JUDDMONTE

INTERNATIONAL

STAKES (GROUP 1)

ULYSSES, who has gone from strength to strength this season, ran out an impressive and quite comfortable winner of the Group 1 Juddmonte International at the York Ebor meeting on Wednesday. It was trainer Sir Michael Stoute’s sixth victory in the race.

Steady rain during the morning had left the ground good-to-soft but the horses went through it easily enough and, in a tactical affair, it was old rivals Churchill and Barney Roy who dictated the early running.

Sitting in behind, Jim Crowley must have been happy with the situation as the front pair shook off Cliffs Of Moher and continued their personal duel.

In the end, Churchill found just enough to confirm 2000 Guineas form with Barney Roy by a neck but neither had any answer as Ulysses, still lobbing along as they passed the two-furlong marker, came on their outside to hit the front and pull two lengths clear without having been hard ridden.

It was a highly authoritative performance, and while Ulysses, 4/1, was undoubtedly helped by the way the race was run, he left the distinct impression that he stays 10 furlongs plus just that bit better than the other two and had probably been in front a shade too long when inching out Barney Roy in the Coral-Eclipse.

He had also run a fine race in the King George when conceding a stone (weight for age and sex allowance) to the brilliant filly Enable.

“Today was the best feel I’ve had from him,” Crowley said. “He’s getting better and relaxed nicely all the way round. When the rain came this morning I knew from Ascot that it wouldn’t be a problem. He only does what he has to, but not in a bad way. The percentage of the prize-money is handy but I expect my wife will spend it!”

Stoute seldom announces immediate plans for the future although the Breeders’ Cup is clearly the next major target after Ulysses’ fourth at Santa Anita last year.

“That’s his best performance to date,’’ he said. “I really don’t know yet what the plan is and I think he deserves a rest but I know Maria (Niarchos) will want to go for the Breeders’ Cup Turf and he’ll be aimed at that.”

Typically, there were no excuses from the beaten camps. Churchill lost nothing in defeat but the long duel with Barney Roy, with no cover available, left the pair vulnerable up the long straight. Even so, the year-older Ulysses was conceding 7lb and won strictly on merit.

The 2017 Juddmonte was also yet another triumph for Galileo, responsible for both the winner and runner-up.