Yorkshire duo lined up to meet in St Leger showdown

The ante-post betting is already headed by Karl and Elaine Burke’s Libertarian – the Epsom Derby runner-up – whose stamina and profile appear well-suited to the one and three quarter miles that the Leger contenders will face.

His next target is likely to be the Irish Derby at the end of the month and a likely rematch with his Epsom conqueror Ruler Of The World.

However, Constable Burton-based Duffield has now indicated that her stable star will miss the race in Ireland and, instead, take in the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg on July 7 and then the Great Voltigeur Stakes, a noted St Leger trial, at York’s Ebor meeting, before heading to Doncaster.

Owned by Qatar Racing, Willie The Whipper was a staying-on sixth behind Intello in the French Derby – the Prix du Jockey Club – on Sunday after being handed a hopelessly bad draw on the outer at Chantilly.

“He was stone last at one point in France and he ran really well. With a better draw he might well have been in the first three,” said a slightly rueful Duffield whose husband, George, won the 1992 
St Leger on User Friendly.

“It is up to the owner and (racing manager) David Redvers where he will go but the German Derby and the Great Voltigeur Stakes are possible targets with the St Leger a long-term aim.”

Willie The Whipper’s credentials are impressive in spite of the Chantilly disappointment – former champion jockey Kieren Fallon said the horse would have “taken other scalps” if the Chantilly race had been an extra furlong in distance.

He added: “I don’t know what Ann has in mind but on that evidence there must be a decent prize to be won with him this season.”

The horse won his maiden at Hamilton last August before landing Ponefract’s Silver Tankard Stakes in October and finishing second in a Group One in Saint-Cloud as he headed off on his overseas travels for the first time.

A clash with Libertarian would certainly help the Doncaster executive to promote the St Leger and match the attendance last September when Camelot narrowly failed to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to win the Triple Crown.

With Dante disappointment Windhoek likely to line up in the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot, Mark Johnston has said that stablemate Mister Impatience is likely to line up in the Queen’s Vase.

Second to subsequent Derby winner Ruler Of The World at Chester, he is now set to step up in trip as the Middleham trainer looks to add to his impressive tally of 35 winners at the Royal meeting.

“Mister Impatience will have several options of which the King Edward VII will be one of the less likely ones,” said Johnston.

“He’ll be in the King George V Handicap but also in the Queen’s Vase. I like to have the three-year-old middle-distance horses in the Queen’s Vase and that would be favourite at this stage.”

Universal, winner of the John Porter at Newbury and the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket this season, may miss the big meeting, however, with a trip to France for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud his alternative.

“The Hardwicke would be the favourite if we take him to Royal Ascot but he’s got several Group One entries around the world, including one in France within a few days of Ascot so we’ll make that decision nearer the time,” said Johnston.

“He’s very exciting, I half wished we’d supplemented him for the Coronation Cup at Epsom, although St Nicholas Abbey was very impressive, but I think he deserves a crack at a Group One,” he said.

Johnston’s solitary Royal Ascot winner 12 months ago came courtesy of Fennel Bay following an inspired ride by stable jockey Joe Fanning that enabled him to win the prestigious Cock o’ the North cap – part of the prize given to the area’s most successful Flat rider by Racing Enterprises and the Yorkshire Post.

Fanning is already in the running for this year’s award, though he is just a couple of winners adrift of the early pacesetter Danny Tudhope from the in-form David O’Meara yard near York.

Veteran sprinter Borderlescott could return to action in the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes at York next month.

The 11-year-old was retired by trainer Robin Bastiman last November after slight health concerns, but is now back in work.

The dual Nunthorpe Stakes hero is showing his old enthusiasm and has so far has had no ill effects.

“We are just doing what we think is best for the horse,” said Wetherby-based Bastiman. “He’s in work. We are just toying with the idea of running him and we’ll see how he goes over the next few weeks. He’s still got the enthusiasm and everything.

“If he does run his first race will probably be at York for the City Walls Stakes. He’d run in that and then we’ll take it from there and see what happens. That’s the plan at the moment.

“He’s got no penalty in that race. Whether he goes there depends on how things shape over the next few weeks. I think he probably will go there, but it is early days.”

Details have been released of the auction lots that will be up for grabs on York’s Macmillan Charity Day on Saturday week.

They range from a private tour of York’s Bishopthorpe Palace to a visit to Ireland for next year’s Guineas meeting at the Curragh, plus a tour of Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stables and the nearby Coolmore Stud.

Golfer Lee Westwood may be out of form, but he will be hoping that the Mick Easterby-trained Hoofalong extends his winning sequence to three in tonight’s Mr Wolf Sprint Handicap at Pontefract. Westwood co-owns the three-year-old with his agent Chubby Chandler.

Frankie Dettori rode his first winner since returning from a six-month drugs ban when Asian Trader struck at Sandown last night

The Italian-born rider made his comeback at Epsom last Friday, but had been out of fortune in 11 previous rides in England and in France.