Jim Crowley blog: York 2024 Day one blog

Top jockey Jim Crowley is back with another exclusive Coral blog, previewing his rides on Day one of York this year.

'My fellow's York record is a big positive".

I’ve ridden Deira Mile in both his starts this season, and I thought he ran a huge race to finish fourth in the Derby off the back of the Windsor win. That Epsom run wasn’t a surprise to me as he gave me a lovely feel at Windsor, and if we hadn’t got shuffled back early on in the Derby and got a bit far behind, he’d have finished even closer. We finished one place behind Los Angeles that day, he runs here and having won the Irish Derby, sets a high standard here. 

Deira Mile feels like a Leger horse, he’s by Camelot so should have plenty of stamina, so this is the perfect prep run for Doncaster. It will only be his third run of the season so we can expect further improvement, and while the favourite will be hard to beat, hopefully my fellow can book his place in the Doncaster Classic with a big run here.

With 13 runners lining up in this year's Juddmonte International - making it the biggest field in the race’s history - it is clear plenty of connections believe City Of Troy is beatable, and I understand that view, but equally the Ballydoyle colt deserves to be favourite and it would be no surprise at all to see him win. He gets good quick ground here, he’s drawn well in stall five, and I'm sure there will be a fast pace for Ryan Moore to aim at, so he has lots in his favour, while his Coral-Eclipse win looks better than it first did after the second, Al Riffa, won a Group One in Germany.  

With the big field, I don't think I am drawn particularly well in 11, as I could get stuck out wide and have plenty to do from there, but on the plus side, my horse has a brilliant York record, with three wins and a second, and I do think he is Group One class. In last year's Irish Champion Stakes, we got behind early on, and that virtually put us out of contention, while he would have needed his run in this year’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, so there were excuses for both defeats. 

Of the others, Calandagan looked good at Royal Ascot but is up in class and down in trip, although he could cope with both, while Bluestocking represents the race sponsor but even so it’s interesting they’ve come here rather than keep her to own sex in the Yorkshire Oaks, they clearly feel she can go well. Ambiente Friendly was behind City Of Troy in the Derby but the shorter trip could suit him, and while I was never going to get off Alflaila here, I can see the other Shadwell runner, Israr, running a big race from stall one, he could get a lovely trip from that low draw.   

To sum up, it promises to be a cracking race, it will certainly be interesting to see how the race unfolds tactically, and whether or not the runners head down the middle of the track or stick to the stand side. And while my fellow more than deserves his place in this lineup, has the ability to win and can certainly run a big race, it would be no surprise to see City Of Troy win.

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