Gospel Choir hits winning note in Yorkshire Cup

Fresh from his career-best performance when winning the

Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes going 12 furlongs at Newmarket 13 days ago, Gospel Choir managed to keep the momentum

flowing by upstaging Tac de Boistron in a thrilling renewal of Friday's prestigious

Group 2, £140,000 Yorkshire Cup.

Settled in fifth early traveling well within himself, the

Sir Michael Stoute trainee was gradually wound up by Ryan Moore to work his way between rivals as they clustered and

spread out in line off the less-than-generous tempo. Getting to the lead approaching the

furlong-pole, Gospel Choir had the penalized Tac de Boistron to worry about from there but kept finding

to hold him at a neck margin with Tiger Cliff sticking to their flanks.

"The important thing

is the ground -- he doesn't want bad ground," Stoute remarked.

One of the leading middle-distance three-year-old handicappers two years ago,

Gospel Choir was off

for 13 months after flopping on rain-softened ground at the Ebor meeting at

York, and his only

two outings at four saw him annex a 12-furlong Goodwood handicap and run fifth in the

Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes again with ease in the ground at

Ascot in October.

Signaling a need for farther than the nine furlongs of the Group 3 Earl

of Sefton Stakes on April 17 when fourth at Newmarket's Craven meeting, the Cheveley

Park Stud homebred son of Galileo stamped his

authority on proceedings in the Jockey Club and demonstrated that he is fast becoming one

of the more intriguing types for the upcoming middle-distance highlights.

"He's a

versatile horse -- he ran well in the Earl of Sefton over nine furlongs and is a very admirable,

competitive horse who sticks his neck out and doesn't like to get beaten,"

Stoute praised his chestnut charge. "He's beaten a very good

horse there, albeit getting four pounds and I'd think the (Group 2) Hardwicke Stakes

(at Royal Ascot

on June 2) would be favorite for his next race."

Connections of Tac de Boistron are looking at

the Group 1 Gold Cup at the Royal meeting on June 19.

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