Leading fancy Arc Bleu to miss Ebor
Having got up on the line to beat Halla San in the Northumberland Plate on his penultimate start, Tony Martin’s seven-year-old ran a fine race in defeat when third in the G.P.T Galway Handicap.
Martin believes the one mile six furlong trip of York’s big handicap may be on the short side for his charge and thinks there are better options for him in the autumn.
“He ran well in Galway but we decided after the race the best thing to do was to give him a break,” said Martin.
“He ran in a two-mile race last time and he was caught for speed turning for home, so the York race would be short enough for him anyway.
“We thought we would enter him up for the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October as two mile, two furlongs round there should be ideal and he will go through the autumn ground better than some of the Flat-bred horses.”
Martin also has Salute Him entered in the Ebor – although the trainer has given up all hope of him making the cut for the race.
“I felt Salute Him would had to have won at Galway to get in but he ran disappointingly,” Martin told At The Races.
“I have more or less ruled out the possibility of him running at York and he may run at Dundalk on Friday night instead.”
George Margarson is in bullish mood as Young Mick bids to win the competitive event he finished third in two years ago.
That was one of only two runs the six-year-old has had over the trip and although some are questioning whether he is a guaranteed stayer, Margarson is in little doubt.
“I think he is still improving and he does stay the trip,” said the Newmarket handler.
“I haven’t ran him much over this far as you can’t find many handicaps that he can run in over this distance.
“In fact, I don’t think he even has to stay the trip to win the Ebor.
“What the horse has got going for him is that he travels – you can put him anywhere in the race – and he goes on any ground and he finishes.
“If you look at the race when he was third two years ago, River Alhaarth went off in front and Robert (Winston) didn’t want to let him get too far away from us.
“When he set Young Mick alight, he went and won the race two furlongs out but he just got there too soon.”
