York Ebor Festival: Bacio blazes a trail to win Nunthorpe Stakes as Arapaho Gold takes Gimcrack Stakes honours
Wesley Ward had hit the post with both Acapulco and Lady Aurelia in the past but the Keeneland-based trainer finally got his hands on the Nunthorpe prize as ace sprinter Bacio blazed a trail on the Knavesmire; Arapaho Gold takes Gimcrack Stakes honours at York
Friday 21 August 2026 18:17, UK
American raider Bacio blitzed his rivals from the front to provide Wesley Ward with a first victory in the Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
While the popular Keeneland-based trainer has enjoyed 13 winners at Royal Ascot, success on the Knavesmire has proved elusive, having saddled Acapulco to finish second in 2015 and come even closer two years later through Lady Aurelia, with Frankie Dettori memorably celebrating passing the post only to find he had actually been beaten a nose by Marsha.
Bacio was the 3/1 favourite to go one better under Juan Hernandez following a brilliant victory in the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the Royal meeting in June and pre-race concerns about the rain-softened ground soon proved unfounded as the three-year-old flew out of the starting stalls.
He had most of his rivals struggling to keep up from halfway and never really looked in any danger of being reeled in, passing the post a length and a quarter clear of Starlust.
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No sooner had Hernandez piloted an aeroplane up the York straight he had to run back to the weighing room as he needed to make a sharp exit, with a 6.30pm flight back to America from Heathrow to Los Angeles ahead of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
To make sure he made that flight, Hernandez first had to take a helicopter ride from the middle of the Knavesmire to Heathrow and he did not have a minute to spare.
While running back for a brief presentation of the trophies from the Queen, he said: "The horse was giving everything and he'd trained really good.
"He shipped really well, I know a lot of people were worried about the ground for him but he didn't know that.
"He ran great, he broke out of the gate really well, really sharp and he was ready to go. When the gate opened, he was all fire. He was trying to go too early, but I was able to take him back a little bit and save him for the last part.
"He won the race from the gate. Everyone here has done such a great job with the horse. I'm really happy, this race is for America and all my family. Thank you guys!"
Arapaho Gold stays unbeaten in Gimcrack
Arapaho Gold stretched his unbeaten record to four with victory in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes.
The Michael Dods-trained gelding won a couple of low-key races at Thirsk either side of being withdrawn after playing up in the stalls at Beverley, since when he had successfully graduated to Listed company in the Rose Bowl at Newbury.
He faced another step up in class for this prestigious Group Two contest, but proved more than up to the task in the hands of Connor Beasley, briefly coming under pressure before getting himself organised and finishing strongly to repel Final Objective by three-quarters of a length at 2/1.
Darlington-based Dods has enjoyed some of the best days of his career at York, having saddled Mecca's Angel to win her second Nunthorpe on this day 10 years ago, while he also sent out the popular sprinter Dakota Gold to win on the Knavesmire six times.
"Once he was out and running I was happy. At halfway he was looking for a bit of room, but once the room came he really quickened up," said Dods.
"Connor just said the last 100 yards he gave him some feel the way he quickened away from them. He's a good horse, this was a big step up and he's taken everything in his stride. When we've wanted him to step up he has and he has stepped up again there. He's just some horse isn't he?"
On future plans, Dods added: "He'll go to the Mill Reef (at Newbury) now and that will probably be it for the season and we'll see where we go next year.
"He's got the speed for six furlongs as you've just seen and I don't think you'll see any problems getting seven. He quickens up and he gallops. It's an interesting problem (planning), but we'll deal with it. He's an exciting horse to have and it's brilliant that we've got him in the yard.
"We've had a lot of luck at York, but this is right up there with the two Mecca's Angel wins and winning that is unbelievable."
Richard Brown, racing advisor to Wathnan Racing, who own the runner-up Final Objective, said: "It was a massive run, it's one where you are delighted because the horse has run a huge race.
"A furlong out I thought he was coming to win, he hasn't been straightforward and Hamad (Al Jehani) has done a great job training this horse and that is a career best, so we'll keep him busy.
"He wandered about when he won at Thirsk last week and he has done again, so I think we'll pop a pair of cheekpieces on.
"There's a race in France, the Prix Eclipse, that we could look at, but we'll all have a sit down and see what might be best for him."
Adrian Keatley said of the third home, Hell Of A Spin: "He's a hardy little horse who tries his heart out and he's running consistently well in these good races.
"You'd like to think there's a nice one in him one of these days, I don't think the trip or ground were a concern for him, it was just the winner quickened away.
"He's been placed in a Molecomb and Gimcrack now. There could be a race in France towards the back-end for him - we'll keep trying."
