Dandy Man has the speed to score

Mozart was a brilliant winner of the VC Bet Nunthorpe Stakes just five years ago and the loss to the breeding industry from his…

Mozart was a brilliant winner of the VC Bet Nunthorpe Stakes just five years ago and the loss to the breeding industry from his premature death can be illustrated in today's renewal of the York feature where Dandy Man looks to hold a favourite's chance. Brian O'Connor, Racing Correspondent, reports

The Con Collins-trained colt is a product of Mozart's sole crop and the 32,000 Guineas it cost to buy him could look the bargain of the season if he can become just the seventh Irish trained winner of the sprint Group One.

Unlike his sire, who managed to be runner-up to Black Minnaloushe in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Dandy Man's career has been about nothing but raw speed.

So far it yielded a pair of Listed wins plus a successful trip to Newmarket in May for the Group Three Palace House.

READ MORE

Ironically though, it was a fourth in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot that enhanced his reputation where he finished well clear on the un-favoured far side of the track.

A comprehensive defeat of Osterhase at the Curragh proved Dandy Man is still on the up and he looks capable of following in the footsteps of Sandy Creek, Princess Pati and Chelsea Rose who have provided Group One success for Collins during his 54 year career.

Neither a 14 draw, nor the prospect of soft ground, is shaking the faith of the Curragh based team and Collins's daughter Tracey was in confident mood yesterday.

"Everything has gone to plan with him since his last run. He's come out of that very well. He travelled over fine," she said.

"Soft going is not really a concern. He won a Listed on softish ground as a two-year-old and earlier in the year, when he won at Newmarket, all the press were saying we needed soft. I think the draw is fair enough but it is a Group One race and we respect all the others."

Enticing will try to become the first two-year-old to beat the senior sprinters since Lyric Fantasy in 1992 and the attempt looks justified since it is hardly a vintage collection of older horses in the field.

If there is an outstanding sprint champion in the race it looks like coming from the younger brigade and Dandy Man appears the best of them.

Zarwala, a Limerick maiden winner in May, will attempt to extend John Oxx's excellent record in the Listed Galtres Stakes where she will be joined by both Reform Act and Valentina Guest.

Reform Act landed a strongly contested Stakes race at Cork last time out but that was on fast going and she will not get that here.

On the soft surface, the royal runner, Well Hidden, a daughter of Sadler's Wells and the Ribblesdale winner Phantom Gold, could be a better option.