News from the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival

Cracksman gained a deserved success with a bloodless performance in the Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes.

Placed in both the English and Irish Derbies, the Frankel colt was sent off the 4/6 favourite and was asked to go and win his race early with Frankie Dettori making his move fully three furlongs from home.

Venice Beach attempted to go with him but Cracksman soon saw off his rival and galloped on relentlessly to lift the Group Two prize.

"I think he dropped back off Ryan's tail on Venice Beach and he tends to go to sleep," said trainer John Gosden. "So Frankie had to get after him early and he was in front for an awful long time.

"He won't go for the Leger. We've never thought of going that route. He may run again this year, but the main focus is next year which is what it's about with the King George and those races.

"He was only a shell of a horse earlier in the season. Ascot (Champion Stakes) and the Arc are the only two possibilities this year. And they are only possibilities, not probabilities.

"He's got more stronger and positive in himself. He ran brave races in the Epsom and Irish Derbys, but he's getting better all the time."

Sky Bet cut Cracksman to 10/1 from 16s for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly in October while he is 14/1 with the same firm for the Irish Champion Stakes.

Dettori said: "He has come on a lot. He put up a good performance there, because I asked him early enough to get into top gear and stretch them out. The last two furlongs he was galloping right away from the field and I was very impressed.

"He is laid back and you have got to shake him up a bit, otherwise he is happy to follow the others, that's why I got him going plenty early enough. Once he knows it's time to go, he goes.

"We had to get him ready for the Derby. He is such a big horse with a big frame to fill. John gave him the time off to improve and he will be a force to be reckoned with next year."

Proud owner Anthony Oppenheimer joined Gosden in sounding a cautious note on the prospect of another outing this year.

He said: "He needed this really, to give him confidence. He's so much stronger than he was in the Derbys.

"I thought he'd be in the first four at Epsom, it's a pity he wasn't the same strength then as he is today, but never mind. He will make a marvellous four-year-old.

"I'm inclined not to run him again this year, he certainly won't go in the St Leger or anything like that, as we have taken him out. It depends on the trainer, if he gets very full of himself we might have to run him.

"But I think we'd rather like to take him into next year and aim for the King George and the Arc, if we're lucky."

Wells Farhh Go maintained his unbeaten record when getting up on the line to prevail in a pulsating finish to the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes.

Needing every inch of the seven-furlong trip, the Tim Easterby-trained 10/1 chance, who made a winning debut over course and distance last month, wore down James Garfield in the dying strides to gain the day by a nose.

Lansky was a further three and three-quarter lengths back in third, but favourite Dee Ex Bee - like the winner a son of Farhh - was a major disappointment.

There was early drama in the race, with the Richard Fahey-trained Chief Justice unshipping Paul Hanagan soon after exiting the stalls.

Winning rider David Allan said: "I thought the last stride he just stuck his head down and I thought I just got him on the post, but you never know - when your head is down and you are driving away it's quite hard to tell.

"He has still shown his inexperience a bit there. I thought I had the race won when I hit the front and Frankie (Dettori) burst through and it gave him something to run down again and he dug in again towards the finish.

"He was definitely having a look in front and I think there is more improvement in there, especially when he goes a bit further. He feels like he has got the potential to improve. He is a big horse, so he has got the scope."

Easterby said: "I thought he hadn't quite got there and that I should have run him over a mile.

"He's in the Royal Lodge and the Group One race at Chantilly (Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere). Whether we run him or not, I'm not sure. He's a big horse and needs a bit of time.

"I think he might be another Bollin Eric (the 2002 St Leger winner), he's not far off. He's just a very good horse in the making. One day he will be a proper horse. He's had a hard race there and I wouldn't be rushing to run him quickly."

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Easterby is based locally to the track at Great Habton and relishes a York winner more than most.

He said: "It's fantastic. If they are entered here we don't walk the course, they run usually.

"I had a lot of offers for him since his last run and I resisted. I bought him at Tatts Sales as a yearling. He was just a big nice horse. He showed me a nice bit if speed early on so we waited a bit with him and gave him a chance.

"Next year will be his year and he will be an even better four-year-old. I didn't put him in the Racing Post Trophy He's out of a Galileo mare, he's got a great temperament and has got it all before him. He's very exciting."

George Scott said of James Garfield: "We've lots to look forward to with him. He probably just got a bit lonely out in front. I also think he has been beaten by a very good horse who was only having his second start.

"Even still, it is very frustrating. I was upset this morning when the rain came and I am sure he would have preferred faster ground.

"We've got plenty of options going forward. We won't make any snap decisions."

Sweet Symphony for Paul Midgley's stable star

Desert Law claimed his second win inside a week with a clear-cut success in the Symphony Group Handicap.

After striking at Doncaster just four days ago, the Paul Midgley-trained nine-year-old showed he is in good heart when backing that success up in the extended five-and-a-half-furlong event.

In a race few got into, the 14/1 shot tracked the early pace cut out by the fast-starting Thesme, before forging on under Luke Morris deep inside the final furlong and holding the late rally from favourite Edward Lewis by a length and a quarter.

Midgley said: "Fair play to Andy (Taylor, owner). I was a bit reluctant to run him, but Andy was positive we were running.

"He did it well on Saturday (at Doncaster) and has done it again there.

"He's been absolutely fantastic for us. He does not owe us one penny. He's won the (Epsom) Dash and all he's done is earn us money and he's a nice person as well.

"We'll enjoy today and worry about everything else for him after."

He added: "He travelled nicely, got a good tow into the race and never looked as though he was going to get beat."

Magic Circle opened his account for the season to set up a potential tilt at the Betfred Ebor after continuing his blossoming partnership with Harry Bentley in the Fine Equity Handicap.

The five-year-old made it four from four under the Group One-winning rider with victory in the extended two-mile prize to claim his first success since scoring over course and distance last July.

In a race few got into the Ralph Beckett-trained 7/2 favourite moved onto the hind quarters of early leader My Reward, who had dictated a steady pace from the outset, before pulling away smartly late on to take victory by a length.

Beckett said: "We are going to leave him in the Ebor in the morning. He might get in, he might not, but he obviously loves it here.

"It was always the intention to leave him in the Ebor if he won today. His owners are Yorkshiremen and it would mean a lot to them to have a runner in the Ebor."

Demons Rock stretched his winning run to four in blitzing his rivals from the front to take the Betway Nursery.

Although requiring six attempts to get off the mark the Tom Dascombe-trained colt has not looked back since starting his winning sequence at Chepstow last month.

Sent off at 8/1, the son of Requinto was quickly away from the stalls and soon found himself at the head of the field in the six-furlong contest under Richard Kingscote.

Despite a host of challengers stacked up in behind him, none could find a way past with Dascombe's charge having enough in hand to hold off bottom weight Queen's Sargent by a head.

Dascombe's assistant Colin Gorman said: "This horse has done great for the syndicate that own him. He's won four times in the last five weeks. The thing is Richard said he responds and responds.

"We were a bit disappointed with him earlier in the season. He'd always shown a lot, but he has now put it together.

"We'll see how he comes out of it. He's gone up 17lb and we're chuffed to bits with him."