Large crowd expected to see Mohaafeth put record on line at Knavesmire

York are anticipating a figure of around 30,000 on Saturday, with a sell-out in all enclosures on the stands’ side of the course.

The weather is expected to be kind at York, where McFly are in concert after racing - during which the highlight will be the Sky Bet York Stakes.

James Brennan, York’s head of marketing and sponsorship, said: “Unlike the south we are looking at a dry and pleasant forecast, and the other remarkable thing is we have not had the Clock Tower (or Picnic) enclosure open in 21 months.

“Tomorrow we might reach the 30,000 mark.

“There is real excitement in terms of seeing people back.”

On the track, Mohaafeth bids to make it five wins from five starts this season in an intriguing renewal of the Sky Bet York Stakes.

The son of Frankel emerged as a leading contender for the Derby after his first three victories of the campaign, but was taken out of the premier Classic at Epsom on the day of the race because of unsuitable ground.

Trainer William Haggas instead sent his exciting colt to Royal Ascot, where he ran out an impressive winner of the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes.

Mohaafeth will be a hot favourite to successfully graduate to Group Two level on the Knavesmire this weekend - but with fellow Royal Ascot winner Juan Elcano and high-class Irish raider Armory among the opposition, his task is far from straightforward.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell Estate, said: “I’m very much looking forward to seeing Mohaafeth run. It’s the next step up.

“We’ve waited for this race particularly, and William and his team have been very happy with him.

“Let’s see if he can take the next step and go from there.

“He’s an exciting horse and one to look forward to, and obviously he’s done everything right this year. It will be very interesting to see him on Saturday. Hopefully there will be no excuses, and we can see how we get on.”

The Shadwell colours will also be carried in the five-strong field by stablemate Montatham, of whom Gold added: “William wants to make sure there’s a bit of pace. We don’t want a falsely-run race.

“He’ll be there or thereabouts. He’s a lovely horse and a real star for us, so hopefully he can run a good race.”

While Mohaafeth is stepping up in class, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Armory is dropping down in grade - having finished a close-up third behind esteemed stablemate Love in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on his latest outing.

Armory is 7lb clear of Mohaafeth on official ratings, but does have to concede 12lb to his younger rival.

“We thought this looked a nice race for Armory,” said O’Brien.

“It’s 10 furlongs on hopefully good ground, and that is what he wants. Hopefully he’ll run well.”

Kevin Ryan’s Juan Elcano bids to follow up victory in the Wolferton Stakes, with Andrew Balding’s Bangkok completing the field.

Ascot are expecting a crowd of around 15,000 for their Saturday meeting, which features the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which features a mouth-watering clash between superstar filly Love and Derby hero Adayar.

Dual Classic winner Love looked as good as ever when making a successful return in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, she is a hot favourite to provide trainer Aidan O’Brien with a fifth King George success.

O’Brien said: “We were delighted to be able to give her the run in the Prince of Wales. She ended up making the running, but she’s very straightforward and very genuine - and everything has gone well with her since. She’s very versatile - she had the pace to win a Guineas and seemed to get the Oaks trip very well. For any Flat horse, you want nice ground - and she’s a nice mover.”

Adayar was the least fancied of three runners for Charlie Appleby in last month’s premier Classic, but could hardly have been more impressive in the hands of Adam Kirby.

Appleby said: “What surprised us at Epsom was the turn of foot he showed halfway up the run-in, because we’d never seen it before. Post-race we analysed it, and Hurricane Lane probably wouldn’t have been able to quicken like Adayar did.

“We’ve seen what St Mark’s Basilica did for that generation in the Eclipse at Sandown, and now the three-year-olds go into the big-boy division over a mile and a half. I’d love to think he’s still developing. It will be interesting to see what the paddock watchers say on Saturday - but he looks fantastic, and I’d be confident if you didn’t know who he was you couldn’t pick him out as a three-year-old among the older horses.”

Motakhayyel heads Shadwell Estate’s three-pronged attack, along with Danyah and Aldaary, on the Moet & Chandon International Stakes at Ascot.

The five-year-old, trained by Richard Hannon, was impressive when recording the second of his back-to-back victories in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket two weeks ago.