York 3.40
By DC Tips
York 3.40 - Sprint Handicap - 6 Furlongs - Class 2 - 3 year olds - 17 run - Good to Firm
With Royal Ascot just around the corner, it is no surprise to see very few competitive big-fields this Saturday but this 6 furlong handicap for 3 year-olds looks to be one of the exceptions with 17 runners declared and enhanced places being offered by a number of bookies.
11 of the horses in the contest are trained in Yorkshire but the top of the betting market is currently dominated by horses trained in the South. One of those is SKYRUNNER whose trainer William Haggas, although based at Newmarket, is very much a Yorkshire man and he loves nothing more than having winners at this track. This horse is stepping into handicap company for the first time here, having now had 3 runs, and he is seeking a hat-trick of wins this season having won at Doncaster and Pontefract. Those wins came over 7f and 5f respectively and he is yet to win over this trip. He looked to need the full distance at Doncaster but then showed sufficient speed to make all at Pontefract in soft ground and in a contest that was considerably weaker than this. The early pace in this race looks like it may come predominantly from those drawn high so his double-digit stall should mean he gets a nice tow into the race. Haggas would have had a pick of 3 year-old sprinters to aim at this prize so the fact that he relies on just this one, with Tom Marquand booked, could be significant.
Another prominent in the market, in what is a tight betting heat at the front-end, is the Irish raider AIKIDO. We all know that horses coming over the Irish Sea have to be taken seriously and Ger Lyons does not run many in handicaps over here. That said, he did win The Ebor handicap with one two years ago, and had the same horse placed the year before, so he will only send them if he feels they can put on a bold show. The horse has won twice on the all-weather at Dundalk and he is just 1lb higher in the handicap here. The claiming jockey takes off a useful 5lbs and he did win on his only previous ride on the horse. The horse doesn’t always appear to be the easiest ride, with a tendency to hang being shown in a couple of his races, and he could be the pace-setter for those drawn low.
A trainer with an excellent record with his 3 year-olds at York is Michael Dods. He has an overall 31% strike-rate with 3 year-olds here in the last 5 years and in the better quality handicaps like this he has had 5 wins and 2 places from just 9 runners. This horse has won just the once, from four starts, so far and is yet to tackle ground any quicker than good-to-soft. He does have an unexposed profile and should strip a lot fitter for his seasonal debut at Haydock at the end of last month. He has been dropped 2lbs for that run and it is interesting that regular pilot, Paul Mulrennan, does not take the ride here. He may not be able to do the weight, perhaps, but Oisin Murphy has been booked instead and that can’t be seen as a negative in my eyes. His sole win came at Hamilton last September and the horse who finished 2nd that day has franked the form just this week by winning back at that track earlier this week. He looks to have a decent draw here and is one for the short-list at nice each-way odds.
Five of today’s field all met last month in a sprint handicap we covered at Newmarket. The horse who fared best that day, finishing 2nd, was JADWAL. That was the third time he has finished as runner-up, in as many races, this season but he ran an excellent race and has gone up 7lbs as a result. The front pair pulled well clear and the form has been well advertised with the 3rd and 4th placed horses both winning since and the horses in 7th and 10th also both placing in their subsequent races. The winner is clearly a smart horse and he could line up in a Group 1 next week at Ascot. He is a horse who can pull extremely hard and he was clearly suited by helping to force a strong pace last time so connections will hope for a similar scenario here with Jim Crowley back on board.
Back in 5th at Newmarket was FIRST FOLIO. He was 6 lengths behind JADWAL but is some 8lbs better off here and was inconvenienced by a tardy start last time after getting upset in the stalls. Prior to that he was very impressive when winning on UK debut on fast ground at Yarmouth for which he received a hike in the ratings of 11lbs. He should get an awful lot closer to JADWAL here and may even reverse the form. He should, also, welcome a return to this faster ground.
BICKERSTAFFE was back in 9th place at Newmarket but I do believe that he is better than the bare result. He found himself racing on what was clearly the unfavourable side of the track that day and his form prior to that race has quite a bit of substance to it. Having won on debut, just last September, he was quickly moved into listed company when running behind Winter Power at Ayr a couple of weeks later and, then, won on seasonal debut at Pontefract, over this trip, in April. He has been dropped 1lb here and Clifford Lee is back on board but he does face a stern test here from his very high draw.
SEVEN BROTHERS is another who made a slow start in the Newmarket race and, after also failing to get a clear run towards the business end of the race, he was only able to finish 11th. He is another who is probably better than that position suggests and returns here to a track he has won at before and with the fast conditions in his favour. He was gelded at the end of last season and he returned to win at Doncaster in April to make it 3 wins from just 4 starts and, prior to his Newmarket run, his only defeat had come in a Group 2 at The Ebor meeting here last August. The stable run four in this contest so it is interesting that the main jockey for the yard takes this ride.
The final runner from the Newmarket race is BARNEY’S BAY and he is one of two entrants in this race for Tim Easterby. He is a horse whose form has improved this season following a gelding operation and a drop back to this trip but he did struggle when upped to this class last time. The trainer was unable to offer any explanation for the subdued display and he does need to bounce back here.
