The Lonsdale Cup — A Stayer's Examination Worth Respecting

Right, settle in and let me tell you about one of the most underappreciated Group 2s on the Flat calendar. The Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup at York is a race that sorts the genuine stayers from the horses who merely look like they ought to get two miles on paper. At two miles and fifty-six yards on the Knavesmire, with the ground riding Good to Soft after the whole course has been terra spiked since the last meeting, this is a thorough, unforgiving examination of stamina, class and will. And with eight runners going to post — Carmers declared a non-runner — we've got ourselves a cracking little puzzle to unpick.

The prize fund of £250,000 gives this race real teeth, and you'll see trainers from both sides of the Irish Sea taking it seriously. Willie Mullins sending Columbus over tells you everything you need to know about the prestige on offer. So let's get stuck in, shall we?

Contender Breakdown — Who's Worth Your Money?

Quickthorn (9yo, Hughie Morrison, Tom Marquand, Draw 2)

Now here's a horse that has no right to still be competitive at nine years of age, and yet every time you write him off, the old warrior comes back and makes you look a fool. Quickthorn carries the form flags of both a course winner and a distance winner here at York, and that combination on Good to Soft ground is not something you dismiss lightly. Hughie Morrison knows this horse inside out — they've been dancing together for years — and Tom Marquand is a sympathetic partner who won't be asking questions too soon. At a rating of 108 he's technically the lowest-rated runner in the field alongside French Master and Illinois, but ratings don't win races, horses do. The draw in stall two suits, he won't be far from the pace, and if the ground has enough cut to slow the pace to a genuine stayer's gallop, Quickthorn could be the one laughing longest. He's my each-way anchor.

Caballo de Mar (5yo, George Scott, Oisin Murphy, Draw 1)

Top-rated on 115 alongside Amiloc, Caballo de Mar is the one they'll all be watching. George Scott has done a fine job with this gelding and the distance winner flag is significant — he's proven he can see out every yard of this trip. Oisin Murphy takes the ride and he's a man who knows how to nurse a horse through a staying test without burning the petrol too early. Drawn in stall one, he'll likely be nestled against the rail from the off, which on a day when the going has been spiked and is sitting at Good to Soft, is no bad place to be. The concern? At five years old he's still relatively lightly raced by staying standards, and you wonder whether the experience of a Quickthorn or the class of an Amiloc might just edge him out in a driving finish.

Amiloc (4yo, Ralph Beckett, Rossa Ryan, Draw 6)

Four-year-olds don't always find two miles straightforward, but Ralph Beckett is a master of placing a horse, and if he's declared Amiloc for a Group 2 staying race at this stage of the season, he believes the trip is well within reach. Rated 115, this is a horse with serious ability. Rossa Ryan is in fine form and won't be fazed by the occasion. The slight worry is the draw in stall six — not a disaster by any means, but he'll need to be slightly more active in the early stages to find a comfortable position. On genuinely soft ground Beckett's horses tend to go well, and this Good to Soft surface after spiking should be right in his wheelhouse. A serious danger to the favourite.

Columbus (5yo, W.P. Mullins, Colin Keane, Draw 3)

And here comes the Mullins factor. When Willie sends one over from Closutterstown for a Flat staying race at York, you'd want to be paying attention. Columbus is a fascinating runner — rated 107, he's not the highest in the class, but Mullins horses have a habit of being better than their official mark suggests, particularly in staying tests where tactical nous counts for as much as raw ability. Colin Keane is a brilliant jockey and he'll have a clear plan. Drawn in stall three, he's ideally positioned to track the leaders without doing too much work. The question mark is whether Columbus has the outright class to match the top-rated rivals when the race truly ignites in the final quarter-mile. I wouldn't dismiss him, but I'd want a price.

Mount Atlas (5yo, Andrew Balding, P.J. McDonald, Draw 8)

Mount Atlas carries the course winner flag and Andrew Balding is a trainer who knows the Knavesmire well. Rated 112, he's in the mix on paper. The concern is the wide draw in stall eight over a trip this long — it's not necessarily fatal, but it means McDonald will have decisions to make early, and covering extra ground at two miles on softish going is not something you want to be doing unnecessarily. He's one to watch rather than back at the prices, but if the pace is strong and he can slot in behind the leaders without too much fuss, he could run a big race.

