Yorkshire bounces back with strong 2025 Festival Stakes win

Yorkshire produced a strong on-pace performance to capture the Group Three Festival Stakes at Rosehill, capping a remarkable recovery from his recent cardiac arrhythmia episode.

The gelding had been heavily supported first-up in The Hunter (1300m) but was dramatically eased down and later diagnosed with the heart issue, leaving connections unsure how quickly he could rebound.

Trainer John O’Shea confirmed during the week that Yorkshire was physically sound again but tempered expectations, emphasising he would improve significantly with racing.

A confident, front-running ride from Zac Lloyd proved decisive, with Yorkshire controlling the tempo from the inside draw and kicking strongly to secure the victory—an ideal stepping stone toward next month’s The Ingham (1600m).

“I thought one of the contributing factors with what happened to him at Newcastle, was he was unsaddled behind the gates, and he got a little upset,” O’Shea said.

“He got out of his rhythm and all those things probably contributed to what wasn’t a good day for him.

Today, we were mindful we had our T’s crossed, our I’s dotted in terms of our preparation before the race.

We were confident we’d gone through the process to get him back. I was surprised he was able to control the race like he did, but that was the key to winning.”

Rated perfectly in the lead, Yorkshire ($2.70 fav) held off the late burst from Arctic Glamour ($8.50), who powered home to get within a neck. Melody Again ($31) finished a tight third.

The win completed a treble for Lloyd and officially his second black type triumph of the day after saluting in the Listed Starlight Stakes (1100m) aboard Flying For Fun.

Lloyd later incurred a careless riding suspension for his earlier win aboard Lyles, though he remains eligible to ride during the summer features.

Arctic Glamour’s trainer Gerald Ryan was pleased with her effort and is keen for another clash with Yorkshire at Randwick.

“I know The Ingham is going to be harder, but we’ll have a crack at it. She is going really well,” Ryan said.

Meanwhile, 2023 Australian Derby hero Major Beel returned to winning form in the Listed ATC Cup (2000m), securing just the second win of his career since his Derby triumph.

Co-trainer Adrian Bott said the rise in distance was the difference.

“He has been quite consistent in his form, but he does need the right conditions to break through,” Bott said.

“The key is just getting out to 2000 metres today and aided by a lovely ride by Rachel (King), things fell into place nicely for him.”

Major Beel is expected to continue on to the Summer Cup, with Shangri La Spring also likely to head that way.

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