The final day of three of the Dante York meeting with the feature race, The Yorkshire Cup, run at 15:35. We have five races there and a class 4 20-runner handicap from Newbury. Good ground all round with drying conditions. Here are my free horse racing tips for the day’s terrestrial action.
York 13:50
The 5F Marygate Fillies Stakes is a listed race for two-year-old fillies and kicks proceedings off today.
Dominic Ffrench-Davis is having his best-ever season with Amo Racing running from his Lambourn stables. I was most impressed with his 145,000 guineas yearling Persian Dreamer who ran out a clear-cut winner at Newmarket on her debut 30 days ago and it will take a good one to beat her today.
If there is one to bustle her up it may be the Karl Burke-trained juvenile Got To Love A Grey who was also visually very impressive when scooting clear of her field at Nottingham on soft ground in April. The pair can fight the race with a definite preference for Persian Dreamer.
Karl Burke also saddles Dorothy Lawrence with Ryan Moore on board but it will be a surprise if she can turn the tables on Persian Dreamer as she was 3 1/4L behind that one on her debut. Rod Millman has a good squad of two-year-olds this season and his Beenham looked good in winning at Goodwood last time and shouldn’t disgrace herself but, for me, this is all about Amo Racing’s Persian Dreamer.
PERSIAN DREAMER 2 points win @ 6/4 with Bet365 Promo Code
Newbury 14:05
A twenty-runner class 3 handicap for four-year-olds and upwards rated 0-88 is up next from Newbury. The key form race here is the class 4 handicap run over course and distance on soft ground in April where Harry Eustace’s Mustazeed came late to beat John Flint’s Time Interval by 3/4L with James Fanshawe’s Tuxedo Junction 1 1/2L back in third and now 6lb better off.
That was an eye-catching run from the latter who had been off 183 days and his first run since being gelded. I fully expect Tuxedo Junction to turn the tables on the two that finished ahead of him that day as the drying ground is more likely to be in his favour than the other two mudlarks. Well drawn in stall 6 he looks worth an each-way bet with Danny Muscutt doing the steering.
Two to watch carefully in the market are the Ian Williams-trained Tribal Wisdom who’s joined Williams from the Godolphin operation at a cost of £35,000 whilst Hughie Morrison’s Premiere Ligne has joined his shrewd stable from France for £26,000 having won twice in his native company.
There’s plenty of dead wood in the race and it’s Tuxedo Junction for me.
TUXEDO JUNCTION 1 point each way @ 17/2 with William Hill Promo Code – Places 12345 (1/5th)
York 14:25
Ten promising fillies line up for the listed 1M Oaks Farms Stables Fillies’ Stakes. Charlie Appleby’s Silver Lady looked smart when winning a Newmarket 1M maiden at the Craven meeting by just under 4L and should be thereabouts although it’s rather surprising that she wasn’t entered for any Royal Ascot races notably the Coronation Stakes which six of her opponents were entered for recently. As big as 9/2 in the week the value has evaporated from her now.
John and Thady Gosden unleash their impressive Ascot winner from 16 days ago and the Kingman filly looked good that day and is another to consider along with the Sir Michael Stoute contender Stormy Sea who is a half-sister to the smart Bay Bridge and races in the same colours as her illustrious half brother. She took a Haydock maiden easily three weeks ago and is another who can run well although again it’s surprising that she has no Royal Ascot entries.
Juliet Sierra has it to do with a penalty for last year’s Group 3 Salisbury victory whilst William Haggas saddles two improvers in Newmarket winner from last October Orchid Bloom and Shadwell-owned Fakhama who won on her debut at Newbury and has been given the Coronation Stakes entry.
The Irish runner trained by Jessie Harrington Sounds Of Heaven has some fancy future entries on both sides of the Irish Sea and shouldn’t be dismissed lightly with her Leopardstown maiden win from last October working out well (the runner-up that day Boogie Woogie was 6th in the French 1000 last weekend).
