Golfer Lee Westwood and his manager Andrew "Chubby" Chandler aim to keep in touch with racing at York despite being busy thousands of miles away.
Westwood is currently playing in the St Jude Classic in Memphis, while Hoof It, the horse he part-owns with Chandler, has a major chance in the Reg Griffin Memorial Trophy.
The Mick Easterby-trained sprinter has notched up a hat-trick of victories at Beverley, York and Haydock, and Chandler joked: "Mick's done very well with the horse, even in spite of us two trying to tell him what to do all the time. In all seriousness, though, Mick is his own man and has done a cracking job with him."
Chandler went on: "Hopefully he can get him going one more time at York. We're both northern lads so it will be smashing if he can get his nose in front on the Knavesmire again."
Hoof It began his winning spree this term at Beverley off a mark of 66 and returns to the Knavesmire some 28lb higher in the handicap. Despite that burden, connections are convinced he could still have the class to offset that ramp in weight.
"He's been a total revelation and has absolutely flown up the handicap this season," considered Chandler, head of International Sports Management, the agency that also looks after clients like Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan.
"We knew he was pretty good, but we've still been surprised as to how he has progressed this season. It's nice to have a horse that tries all the time. He never knows when he's beaten and the times he's been hit by the whip, we've been really impressed with how he's responded.
"I was at Haydock when he won last time and the fact the jockey was looking round his shoulder a couple of furlongs out was a nice feeling. We've got a nice draw down the middle and it looks like being cracking ground at York."
Westwood and Chandler are no strangers to the racing scene, and also have horses in training with Ian Williams and Mike de Kock in Dubai and South Africa. But it is Hoof It who is currently dominating their hearts and minds.
"It looks like we'll be OK to watch the race live on our phones at 9.15am our time," added Chandler. "It's nice to have this outlet of racing because neither of us want golf to rule our lives. As well as that, both me and Lee are mad keen on racing so it's nice when a good horse comes around. Hopefully he can show that."
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