Royal Ascot Winner set to Face Ghaiyyath and Magical in Wednesday’s Juddmonte International at York:
YORK, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND (August 18, 2020) – Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) winner Lord North (IRE) has a chance to win his second race in the international Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series this year when he tackles the 1 ¼-mile Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York on Wednesday, a “Win and You’re In” race for the US$7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.
The Juddmonte International is the first of three Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races to be held this week during York’s Ebor Festival. It will be followed on Thursday, Aug. 20 with the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1), a “Win and You’re In” for the US$2million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), and on Friday, Aug. 21 with the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (G1). The Coolmore Nunthorpe winner will earn a free berth into the US$1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).
The Juddmonte International will be the only “Win and You’re In” qualifying race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic to be run in Europe this year.
Lord North, owned by HH Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Racing and from the in-form stable of Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning trainer John Gosden, secured an automatic start in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) with a victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot in June. The 4-year-old colt will be partnered by James Doyle with Frankie Dettori unable to take the ride due to quarantine restrictions, having ridden in France over the weekend.
Gosden, who saddled Raven’s Pass to victory in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic, said: “He’s been in great form since Royal Ascot and we’ve been very happy with him. It’s an extremely smart race and a good-quality field. It will be interesting to see a couple of the good 3-year-olds come into it, which always makes it a lot more fascinating, but we’re happy with him.”
York’s star-studded showpiece is headed by the Godolphin-owned 5-year-old Ghaiyyath (IRE) who is unbeaten in three starts in 2020 for trainer Charlie Appleby. On his latest racecourse appearance, he defeated Enable (GB) by 2 ¼ lengths in the 1 ¼-mile Coral-Eclipse (G1) at Sandown Park.
Magical (IRE),who has finished second behind Enable three times in her career, including in the 2018 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs, has won a pair of Group 1s in Ireland this year. Magical, who took the Pretty Polly Stakes on June 28 and the Tattersalls Gold Cup on July 26, arrives at York in the form of her life for trainer Aidan O’Brien. A 5-year-old daughter of Galileo (IRE), Magical will be ridden by Ryan Moore, who won the race last year on Japan (GB).
Of the 3-year-olds, this season’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas (G1) winner Kameko (USA) races over 1 ¼-mile for the first time for Qatar Racing, Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy. The Kitten’s Joy (USA) colt was an unlucky fourth in the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) last time and gets a 7lb weight allowance from the older horses.
Musidora Stakes (G3) winner Rose Of Kildare (IRE) completes the line-up for local trainer Mark Johnston.
As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders’ Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Juddmonte International to start in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt track at Keeneland. Breeders’ Cup also will provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must already be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program or it must be nominated by the Championships’ pre-entry deadline of Oct. 26 to receive the rewards.
ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP
The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.
The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky and features a total of $35 million in purses and awards. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.
