Saratoga Springs returns to York

In only six days' time, the north of England's premier festival of horseracing starts when York's 1998 Ebor Festival (August 18th-20th) gets underway with prizemoney in excess of £1 million on offer.

The meeting opens on Tuesday with York's most valuable race of the season, the £250,000-added Juddmonte International Stakes, a Group One contest over an extended mile-and-a-quarter.

Aidan O'Brien has targeted Saratoga Springs at the race since his disappointing effort when unplaced in the Vodafone Derby at Epsom.

Despite finishing out of the first three in the French, English and then Irish Derbys, the three-yearold had previously run the best race of his career when taking the Dante Stakes over this course and distance. But he will find plenty of decent sorts in opposition.

The Dubai royal family have found the race providing rich pickings in the last five years.

Sheikh Mohammed's Singspiel last season supplemented the successes of his brother Maktoum Al Maktoum's Ezzoud in 1993 and 1994 and Godolphin's Halling landed the next two runnings.

And with horses like the Godolphin trio of Daylami, Swain and Faithful Son amongst the possible runners, who would rule an extension of their impressive winning sequence?

A recognised trial for the final Classic, September's Pertemps St Leger, the £80,000added Stakis Grosevnor Casinos Great Voltigeur Stakes also figures highly on Tuesday's bill, and could draw together Gordon Stakes dead-heaters Rabah and Nedawi, as well as close third Hitman.

Handicap racing takes centre stage on Wednesday with the £110,000-added ToteEbor Handicap, the parade for which will be led by dual Champion hurdler Sea Pigeon, who landed this race under top weight of 10st in 1979.

Ante-post favourite Tuning has been all the rage in recent days to improve Henry Cecil's brilliant record with lightly-raced horses in the race, but she also holds an entry in the same afternoon's Group One Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks.

Vodafone Oaks winner Shahtoush - another from the allconquering O'Brien yard - has had this prize on her agenda as has John Oxx's Oaks Irish Oaks winner, Winona.

Thursday's top event should be the Group One Persimmon Homes Nunthorpe Stakes.

Last year's running was unquestionably one of the most memorable contests in the last 20 years of racing, when Ya Malak and Coastal Bluff dead-heated for first place.

Before even a furlong of the contest had been completed, Coastal Bluff's bit had broken and Kevin Darley was forced to ride out the rest of the race holding on to the horse's mane at an average speed of 38 mph.

Not only were the trainers of both horses, David Barron and (his former jockey) David Nicholls, securing his first Group One success, but Ya Malak's pilot Alex Greaves was becoming the first female jockey to partner a horse to Group race success in Britain.