Day 3 of the Ebor meeting and the Group 1 Nunthorpe for the speedsters is the race everyone will have their eye on. Again, like yesterday, the rest of the card isn’t one to get stuck into apart from the opening handicap.
3.40: Nunthorpe Stakes
A cracking contest in store with top class Limato heading the market. He’ll be difficult to beat but the thing to concern punters must be the suitability over the minimum trip. It’s a tough race to try 5 furlongs for the first time and, whilst he should relish it given the way he travels, it was the trip that let him down when tried over a mile in the Lockinge. If he handles it, I’d expect him to win.
According to the market, Meccas Angel and Profitable are the 2 most likely to give Limato something to worry about and you can see why. Profitable has won 3 of his last 4 and his last 3 over this trip, including a Group 1 whilst Meccas Angel is well versed in this company. I’m not sure whether enough rain will fall for either of them so I’m going to go for a bigger priced selection in 2 year old, Yalta.
As a 2 year old, he gets a massive weight allowance but he’ll need it to compensate for his inexperience. That said, he looks top class and his recent win in the Molecomb looks excellent form. I believe that the drop back to the minimum worked wonders for this speedy front runner and I expect him to break quickly from the gates in a bid to make all. York is a galloping track so being up with the pace is an advantage. 2 year olds have won this race before so it can be done and a course record last time out, coupled with the fact connections decided to supplement him for this, is enough to convince me to side with Mark Johnston’s juvenile.
Back Yalta (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 11.00 with Skybet (1/5 odds 1-5 BOG)
Back it here:
1.55: Class 2 Handicap
The opener is a competitive handicap with a field of 15 for this mile and a half race. Bookies go 5/1 the field with top weight Barsanti the favourite. He’s 9lb higher than his last win and doesn’t look a good thing to me so I’ll be looking elsewhere for a bet in this.
Moonmeister is a danger from the shrewd Tony Martin yard but I really like the chances of Shakopee here, ridden by Jamie Spencer for Luca Cumani. He’s a lightly raced 4 year old who appears to be crying out for a bit further than the 10 furlongs he’s been racing over so this trip looks ideal. He’s best judged on a very impressive run at Doncaster in July where he won comfortably, quickening impressively. He looked like a pattern performer in the making to me and this long straight and flat track should suit his style perfectly. He disappointed last time out off this mark but Goodwood didn’t suit, nor did the relatively slow pace. He will almost certainly get a faster pace to aim at and that will play into his hands, for sure. With many of his rivals beginning to look exposed and holding no secrets from the handicapper, this one might just still have more to give and with the longer trip also a big tick in the box, he’ll be fighting out the finish.
PLACED – Back Shakopee (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 8.00 with Boylesports (1/4 odds 1-3 BOG)
Back it here:
