Sunday Times
23 August 2026
It’s very sweet when a plan comes together. “We mapped out a plan for this lad around March and April” jockey Rossa Ryan said of the Alan King trained four year old Daiquiri Bay on whom he had just clinched a three-way photo to win the SkyBet Ebor Handicap. “We won at Newbury, rocked on to Ascot, we’ve rocked on to York, we haven’t missed a beat.”
It had been as desperately close-run thing as one would expect from York’s most famous race with 22 runners and £500k in prize money waiting at the end of their mile and three quarter journey. Burdett Road made the running as befits one of the sport’s most prolific travellers, the six year old having started last winter over hurdles at Cheltenham before an itinerary which reads Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Ascot, Newmarket and Goodwood. He may have outrun Dick Turpin but he could not quite make his York winning post being overhauled at the two furlong pole and honourably hanging on to earn £4,750 in 7th.
It was the Wathnan first string Opportunity who became the leader with Daiquiri Bay already out for the battle on the stands rail and Wathnan’s second runner Hopewell Rock trying to close between them. It was a classic nip and tuck final furlong, Hopewell Rock inching ahead but in the last strides Ryan and Daiquiri Bay were just the stronger, the four year old’s white face dipping a head clear at the line with Hopewell Rock and Opportunity failing by another neck to end trainer William Haggas long wait for an Ebor victory in his beloved Yorkshire.
Hopewell Rock has to be unlucky as Calum Rodrigues lost his whip a furlong out and one has to think that one judicious crack would have added a head’s worth of extra effort. Wathnan have plenty of compensations beside the £89k that the horse picks up for second place as Hopewell Rock’s recent Goodwood victory has won him a Melbourne Cup entry which will be a huge incentive for trainer George Boughey who started his already stellar career with a stage with the legendary Gaye Waterhouse in Sydney.
For 26 year old Rossa Ryan, whose own laurels have already passed the 1,000 winner make and have included the 2024 Arc de Triomphe with Bluestocking this was the ultimate justification for appealing and getting a reduction of a 28 day ban earlier in the month which if fully implemented would have rendered him an unhappy spectator yesterday. As it was his sharply chiselled face was wreathed in smiles as he paid tribute to his chestnut partner and trainer Alan King. “The man’s a genius,” he said of Alan King who has trained on the Marlborough Downs at Barbury Castle, “and this is thanks to all the hard work of the whole team at Barbury.”
59 year old King was a long-time assistant to champion jumps trainer David Nicholson before setting up on his own at Barbury Castle in 2000 where his continuing success over jumps has long been balanced with equal success on the flat most famously with the popular stayer Trueshan. But winners still clearly mean a lot. “I can’t believe it,” he said mopping what was a round and happily sweaty brow. “I wasn’t sure crossing the line but he’s a tough horse. I’m blown away.”
Despite this win earning Daiquiri Bay a Melbourne Cup entry, the horse is unlikely to make the journey south allowing his trainer to joke “he could make a nice hurdler, couldn’t he.” Trainers best known for jumps success have now the last four Sky Bet Ebors and Willie Mullins, victor in both 2025 and 2023, and punters backed his Love Me Tender down to 7-2 favourite. But the four year old’s mere four race history and 299 day absence from the track proved all too much for him and after pulling hard early on he could do no better than 10th.
Not all plans come together but another which did was Charlie Appleby to drop the 2024 Two Thousand Guineas winner Notable Speech back to 7 furlongs and win the now Group One status City Of York Stakes from Lake Forest and Marvelman. “I am delighted for the old boy,” Appleby said of the five year old ( not that ancient?) . He has really come into his own in the last couple of weeks. There was never a horse in the field who could quicken like he does.”
Notable Speech will now be aimed at the Breeders Cup in November but this very day and for the whole week racing is opening its doors in the wonderfully imagined National Racehorse Week. A look at the website will show more than 90 yards opening their doors to visitors to show the all too easily forgotten truth that the closer you get to the horses the better, even if not always safer, it is. It’s a plan where everybody is a winner.