Tim Easterby has actually won this contest on five occasions this century, including three of the last seven renewals, and his other entry here is SHOWALONG. The stable have been in excellent form this season and one of their forty-plus winners so far was this son of Showcasing when he won rather cosily at Chester last month. He finished with his ears pricked that day and was going away from the rest of the field at the end of the 5 furlong trip. A 7lb rise certainly looks fair on the evidence of that run and, whilst the extra furlong and this rather more galloping track should be no issue, having won over both the trip and the course, the one small concern could be the ground as his best form has come with plenty of give underfoot. At one point, he was being aimed at the new 5f handicap for 3 year-olds at Royal Ascot, a race his handler won last year, but the fact that he comes here instead could be significant.
Charlie Hills also has two horses entered in this and, in addition to JADWAL, he also runs the lightly-raced DARK SHIFT. The trainer has trained some good sprinters over recent years so ought to know what it takes to win a race of this nature and he, obviously, doesn’t see this unexposed sort’s relative inexperience as a big issue. He showed an impressive turn of foot when winning on debut at Ascot last autumn before running far too keenly next when finishing 2nd at Salisbury. His seasonal debut saw him win comfortably at Nottingham and the form of that race has been boosted by both the 2nd and 4th horses home winning since. All of his runs have come with some ease in the ground but his sire, Dark Angel, was at his best on decent ground so he may be even better on this quicker surface. He is one for the short-list.
Another trainer with 2 runners here is Richard Fahey and he showed his string to be in decent form when landing a treble here on Friday. The first of his entries is the recent impressive Catterick winner BLIND BEGGAR. He had some useful form as a 2 year-old but has looked much improved this term and, prior to his Catterick romp, he had finished 2nd to the now 106-rated Twilight Spinner at Ripon when well clear of the rest of the field. He’s never run on ground this quick before but, if handling it, he could be nicely handicapped, having gone up just 4lbs from his last win.
Fahey’s other runner is, one of the joint top-weights, INTERNATIONALDREAM. He is one of the more experienced types in this who ran in a listed contest here at The Dante meeting last month and blew his chance by rearing as the stalls opened. That was over 5f and he reverts to a trip over which he has done most of his racing so far. He is described as a tough, hardy horse by his trainer and is 3lbs better off with BICKERSTAFFE from his 1 ¼ length defeat at Pontefract in April so he could out-run his odds here if getting out of the gate in a better fashion this time.
As mentioned earlier, Kevin Ryan runs four horses in the race and, given the top two on the card are ridden by claiming jockeys, UNCLE JUMBO and BEN MACDUI are set to carry the most weight. The former has not won since winning on debut as a juvenile and, also, ran in the Pontefract race won by BICKERSTAFFE. That was one of several consistent performances from the horse this season but he is not getting much help from the handicapper as a result. Connections try cheekpieces for the first time and he could make a bold bid from the front.
BEN MACDUI finished 2nd in the group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood last year but has, so far, not reached that level of form this season although he ran creditably last time out behind the progressive Dragon Symbol at Hamilton. He steps back up to 6 furlongs here and would seem to have a bit on his plate here.
FIGHTER PILOT also looks to have to make step up here and is probably better suited to 5 furlongs. Kevin Ryan has, also, stated that he could be a doubtful runner if there is no rain.
The two other Yorkshire trainers with runners here are Tony Coyle and David O’Meara. Coyle runs EY UP IT’S MAGGIE and she is another who could probably do with easier ground conditions. She won impressively last time at Carlisle but has gone up 9lbs as a result and both wins have come over the minimum distance rather than this trip. She is also well held by SEVEN BROTHERS on their meeting over course-and-distance last July.
The horse at the bottom of the weights is GENERAL SAGO who represents David O’Meara. This gelding only made his racecourse debut in April and he is still a maiden but ran creditably on handicap debut last time. Through a formline with Twilight Calls, he is, however, well held by DARK SHIFT and needs a career best to take this.
With just three runs each and two wins apiece, it is quite possible that either or both of handicap debutants SKYRUNNER and DARK SHIFT could be anything and prove a real blot on this handicap. They have both been well found in the market, however, and, whilst I fear DARK SHIFT in particular, a little more experience has been a key to this race in the recent past and, with plenty of enhanced place offers, there could be some better value in the race.
The race at Newmarket last month could be a key piece of form and the form has been working out well so far. Whilst JADWAL finished best of those running here, I think a couple of horses who finished out of the money could over-turn the form here on a different track and with a swing in the weights. FIRST FOLIO paid the price for being unruly in the stalls and never recovered from a slow start but did run on well after having to switch when finding himself on the unfavourable side of the track. Prior to that he was impressive at Yarmouth and that win came on quick ground which he should get here.
Further back was SEVEN BROTHERS and he was another to start slowly whilst also suffering from a lack of a clear run on several occasions. He didn’t look completely at home on the undulating track and should find this course, where he has won before, much more to his liking – especially with the quicker ground. Kevin Stott, presumably, had the choice of the four stable entries but has come down on the side of this one. He is a nice double-figure price and rates a decent each-way bet.
Another whose price could hold some value is BLACKROD. His trainer has a good record with 3 year-old handicappers at this track and the booking of Oisin Murphy is an eye-catching one. He looked a little ring-rusty on seasonal debut but I suspect that was just a prep with this race in mind and, whilst he has only won once so far, his 2nd place finish on debut looks good form and his win at Hamilton was on probably the best ground he has encountered so far. Michael Dods doesn’t waste many bullets in races of this type and I think this one could also run a big race at a nice price.