Starspangledbanner facing big battle

RACING YORK PREVIEW:STARSPANGLEDBANNER HAS been burning up Europe's top six-furlong sprints but Aidan O'Brien's star speedster faces a new challenge when he lines up in York's Nunthorpe Stakes this afternoon.

Ballydoyle’s Australian import has proved too good for Europe’s fastest horses so far this summer in both the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot and Newmarket’s July Cup.

But he drops back to five furlongs for today’s Group One feature and, with ground conditions getting faster all the time on the flat Knavesmire track, this will be all about one desperate lunge for the line.

Whether that plays to Starspangledbanner’s strengths remains debatable. He is after all a Group One winner “Down Under” over a mile – and a furlong from home in the July Cup, Equiano looked to have him cold until failing to repel the O’Brien runner in the final 100 yards.

Equiano is back for another crack today and, as a dual-winner of the King Stands Stakes, this five furlongs looks ideal for the Barry Hills trained ex-Spanish sprinter.

The field of 13 includes Borderlescott who attempts to join Sharpo (1980-81-82) and Tag End (1928-29-30) as a treble winner of this prestigious prize and another former winner is Kingsgate Native who won the Nunthorpe as a two-year-old in 2007.

There are a pair of juveniles in today as well, including the Norfolk sixth Dinkum Diamond, as well as another Irish hope in the Eddie Lynam-trained Sole Power.

However Aidan O’Brien, fresh from his Juddmonte success with Rip Van Winkle earlier in the week, was in hopeful form yesterday about Starspangledbanner’s chances.

“We were delighted with him at Newmarket. He is a very straightforward horse who shows a lot of speed and he is brave at the end,” the trainer said.

“He has always looked a very good horse but the thing that surprised us was that he was able to get a mile in Australia with that kind of speed.”

Starspangledbanner is drawn in stall 13 while Equiano is in box three. The pair dominated the July Cup and may do the same here if Borderlescott isn’t at the top of his game. Robin Bastiman’s horse has made a rapid recovery from what initially looked a serious injury when winning at Goodwood and the trainer said yesterday: “He tweaked a muscle at Goodwood but he has been checked over by every man under the sun and there is no reason not to run.”

York’s sprint course is very much Borderlescott’s home turf but this afternoon he could have to share it with the five-furlong specialist Equiano.

As well as Starspangledbanner, Johnny Murtagh also teams up today with Cesare for James Fanshawe in the Group Three Strensall Stakes over a mile.

Most focus though is likely to be on the progressive Rainbow Peak who landed a gamble with an impressive victory in the Listed Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot. Michael Jarvis’s runner looked a Group performer in the making that day and can prove the point here.

Real Article is appropriately named

THE Real Article can prove how appropriately named he is if he maintains his unbeaten record in the final race of Killarney’s August festival this evening.

Edward O’Grady also has a major shout with Slieveardagh in the featured €30,000 handicap hurdle but the in-form trainer will certainly fancy his chances in the concluding amateur race with The Real Article.

It takes a very decent animal to win three bumpers and the five-year-old has managed that this summer with victories at Cork and Tipperary twice.

This is a hot event with the 90-rated End Of The Affair and Dermot Weld’s wide-margin Galway winner Endless Intrigue also in the race. But The Real Article gets a significant weight concession and looks very progressive.

Unaccompanied broke her maiden on fast ground at Galway but will relish any dig in the going in the mile conditions race while at Kilbeggan Preswell Lad could represent a touch of value in the Opportunity Hurdle.