The most prestigious race day outside of the Ebor Festival took place once again on the Knavesmire, the John Smiths Cup meeting. Always a very well attended event, this year was no different as crowds were back to full capacity at the premier Saturday fixture for the first time in three years. The highlight of the day was the John Smith's Cup Handicap, which has always been considered as one of the hardest handicaps to find the winner in, as well as being a very competitive and valuable event. 
The 2022 renewal was very tough to work out with some classy entries, unexposed types and horses see this kind of race as their bread and butter. Runners included former French Group 1 winner Intellogent, valuable handicap winners Forest Falcon, Chichester and Certain Lad and there were the unexposed types such as the Shadwell owned pair of Mahrajaan and eventual winner Anmaat. Hailing from the Newmarket stable of Owen Burrows, Anmaat was well supported in the betting having being second in last year's Cambridgeshire Handicap on his most recent start and duly delivered on his seasonal reappearance. 
Elsewhere on the card, the John Smith's Silver Cup was the only Group race of the day and attracted just the three runners which made it more of a watching race than a betting race. The previous year's renewal was won by subsequent Group One winner Hukum as well as including the Ebor Handicap winner Sonnyboyliston as an also-ran. Last month's winner of the Grand Cup over the same distance Without A Fight followed up with an easy win, beating John Leeper once again and setting up a potential tilt at the famous Ebor Handicap.
A new name on the sprinting scene arrived in the form of Royal Aclaim for trainer James Tate. Previously unbeaten in two starts, she had looked very promising and would go on to live up to the potential with a visually impressive display. As the former Nunthorpe winning filly Winter Power looked below form once again, it was a new filly who had set the sprinting world alight to set up a shot at the 5 furlong feature at the Ebor Festival, the Nunthorpe Stakes.
Star of the saddle would go to Andrea Atzeni who has proven valuable to Yorkshire racegoers as he fired in yet more winners at York. A treble of wins today included Without A Fight, Royal Aclaim and Good Earth. 

Race Winners:
Eilean Dubh (Karl Burke / Clifford Lee) (#7)
Without A Fight (Simon and Ed Crisford / Andrea Atzeni) (#3)
Danni California (Richard Spencer / Danny Tudhope) (#3)
Miss Jungle Cat (Karl Burke / Clifford Lee) (#6)
Anmaat (Owen Burrows / Kevin Stott) (#4)
Royal Aclaim (James Tate / Andrea Atzeni) (#10)
Good Earth (Michael Herrington / Andrea Atzeni) (#8)