Racing Centre

Mine pictured above racing at the July Festival in 2006

James Bethell is looking forward to saddling the remarkable gelding Mine in an attempt to win the prestigious £100,000 Ladbrokes Bunbury Cup for an unprecedented fourth time.

The nine-year-old star of the North Yorkshire trainer’s Thorngill yard landed the prestigious seven-furlong heritage handicap in 2002, 2005 and 2006 and was the short-head runner-up to subsequent Group One winner Patavellian in 2003.

Mine’s current BHB rating of 108 would have excluded him from attempting the historic four-timer in previous years but this season a timely change to the conditions of the race means that it will be run as an open handicap for the first time, rather than a 0-105 contest.

This year’s race, which takes place on Friday, July 13, the final day of the three-day Ritz Club July Festival, carries record prize money of £100,000 compared with £75,000 in 2006.

In seven starts at Newmarket’s July Course, Mine has only once finished out of the first three, when beaten less that two lengths in coming home sixth to Silver Touch in the Group Three Cheveley Park Stud Criterion Stakes last time out on June 30.

James Bethell said: "The Bunbury Cup is the plan. I think it was plenty soft enough when he ran at Newmarket the other day. It was very soft then so I would like it to dry out a little bit.

"He ran a good race in the Criterion Stakes and I think the winner, Silver Touch, is probably very good. It’s just a shame we didn’t track her through. They hadn’t gone a great gallop, which didn’t help, but that shouldn’t be a problem in the Ladbrokes Bunbury Cup.

"They went a hell of a gallop when he won the Listed race at Haydock (June 7) and that suited him down to the ground."

A fourth Ladbrokes Bunbury Cup was not on Bethell’s mind at the start of the campaign but the trainer is pleased to let his charge bid for another slice of history before returning to the Group race trail.

He said: "The plan was to try and win a Group race this year but he just failed the other day. We’ll see how he gets on next week and then we might aim him at a race at the Curragh.

"His chance at Newmarket really depends on how low the bottom weight goes down to. In the past there has been quite a high cut-off point so he hasn’t had to give an enormous amount of weight away. It would be quite an achievement to win the race for a fourth time. We’ll just hope for the best.

"He’s normally pretty laid back when he goes to the July Course. He seems to be happy there and I think the course suits him with that uphill finish."