Maryr can be a stubborn Ebor victor

Richard Hannon's five-year-old has found a new lease of life this season, winning three of his last four starts, and carries a 4lb penalty in the showpiece race of the meeting after a laughably easy success at Goodwood.

"I'd be the first one to say I never thought he was an Ebor horse," said Hughes, "I'd been riding him over a mile and a half and every time I rode him he was off the bridle half a mile out. Then when I rode him at Goodwood I was able to take a pull on him half a mile out, he absolutely loved that.

"It was the first time he was able to gallop within himself at Goodwood and even though he was placed at Ascot twice he had bad draws and I had to really use him up to get a position. He's as tough as a lion and has a good draw (four) as you can ride him up in the first three and he stays.

"He's got everything you need in a horse to win the Ebor, he just needs good ground.

"I'm happy, I wouldn't swap him."

Overturn has been one of the revelations of the season, following up his win in the Northumberland Plate with an even more impressive performance in the Galway Hurdle.

"We've not really got anything to lose," said trainer Donald McCain.

"I'm a little bit conscious we've kept him quite busy, but he seems to be thriving on his racing. We're lucky that we've got a very sporting owner and we will probably have a break and then go jumping in the autumn. He's in tremendous nick and there seems to be a bit left in the locker."

As has been royally vindicated in this year's Gold Cup and Northumberland Plate, horses adept on the level and over hurdles often excel in the big Flat races for stayers. Casual Glimpse can pay back his supplementary fee with interest in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes.

The Hannon-trained juvenile was a late addition to the Group 2 contest, in which connections should have plenty of bang for their buck.

Opinion Poll can cash in on the enforced absence of Ask in the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup. Sir Michael Stoute's laudable seven-year-old is lame, which could pave the way clear for Michael Jarvis' young stayer. Although this will be no easy task against Illustrious Blue and Electrolyser, the first two home in the Goodwood Cup, Opinion Poll should be content competing on York's forgiving underfoot conditions.

The consistent Life And Soul, trained by the underrated Amanda Perrett, was agonisingly denied at Ascot last time, but can unearth sweet redemption in the Racing UK Stakes. His second behind Dandino at Epsom in June now reads well.

The Julia Graves Roses Stakes is often kept in Yorkshire, with Kevin Ryan this year taken to do the business with Choose Wisely.His close-up third to Zebedee in the Molecomb is arguably the strongest piece of form in the race. Sooraah can bring down the curtain on day two with victory in the EBF Fillies' Stakes.