Turf Topics: Haggas targets for Glasgow Stakes while Yorkshire Festival prepares to launch

Call To Mind runs for The Queen in the Glasgow Stakes, a Listed race that was held at York until 2004.

For more than a decade now the contest – which Turf Topics regular colunist Paul Hanagan won in 2012 on Sparkling Portrait – has been run just a few miles away from the city of its name, at a slightly later point of the season.

Three years ago it was won by Postponed who went on to take the Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes at the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival – and even more impressively the Juddmonte International.

Call To Mind, trained in Newmarket by Yorkshireman-in-exile William Haggas, is the top-rated entrant.

Given the Newmarket handler leads the way at York with a hugely impressive 10 victories to date, success north of the border could well see the colt in the Great Voltigeur on Wednesday 23 August.

The big betting heat tomorrow is the Weatherbys Super Sprint in which the likely favourite is Maggies Angel.

Richard Fahey sends a team of five for a contest that the Musley Bank stables took with Peniaphobia in 2013, with Paul Hanagan in the saddle.

The filly ran in Listed company at York’s Dante Festival and holds an entry for the Group Two Sky Bet Lowther on Ladies Day at the Knavesmire. On the same card, William Haggas’s Raucous goes for the Hackwood Stakes whose most recent outing was when eighth behind Yorkshire-trained Out Do in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He’s taking in the Newbury Group 3 on the way to a second crack at the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, having finished third in the big sprint on the Downs last summer. York spectators might well remember seeing him being placed in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes two seasons ago.

The week ahead is an exciting one as all eight of the County’s flat tracks stage racing action; we begin at Ripon tomorrow and conclude at Pontefract on 30 July.

Along the way there are family days (Redcar this Sunday and Pontefract), a Caribbean evening at Beverley, a DJ set at Doncaster and live concerts from Jess Glynne (Friday) and All Saints (Saturday) at York.

The race to be champion trainer and jockey in their own back yard is a strong incentive for the local yards.

With the £120,000 Sky Bet York Stakes as the Group Two highlight next Saturday, there are fascinating handicaps to solve and interesting novice contests to note – enjoy a sport that is in turn an important part of the Yorkshire economy.

The next racing at York is the Music Showcase Weekend on Friday evening 28 July and Saturday afternoon 29 July. Find out more about York and book tickets at www.yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Regular columnist Paul Hanagan took ill yesterday and was therefore unable to write his column as usual, leaving racing writer Gordon Boreland to step in and write Turf Topics this time around.