Going and Draw — The Conditions Angle

The going is officially Good to Soft with the whole course terra spiked since the last meeting, and the home straight readings on the far side sitting at 5. That tells me the ground has decent moisture in it without being genuinely testing. For a two-mile staying race, this is ideal — it'll slow the pace just enough to make stamina a premium without turning it into a slog that only the mud-lovers enjoy.

The draw is less critical over this distance than it would be over a sprint, but low numbers do have a marginal advantage in terms of getting a clean position early without burning energy. Stalls one, two and three — Caballo de Mar, Quickthorn and Columbus — all benefit from this. Stall eight for Mount Atlas is the widest draw in the field and the one I'd be most cautious about.

Value Picks and Dangers

The danger I haven't fully unpicked yet is Illinois (Aidan O'Brien, Ryan Moore, Draw 4). A 5yo colt rated 108, with Ryan Moore in the plate — you never fully write off anything from Ballydoyle. Moore will have him travelling sweetly throughout and he'll be finishing. If the pace is truly strong, he could mow them down late. He's the unknown quantity in the race.

French Master (Gosden, Doyle, Draw 7) wears a blinker and is trained by one of the finest yards in Britain. The headgear suggests there might be a concentration issue to manage, but James Doyle is experienced enough to handle that. At 108, he'd need a career-best to win, but he's a potential each-way player at a decent price.

  • Best Bet: Quickthorn (each-way) — course and distance form, sympathetic ride, ideal going
  • Value Play: Columbus (each-way) — Mullins factor, Keane in the plate, ideal draw
  • Main Danger: Amiloc — class and trainer form make him the biggest threat to Quickthorn

Tom's Verdict — My Selection for the Lonsdale Cup 2026

Right, here it is. I'm going with Quickthorn each-way and I'm not embarrassed about it one bit. A nine-year-old who has won at this course and over this distance, on ground that suits, with a jockey who rides him beautifully, in a field of eight? That's a combination I'll take all day long. Hughie Morrison will have him primed for this — it's exactly the kind of race his stable targets — and Tom Marquand won't be doing anything silly. He'll drop him out, get him settled, and ask the question at the two-furlong pole. If the old boy has anything left in the tank, and I believe he does, he'll be rattling home up that York straight.

Amiloc is the one who worries me most, and if you want to play safe, an each-way saver on Columbus at whatever price Mullins's runners drift to wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. But the heart says Quickthorn, the head agrees, and at York on a soft-ish Friday in August, that's good enough for me.

Check the full York racecard for all the day's action and don't miss the rest of our tips for the Ebor Festival card.

Who is the Favourite for the Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup 2026?

Based on ratings, Caballo de Mar and Amiloc share the top mark of 115 and are likely to be the market leaders when betting opens. Caballo de Mar's distance-winning form and the booking of Oisin Murphy make him the probable favourite, though Amiloc's trainer Ralph Beckett is in excellent form and could attract significant support.

Does the Draw Matter in the Lonsdale Cup at York?

Over two miles at York, the draw is far less decisive than it would be over shorter trips. However, low draws do offer a marginal advantage in terms of getting a clean early position without expending unnecessary energy. Stalls one through three — occupied by Caballo de Mar, Quickthorn and Columbus — are all slightly favoured, while Mount Atlas in stall eight faces the toughest task in terms of positioning.

Is Good to Soft Ground a Help or Hindrance in the 2026 Lonsdale Cup?

For a genuine staying race over two miles, Good to Soft ground is actually ideal. It slows the pace just enough to make stamina a genuine premium without turning the race into a battle of attrition. Horses with proven form on this type of surface — particularly Quickthorn, who has course and distance form — are significantly advantaged. The terra spiking since the last meeting means the ground should ride consistently throughout, with no dead or false patches to catch horses out.