Life Of Riley will attempt to get on the Royal Ascot bandwagon by winning the Brian Yeardley Two-Year-Old Trophy at Beverley on Saturday (June 9).
The £35,000 conditions stakes over five furlongs has a rich recent history of producing Royal runners, with last year’s winner, Cardsharp, subsequently finishing third in the Norfolk Stakes.
Life Of Riley will try to maintain that trend by producing the goods at Beverley for North Yorkshire trainer Karl Burke.
The Showcasing colt made an encouraging debut at Hamilton, but really came into his own when he stormed a length and a half clear in a five-furlong novice stakes at Ripon on May 30.
Niall O’Brien, racing director for Life Of Riley’s part-owners, the Ontoawinner syndicate, said: “We probably expected a little more from his debut, but he was a little bit green.
“He certainly made up for it at Ripon and we think he’ll step forward again.
“We don’t know quite how good he is yet, but we think he’s very smart.
“He was a bit babyish, green and coltish before his victory at Ripon, so you’d imagine he should be a good deal better for that run.
“The Brian Yeardley is a good race with good prize-money, and if were to win, we’ll go to Royal Ascot for the Windsor Castle Stakes.”
This year’s renewal of the Brian Yeardley Two-Year-Old Trophy has received 10 declarations, with Cardsharp’s trainer Mark Johnston hoping Victory Command can complete a significant double.
Richard Hannon saddles two-time winner Its the Only Way, while Big Ace (Tim Easterby), Jungle Inthebungle (Mick Channon), Wasntexpectingthat (Richard Fahey) and Tin Hat (Eve Johnson Houghton) have also been victorious in their short careers.
Adam Tiler (Robert Cowell), King Billy (Brian Ellison) and the unraced Midnight Sands (James Given) have also been declared in the big race.
