Leyburn trainer Karl Burke plots a path for his Royal Ascot winners as he bids for his most successful season yet

In-form handler Burke, who has 58 winners to his name this year already and has won £1.25m in prize money in the process, says August’s Group 1 Prix Mornay is the likely next target for Dramatised.

The filly, owned by businessman Steve Parkin, the founder of Clipper Logistics, was a stylish winner of the Queen Mary under Danny Tudhope.

York’s Lowther Stakes or Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes have subsequently been mentioned as possible targets for the horse.

But Burke said: “Dramatised will have an entry for the Nunthorpe but it is more likely to be the Prix Mornay, a step up to six furlongs.

“Steve has got a big connection with York; it is his local track and he’s a Yorkshire fellow. He’s never one to mind putting entries in so she will have one.”

If Dramatised wins in France she will follow in the footsteps of Richard Fahey’s Malton-trained Perfect Power – who took last year’s renewal – and also won at the Royal meeting for a second time earlier this month.

As for Holloway Boy he made a stunning debut at the Berkshire track as the 40-1 outsider beat all-comers in the Chesham Stakes under the aforementioned Tudhope.

Owned by Londoner Nick White, the horse which runs in the colours of his favourite team Arsenal cost £60,000, but the owner says he has already fielded calls from as far away as Hong Kong about buying him.

Burke said: “Holloway Boy was probably as good a debut as you could ever hope for.

“There’s not too many horses that break their maidens in Royal Ascot races.

“He’s a lovely horse and we didn’t go there with big expectations but certainly we had a nice horse and if he ran well he’d be a certainty for a little novice somewhere...

“He’s a good size, almost 500 kilos and over 16 hands so he’s solid, but he’s a very athletic horse and a lovely temperament which he showed at Ascot. He walked round the parade ring very relaxed and took it all in his stride.

“A few people commented on how well behaved he was in the paddock, which is unusual at any track really, never mind a horse having his debut at Royal Ascot with all the hullabaloo going on.

“He had his first canter on Friday since the previous Saturday and he has taken everything well.

“He looks great, if he trains well next week and it doesn’t come too soon we have got the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at the July Meeting at Newmarket we could go for.

“If he didn’t make that we’d probably wait for Goodwood and the Vintage Stakes.

“He could have a fairly busy autumn campaign if he wins either of those Group 2s, races like the Dewhurst and the Racing Post maybe, they all come into sight.”

Former jockey Burke, who trains out of Spigot Lodge –named after the 1821 St Leger winner Jack Spigot – is delighted with the way the stable’s season has unfolded.

He said: “The horses have been running well, since the turn of the year and even the back end of last year.

“Usually most stables hit a flat spot for a while but, touch wood, we haven’t yet and hopefully we don’t. The winter was really good, the all-weather horses, all the good ones hit their targets and it has carried on into the spring and summer.”

Burke, whose progressive horse Poptronic (8-1) completed a hat-trick of wins at Newcastle last night for Yorkshire owners and breeders David and Yvonne Blunt, is hopeful the success can continue throughout the season – with the majority of his two-year-olds still to run.

“We have been very lucky over the last six or seven years we have had a great run and support off some bigger names and they have the firepower to go to the sales and compete. The phone has been very busy but we have limited capacity as far as boxes are concerned. I wouldn’t want to train anymore than I do, so in a fortunate position where we can be a bit more selective.”

And Burke, who is assisted by his wife Elaine and daughters Kelly and Lucy, says it is a real team effort which helps the stable to thrive.

“We have got some good people at the stable.

“A lot of people have been with us a long time and a good mix of young people as well.

“You can’t do this job without good staff and we try and look after them the best we can and everyone seems very happy and obviously the results show that.”