Racing: Dazzle has option of taking on elders

Dazzle, the season's leading juvenile and already favourite for next year's 1,000 Guineas, could take on older horses in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on 22 August, but is more likely to defer to the King's Stand Stakes winner, Pivotal, who is in the same ownership.

Dazzle, owned by the Cheveley Park Stud and a five-length winner of last week's Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket, was among 22 entries published yesterday for York's Group One all-aged sprint.

Cheveley Park's assistant manager, John Marsh, said: "We put her in as an option but it is highly unlikely that she will run. Pivotal is by far the more likely candidate and it is just an option for Dazzle, whose main target remains the Cheveley Park Stakes."

Four two-year-olds have been entered for the five-furlong contest in which Lyric Fantasy's 1992 success was the only win by that age group in 40 years. The other juveniles are the Norfolk Stakes winner, Tipsy Creek, Deep Finesse, whose participation depends on his performance in the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, and Connemara.

The race has been given an international dimension by the entry of Wild Zone from Canada and the Norwegian-trained Windmachine.

Nunthorpe Stakes entries: Almaty, Blue Iris, Blue Siren, Catch The Blues, Connemara, Cool Jazz, Danehill Dancer, Dazzle, Deep Finesse, Easy Option, Eveningperformance, Hever Golf Rose, Leap For Joy, Lidanna, Millyant, Mind Games, Pivotal, Struggler, Sunset Reigns, Tipsy Creek , Wild Zone, Windmachine.