This is a very informative fillies race that will most certainly be worth following with many holding chances.
I’ll take the Stoute filly Stormy Sea under Ryan Moore to score to small stakes.
STORMY SEA 1 point each way @ 13/2 with Virgin Bet Promo Code – Places 123 (1/5th)
York 15:00
The class 2 Knights Solicitors Handicap is run over 1m 2 1/2F and is for four-year-olds and upwards with a field of 13 going to post. It’s certainly not the strongest York handicap I’ve seen and my fancy is the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer who is making his seasonal re-appearance here. He’s always run well at this track with his form figures here reading 54412 and if ready to go today can take this competitive handicap.
A couple of interesting runners are the William Haggas-trained Aramaic who we haven’t seen on a racecourse since September 2021 having been gelded in the interim. The market will no doubt tell us if he’s expected to figure today. The other horse of interest is the Andrew Balding-trained, Qatar Racing-owned Nobel who is making his handicap debut following wind surgery and being off for 201 days. As with the aforementioned Aramaic, a market watch is essential.
James Ferguson saddles an interesting runner in Diderot who has shown little in three turf starts but has plenty of all-weather form and races today off a 7lb lower mark than his all-weather mark.
David O’Meara loves a winner at York and he saddles Eeetee who is up 4lb for winning at Haydock three weeks ago whilst top weight Masekela trained by Andrew Balding is taking a drop in class in his first handicap.
A tough race but if straight enough it’s Spirit Dancer for me.
SPIRIT DANCER 1 point each way @ 6/1 with Betfair Promo Code – Places 1234 (1/5th)
York 15:35
The Yorkshire Cup, a Group 2 race run over 14F, has a different feel to it this year with no Stradivarius who won it on three of the last four years but we still have seven staying horses. The recent key piece of form is the Dubai Gold Cup run over 2M at Meydan 55 days ago where Aidan O’Brien’s globe-trotting Broome came late and fast to collar Charlie Appleby’s Siskany on the line.
There was a neck between the pair and dropping back to 14F should suit the pair of them so they are hard to split. Behind them and seemingly held that day were Get Shirty and Giavellotto whilst Quickthorn was 7 1/2L back in 7th and it surprises me that Hughie Morrison’s six-year-old is ahead of Broome and Siskany in the betting today.
Roger Varian brings last year’s St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov here but he is penalised 5lb and this is his first run of the season which is geared around a go at the Ascot Gold Cup in three weeks. He may just need this run and preference is for the Godolphin runner Siskany under William Buick who is the highest-rated horse in the race (by a pound from Broome).
SISKANY 1 point win @ 18/5 with Betvictor Promo Code
York 16:10
Just seven have declared for this interesting 1M class 2 Novice Stakes. The second and third from the Wood Ditton are here in the shape of William Haggas’s Kathab and Andrew Balding’s New Business. They were both making their racecourse debuts that day when finishing 3L and 4 1/2L respectively behind Sir Michael Stoute’s Passenger at Newmarket and we should obviously be keeping an eye on how Passenger does in the Dante Stakes on Thursday afternoon to see whether there’s a form boost.
John and Thady Gosden saddle a brace of promising colts in Mostabshir who was last seen when running 5th in the Craven Stakes, beaten 7 3/4L and was put in the Group 1 St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot recently. Two things against him here are the 6lb penalty he has to shoulder for a Kempton win last November and the fact that Jim Crowley appears to have chosen Kathab over him as they both race in the blue and white Shadwell Stud colours although William Buick is hardly a downgrade in jockeys.
The other Gosden runner is Ziryab who showed some promise at Yarmouth on his debut.
I’ll take William Haggas’s Kathab to confirm Wood Ditton form with New Business and beat his owner’s stable mate Mostabshir.
KATHAB 1 point win @ 7/4 with Paddy Power Promo Code
All odds are accurate at the time of writing.
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