Alpinista scales York test as Prescott sets sights on overdue Arc chance

At 74 years of age and in his 53rd season with a trainer’s licence, Sir Mark Prescott fizzed with the enthusiasm of a teenager in the winner’s enclosure here as he looked towards Paris on the first weekend in October. His five-year-old grey mare, Alpinista, had just held off a strong challenge from Tuesday, this year’s Oaks winner, to win the Group One Yorkshire Oaks. She will now head to Longchamp in less than two months’ time as one of the favourites for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

It is hard to imagine a more popular winner. Prescott has sent out more than 1,300 winners since taking over the licence at Newmarket’s historic Heath House Stable in 1970, when he was the youngest trainer in racing’s HQ by 19 years. Prescott has won Group Ones in Britain, Ireland, Germany and France, saddled the two-year-old Spindrifter to win no fewer than 13 times in 1980, and worked his way through 10 Cuban cigars a day for decades until finally – and somewhat apologetically – giving up five years ago.

Until now, though, the famously engaging master of Heath House has not had a horse with a genuine chance to win European racing’s showpiece event. “We had Foreign Affairs [in 2001],” he recalled. “We supplemented him for a jolly. He won the Magnet here and finished second in the Ebor, then the owners played up their money and they had a fantastic time.”

Alpinista, however, is a genuine contender, and the living embodiment of Prescott’s famous care and patience with his horses, having progressed with every run for the last two seasons. She had only a length in hand of Tuesday at the line, but never seemed likely to surrender the lead after Luke Morris sent her on around two furlongs out.

Two years ago, Alpinista finished five lengths