Top jockey Danny Tudhope hoping Get Shirty can finally breat his Sky Bet Ebor Handicap duck

Thirsk-based Tudhope rides a horse which has won four out of its five starts this season for trainer David O’Meara and finished second - under Jason Watson - in his other outing.

The rider admits the draw has done his horse no favours, but he is still hopeful the winner of the Copper Horse Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Old Newton Cup at Haydock, can be in contention at the business end of the race.

Tudhope said: “Sadly we have got a terrible draw, out wide, the widest of all and that makes the task that bit more difficult.

“But he has been in great form this year and is running off a mark of 110 and it is whether he can handle that more than anything, really.

“But he is definitely a horse that is improving and fingers crossed he can go there and give a good account of himself despite the draw.

“He produced a great performance at Royal Ascot, really good - it is always good to get a Royal Ascot winner - and he followed that up at Haydock as well in the Old Newton Cup, he’s been in great form and couldn’t have had a better season.”

Tudhope has never won Europe’s richest handicap, which was first run back in 1843 and is now contested over a mile and six furlongs, paying £300,000 to the winner.

“I’d love to win the Ebor, I have never won it before and it would be a great achievement,” he said.

Tudhope also teams up again with O’Meara’s Summerghand in the Sky Bet Constantine Handicap over six furlongs (4.10).

The popular winner of the 2020 Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood hasn’t won, since landing the Close Brothers Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket last August.

The jockey says Summerghand is a horse who runs in and out of form, with his most recent run saw him finish fourth in the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon under Tudhope a fortnight ago.

He said: “He’s been running well, Summerghand and running back into a bit of form. Hopefully, fingers crossed, he could win a big race. He doesn’t often run too well at York, but he is slipping down the weights now and we think he still has a nice one in him and he’s well weighted.

“I got on well with him and have won on him plenty of times,” said the rider who also partners Marie’s Diamond in the opening Sky Bet and Symphony Group Strensall Stakes (1.50) for Roger Fell and Thunder Moor for Kevin Ryan in the Julia Graves Roses Stakes (4.45).

Tudhope’s only winner of the week so far came on Thursday in the Clipper Logistics Handicap when favourite Blue For You held off fellow O’Meara inmate Escobar, with a third horse from the stable Orbaan, coming home fourth.

“Favid had the first and second at Glorious Goodwood [ in the Coral Golden Mile] when Blue for You was second and the other horse [Orbaan] won it

“He’s been running well this season and David has got some good handicappers at that level. He likes to target those big heritage handicaps and it was good for David to get a winner and the horse, he deserved it.

Tudhope wore a ‘jockey cam’ for ITV Racing and it gave the viewers a thrilling idea of the speed a horse travels in a race as well as some of the traffic issues the rider ran into before finding a clear run close to the line.

“It’s probably what people want to see really, pictures like that are always great and it was nice he actually won with that on so it was good.”

His big hope of the week, Karl Burke’s Dramatised came home fifth in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes - despite being sent off the even money favourtie for the six furlong contest.

“Dramatised didn’t stay, it is as simple as that.

“There was a question mark about the trip. I had a feeling she wouldn’t stay, Karl and everybody thought she might.

“But it is what it is, we know now she didn’t stay, she might next year but she has got a lot of speed this filly and is better over the shortest distance.”

The Sky Bet Ebor Festival at York Racecourse is part of over 400 racing fixtures taking place across Britain this summer with something for everyone to enjoy. To find your local raceday visit www.greatbritishracing.com/everyonesturf