Only five runners went to post in the Sky Bet York Stakes last year but the highlight of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival produced an exciting finish with all five runners still holding a chance two furlongs out in the valuable Group 2.

Royal Champion, a very smart winner of the Wolferton Stakes on Royal Ascot on his previous outing, travelled best and went on inside the final couple of furlongs. However, he was strongly challenged by the favourite, My Prospero, on the far side and by Alflaila on the near side.

It was Alflaila, who had been so progressive the previous season, who produced the best turn of foot to win by a cosy half-length on his return to make it four wins in a row.

He was last seen finishing fourth in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on his seasonal reappearance last month and it would be little surprise to see him back at York and bidding to retain his Sky Bet Stakes crown.

Spirit Dancer has developed into a globe-trotting money-spinner with wins in Bahrain towards the end of 2023 and in Saudi Arabia earlier this year bagging connections a couple of big paydays.

Those Group 2 wins also underlined how much Spirit Dancer had progressed in a short space of time as at the Go Racing in Yorkshire Summer Festival he had kickstarted his winning sequence with an emphatic handicap success off a BHA mark of 97 at York.

Spirit Dancer tracked the pace, made smooth headway over two furlongs out, led approaching the final furlong and readily pulled three lengths clear to score with something to spare.

He followed up that impressive win with victories in a Racing League handicap at Windsor and in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York before he embarked on his profitable international campaign.

The spoils had to be shared in this useful handicap at Doncaster as Atrium and Gweedore could not be split at the end of seven furlongs.

Gweedore had run several good races in defeat off a similar mark and looked set to gain reward for those efforts when moving to the front over two furlongs out.

However, Atrium, the joint top-weight along with Gweedore, was delivered with a strong challenge up the stand side and joined his rival on the line, meaning the prize had to be shared.

Gweedore didn’t have to wait long to gain outright success as he won three weeks later at Newmarket, while Atrium signed off for the season with a win in the valuable Challenge Cup at Ascot.

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