Body and Soul set to challenge in York charity day race

Tim Easterby’s highly-promising horse amassed more than £250,000 in prize money last season when recording notable wins at Ripon, Thirsk, Newbury and Redcar where he landed the prestigious totepool.com Two-Year-Old Trophy.

Fifth on his seasonal reappearance at Ripon, Great Habton-based Easterby holds Body And Soul in the highest regard and was slightly disappointed when the sprinter was narrowly beaten at last year’s Ebor meeting on Knavesmire after Kevin Ryan’s Hototo prevailed in a thrilling finish. He will be hoping to make amends on Saturday.

The race is the centrepiece of the now annual Macmillan Charity Day which has raised over £5.5m since its inception more than 40 years ago.

As well as a fundraising auction, the meeting will also see 12 aspiring riders – including Middleham training stalwart Kate Walton – take part in a special charity race.

Meanwhile the build-up to next week’s Royal Ascot meeting continues, with officials watering the famous track to ensure good going.

There will be a strong international dimension headed by Andreas Wohler who broke new ground 10 days ago when saddling Germany’s first runner in the Epsom Derby.

Wohler is keen to have a crack at Animal Kingdom with Indomito in the Queen Anne Stakes, the opening race of the meeting, while Altano will take his chance in the Ascot Gold Cup.

Altano may be joined by stablemate Earl Of Tinsdal, but Wohler would like to see plenty of rain for the dual Group One winner to take his chance and he is not a definite runner.

After the exploits of Danedream in the Arc and King George, and Energizer notching a first for the country at last year’s Royal meeting, those who underestimate the German raiders do so at their peril, as emphasised by the success of Amarillo at Haydock on Saturday.

“Indomito will probably run in the Queen Anne,” said Wohler. “Altano will definitely run in the Gold Cup and he will be ridden by my jockey, Eduardo Pedroza.

“Earl Of Tinsdal is not a definite runner, he would need it to rain. He doesn’t have to have it soft, but he doesn’t like quick ground.”

Newmarket’s Cherry Hinton Stakes has been renamed the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes and will be run on Friday, July 12.

The six-furlong Group Two contest for juvenile fillies was won by Andrew Oliver’s Sendmylovetorose last season and in the past has been claimed by the likes of Diminuendo, Sayyedati and the Mark Johnston-trained Attraction, who all went on to Classic glory the following season.