Trip to Beverley should elevate King’s Mimic’s standing

KING’S MIMIC could further enhance his growing reputation in the Brian Yeardley Continental Two-Year-Old Trophy at Beverley on Saturday.

Leyburn trainer Ann Duffield has given the classy juvenile an entry in the £25,000 conditions stakes for colts and geldings following an accomplished course-- and-distance success on May 4. The son of Bushranger swept two-and-three-quarters of a length clear in a five-furlong maiden, having previously finished third on his debut in a hot-looking Beverley sprint in April.

Duffield said: “He’s also in at Pontefract on Friday but we’ve given him an entry in the Brian Yeardley as he’s done so well at Beverley already.

“He’s not unruly, far from it, in fact.

“All he does is just get excited a bit, that’s all.

“We had him gelded as a yearling because he was a handful – Bushranger’s can be a bit like that – but he’s an absolute gent now and is going along really well.

“He’s a full-of-fun horse and loves racing, and I think that last maiden at Beverley was very good.

“He’s a nice horse and we’ve got high hopes for him.”

Having already proven his aptitude at Beverley, Duffield would be unfazed by stepping King’s Mimic up in trip later this summer.

“The good thing about him is that he can go either five or six furlongs, so he’s very versatile in that respect,” said the North Yorkshire handler. “The Brian Yeardley could be a good option for him.”

King’s Mimic is one of 11 horses to have been confirmed for the Brian Yeardley, which has, in recent times, been a handy pointer towards races like the Windsor Castle Stakes and the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The David O’Meara-trained G Force, winner of the Group One Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock last September, could reappear in this Saturday’s Temple Stakes at the Merseyside track.

G Force was a first win at the highest level for Nawton-based O’Meara and stable jockey Danny Tudhope, The Yorkshire Post’s guest tipster every Friday.

Ed Walker expects to see a different horse next time talented sprinter Lightning Moon takes to the track.

The Godolphin-owned fouryear-old lost his unbeaten status after finishing seventh in the Duke of York Stakes on Wednesday, but connections were still more than satisfied with the run and Walker nominated the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot as Lightning Moon’s next target.