Bet.
Both colts arrive on the back of progressive all-weather campaigns, with Blue RC winning at Southwell on New Year’s Day and taking second behind Tyrrhenian Sea in the Mile final on Good Friday.
The son of Blue Point scored on two of his three turf appearances in 2025, including a commanding three-and-a-quarter length victory in a seven-furlong handicap at Thirsk in June.
City Of Poets was runner-up at Thirsk on his debut last April, after which he went one better in a Lingfield Park maiden and novice event at Wetherby.
A winner at Wolverhampton on his final start last year, the Ghaiyyath entire shaped with promise on his return in a handicap at the same course in March, when he went down by a half-length in third.
Tate said: “City Of Poets has been laid out for this because a turning mile seems to suit him, as he showed again at Wolverhampton last time. He has track experience at Thirsk as well, having finished second to a decent horse [Montpellier] on debut.
“With Blue RC, we had to choose between this race and a nice mile handicap at Newbury in a couple of weeks’ time. However, he seems so well at home that we could not wait to run him, plus he has winning form at the track.
“We think both horses are in great form. Blue RC has achieved more than City Of Poets but has more weight as a result. That is the beauty of a handicap and fingers crossed one of them can pass the post in front.”
Sea Force is shading favouritism with Sky Bet. The William Haggas-trained four-year-old bids to reverse form with David O’Meara’s Mirsky after they were third and sixth in a Sky Bet Sunday Series handicap at Musselburgh recently.
G2 winner Witch Hunter heads the weights for Richard Hannon and has form to turn around with Blue RC, having finished ninth in the Mile final on Good Friday.
The Karl Burke-trained Flight Plan, one of two returning Thirsk Hunt Cup winners, was eighth in the same Newcastle contest and is now 8lb lower compared to last year’s success.
As well as Blue RC, owner Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum is represented by Listed scorer Al Mubhir, who is now with Kevin Ryan following an unsuccessful spell in Australia.
12-year-old Redarna, a shock 66/1 winner in 2022, makes his fourth appearance in the Thirsk Hunt Cup for Dianne Sayer, having finished fourth in 2024 and ninth last year.
Musselburgh winner Bellarchi (Grant Tuer) heads two contenders for Nick Bradley Racing as she bids to bring up a hat-trick. The same silks will be carried by the Michael & David Easterby-trained A War Eagle, who scored at Beverley last week.
Owner Steve Ryan is double handed as well, with Kevin Ryan’s Apiarist joined by Irish import Esherann, who finished down the field on his debut for Declan Carroll at Newmarket recently.
O’Meara’s other runner Rhoscolyn, who won the Golden Mile at Glorious Goodwood last year, and two former Roger Varian inmates in Accentuate (Tim Easterby) and Dashing Darcey (Geoff Harker) also run.
Sky Bet Thirsk Hunt Cup – Sky Bet prices:
4/1 Sea Force
9/2 Blue RC
6/1 City Of Poets
13/2 Flight Plan
9/1 Bellarchi
10/1 A War Eagle
11/1 Dashing Darcey, Mirsky
12/1 Al Mubhir
16/1 Esherann
20/1 Apiarist, Rhoscolyn
22/1 Accentuate
25/1 Witch Hunter
40/1 Redarna
Each-way 1/5 odds, 5 places, odds correct at 1600 BST on 30/04/2026
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