MASS RALLY will bid to strike gold again at York Racecourse tomorrow.

The seven-year-old, trained by Michael Dods, is aiming to defend his crown in the £75,000 Coral Sprint Trophy after he won the ultra-competitive sprint by a length and a half 12 months ago.

That was his second victory on Knavesmire and he returned to the track in May to finish fourth in the Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes at the Dante Festival.

Since then, Mass Rally has not had the opportunity to race on the easy ground he favours. Last time out in the Ayr Gold Cup, the seven-year-old finished only 20th of 27 but, like his previous two races, the underfoot conditions were too quick for him to deliver his best.

That won’t be the case tomorrow, with a softer surface anticipated – plus the gelding is set to race off a 1lb lower mark than a year ago.

Dods said: “He ran well at York in the Group race (the Duke Of York) and, to be fair, we’ve struggled ever since with ground. Basically, we’ve not had any season with him due to the conditions.

“Good, good to soft – that is probably his best ground. He’ll go on soft ground but he cannot handle fast ground at all. That is why he has had a very short campaign.

“But he is in great form and he always seems to run well at York. So, we just hope for another good run. He will enjoy the ground and is well.”

Dods also runs Spinatrix, who finished fifth behind her stable-mate in last year's renewal.

York's final two-day meeting of 2014 gets under way today with an unusual quirk. For the first time, the track will stage a contest over an official distance of one mile and 110 yards.

It's better known in the United States as "a mile and sixteenth" and the extended mile, which is used for both of the juvenile contests at Santa Anita's dirt track for the Breeders' Cup, will stage the "This isn’t the Stan James Champion Hurdle” Stakes.

Anthea Morshead, York's assistant clerk of the course, said: “A new distance is always interesting, its gives connections a fresh opportunity and poses punters a fresh question. For the jockeys, they will have that extra distance to get themselves where they want to be, before the home bend comes into play.”