Mick set for racecourse return

Young Mick is set to make his seasonal bow in the July Course Conditions Stakes at Newmarket later this month.

Trainer George Margarson has pencilled in the 12-furlong contest on July 27 as a stepping stone to the totesport Ebor for his stable star.

“All being well, he will probably go to Newmarket for a conditions race over a mile and a half,” he said.

“He will go there as long as he works well this week and we will be looking to go straight for the Ebor then.”

Young Mick was one of the most progressive performers last term, starting out the campaign winning an all-weather handicap off a mark of 54 before completing the season with a Group Three win in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot.

The five-year-old was also a winner at the Royal meeting and ran with great credit to finish third in the Ebor – achievements Margarson admits it will be hard to match this term.

“He’s coming back to form now but I was keen for him to be 100% before we ran him as we don’t want to run him for the sake of it,” he said.

“It will be hard to follow last year as if he continued at last year’s rate of progression, he would be winning Group Ones but we know that’s not going to happen.

“We knew this year was going to be hard, that was part of the reason we gave him a good, long break.

“We wanted to bring him back for the fast ground as he is a fast-ground horse but with the way the weather has been, conditions wouldn’t have been right for him.”

Connections toyed with a trip to Australia for the Emirates Melbourne Cup last year and the Flemington feature is again a possible target.

“He would have to run a big race in the Ebor to go to Melbourne but Dubai is also something we’re looking at for next year,” Margarson added.