It is the final day of the Dante Festival on Friday with the big race being the Yorkshire Cup. We have a couple of selections in that race as well as a couple on one of the competitive handicaps on the undercard. We’ll begin with the big race.
3.30 York: Yorkshire Cup
Preview
Just a bare 8 runners for this Class 2 staying contest where the Queens Vase & Goodwood Cup winner Stradivarius is a warm order to land this en route to the Ascot Gold Cup. He looks hard to oppose but the price is incredibly skinny for one making his seasonal debut so I’m going to throw a couple of darts at longer priced shots.
Betting
Count Octave was only a neck behind him in the Queens Vase on this sort of ground so the fact he’s priced in double figures surprises me. He was then 2nd in a Listed event at Goodwood before finishing 6th in the St Leger, a bit further behind Stradivarius, in a race that wasn’t run to suit. I’d imagine the ground was also against him that day. He has the benefit of a couple of runs this year, winning on the all weather at odds on before finishing 5 lengths behind the impressive Defoe in a Group 2 at Newmarket over an inadequate trip. The longer trip, better ground & more galloping track will all suit, with 11/1 a big price.
Call To Mind was the horse to finish in front of Count Octave in that Goodwood Listed event and, on that run alone, he has to be our 2nd dart. He’s just a 4 year old & has only raced 7 times so has bags of scope for improvement. It’s hard to knock any of his runs last year including 2 good runs on this firmer going. He won on his debut on good to firm before finishing 6th behind the ill fated Permian in the King Edward VII but would have finished much closer with a clearer run. He has had a run this term, finishing 4th behind Defoe at Newbury but the ground & trip weren’t ideal. Stripping much fitter today & on better ground, I’d expect him to outrun his odds of 11/1.
Tips
Back Count Octave (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 13.00 888sport BOG (1/5 odds 1-3)
Back it here:
PLACED – Back Call To Mind (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 12.00 Bet365 BOG (1/4 odds 1-3)
2 more bets come in the following handicap on Yorkshire Cup day:
4.05 York
Preview
An incredibly open 10 furlong handicap where it’s hard to discount any of the 12 runners. I’m going down the value route & first up, I have to say that the 33/1 rag Elusive Heights very nearly made it as a bet. He’s a horse I’ll be following in the future but I’m hoping today isn’t his day.
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Betting
Banditry, off a mark of 95 & from a stable in great form, is the first of our bets. He’s a decent dual purpose horse with 4 of his last 5 runs coming over hurdles. Last year, he ran in 6 turf handicaps, winning 1 off 90 & finishing 2nd a further 3 times, the last of which came off a mark of 94. He looked like a horse to follow & then continued to run well over the winter over the small obstacles. On his first run on the flat this year, he ran in the Suffolk Stakes handicap at Newmarket, finishing 4th behind 2 very progressive types. He stayed on well & would have been closer over the extra furlong he’ll encounter today. If today’s jockey rides him closer to the pace, I’d fully expect him to be in the mix off the same mark as his Newmarket run.
Kyllachy Gala has been running well on the all weather & I’m hoping for more of the same on his return to turf today. He’s run 9 times on the sand over the winter & his only win was off a mark only 2lb lower but interestingly was the only one with today’s jockey on board. He will be suited by this track as he likes to be up with the pace & the ground should hold no fears as he ran a cracker on this ground the last time he was seen on turf. That was 12 months ago where he finished 3rd in a top 1 mile handicap at Haydock. That was off a mark of 104 & he’s now 5lb lower. If transferring his all weather form to York today, he’ll go well at big odds.
Tips
PLACED – Back Banditry (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 11.00 Betfair BOG (⅕ odds 1-3)
Back it here:
Back Kyllachy Gala (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 21.00 Bet365 (¼ odds 1-3)
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