Wednesday 15th May - Racing Chat

[The Brigadier]

York 2.15

The first of six races covered by the ITV cameras today is this class 2 Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Jorvik Handicap run over a distance of 1M 4F in which a decent sized fieled of fourteen have declared. Keven Ryan has booked William Buick for his dual course winner Marhaba The Champ who his trainer stated in a recent stable interview that he “had done well over the winter and loves York and fast ground”. He has a solid chance although wouldn’t want too much of the rain that is due to fall on the Knavesmire on Tuesday. Top weight Klondike is an intriguing runner for Yorkshireman William Haggas. He’s only run the four times and holds an entry in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot next month. He has a big weight to carry but has had his wind tinkered with and should not be dismissed. Another horse who likes it here is Adrian Paul Keatley’s Kihavah who’s won three of his 5 starts at the track. He’s another who wouldn’t want conditions to ease but with Oisin Murphy on board can run well. As long as the ground doesnt get too slow the pick has to be Marhaba The Champ.

 

MARHABA THE CHAMP 1 point each way @ 4/1 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

Ffos Las 2.30

ITV are showing just the one race from Ffos Las today in the shape of this class 4 2M handicap hurdle which has attracted a dozen runners. It looks an open enough contest but there may be some value in Neil Mulholland’s Bucephalus who went down by 3 1/4L to the progressive Balhambar ,who ran well in defeat against subsequent Swinton Hurdle winner Pickanumber since. Mr A P Ryan takes the mount today. He has yet to register a winner in this country but has a dozen winners to his name in Ireland so he may well be good value for his 7lb claim.

 

BUCEPHALUS 1 point each way @ 6/1 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

York 2.45

A maximum sized field of twenty two line up for this class 2 6F Churchill Tyres Handicap. Plenty, as you would imagine, have claims on the best of their sprint handicap form but there is one horse that really catches my eye and with so much in his favour is well worth a punt. Karl Burke’s Lethal Levi ran a stormer in this race a year ago from stall 2 on the far side when finishing just a neck runner up to Bielsa. He ran well in defeat several times last season but finds himself here off of a handicap mark 5lb lower than last year and from a similar draw in stall 1 can run a big race under regular pilot Clifford Lee. He probably needed his run at Newmarket over a furlong further at the Guineas meeting (as he did last year) and should be primed now for a big run.

 

LETHAL LEVI 1 point each way 8/1 1/5th 123456

 

York 3.15

The Group 2 1895 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes run over 6F is next up and we have a good sized field of fifteen speedsters. Last year’s winner Azure Blue is back to defend his title and even though he’s been off for 305 days should run well if fully tuned up for this (he did win first time out last season). Karl Burke’s filly Swingalong is unbeaten in two starts at the track and is another to bear in mind along with Washington Heights who had the re-opposing pair of Mill Stream and Spycatcher just behind when winning the Group 3 Abernant Stakes at the Craven meeting at Newmarket last time out. One horse who does look over priced and comes here in fine form is the Clive Cox trained Dilligent Harry who’s shown good speed to win two listed races on the all-weather in February prior to a creditable third in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at Medan on World Cup night. Only 3lb off of the top rated here Khaadem, who escapes a penalty for his group 1 Royal Ascot victory by a couple of months, he looks excellent each way value with an enhanced place as long as the ground doesn’t go too much on the easy side.

 

DILIGENT HARRY 1 point each way @ 25/1 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

York 3.45

Just seven three year old fillies line up for the Group 3 1M 2 1/2F Tattersalls Musidora Stakes including the warm favourite Friendly Soul who is trained by father and son training combo of John and Thady Gosden. The Gosden’s have an excellent record in this race having won the race five times in the last 9 years including for the last two years with Emily Upjohn and Soul Sister who went on to finish an unlucky second and won the Epsom Oaks respectively. Friendly Soul looked a smart filly when winning on her re-appearance in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket from the very well supported favourite Kalpana by 1 1/4L. Her trainer’s stated afterwards she would be heading for the French Oaks as the trip of the Epsom Oaks was maybe too far for her and she is the one to beat today although she has been well found in the betting. Better value (especially if any firms were to pay three places on this 7 runner contest) may lie with Ralph Beckett’s Classical Song. She has some smart juvenile form, breaking her duck in good style in a Sandown maiden and finishing the season with a 4L fourth in the Fillies Mile at Newmarket. Beckett is beginning to roll now and having taken the Lingfield Oaks trial at the weekend with You Got To Me can go close with Doreen Tabor’s Lope De Vega bay filly.

 

CLASSICAL SONG 1 point win @ 13/2 bet365

 

York 4.15

The last of the six ITV races is the class 3 7F handicap for three year olds. There are some interesting handicap debutants here including three unbeaten horses in Kevin Ryan’s True Promise, Micky Hammond’s Thursday’s Child and the most interesting of the trio in the William Haggas trained Shadwell Stud owned Elmonjed. The one that I like however is the Andrew Balding trained Fire Demon who has impressed me this year by winning three of his four starts on the all-weather rising just 10lb. His recent victory on All-Weather Championships Day was franked at the weekend by the victory of the runner up Cross The Tracks. He should have no problem reverting to turf as his 1 3/4L runner up in a Newbury maiden last August won by Dancing Gemini, who’s gone on to win in listed company and was an unlucky runner up in the French 2000 Guineas last weekend. The step back up to 7F should suit this Oisin Murphy ridden colt who could be verging on pattern company soon.

 

FIRE DEMON 2 points win @ 4/1 William Hill

 

[Hotspur88]

Current P/L = +7.2pts

One selection for tomorrow.

1.5pt win 4/1 double...