Racing Chat - Saturday 24th August

[The Brigadier]

York 1.50

The first of seven races covered by the ITV cameras today is the 1M 1F Sky Bet Strensall Stakes, a Group 3 contest which has attracted a field of nine. The pick and form choice is the Andrew Balding trained See The Fire, the only filly in the race. Having finished a creditable fourth in the Eclipse (beaten only 7 1/2L) by City Of Troy she stepped forward again to run the Aidan O’Brien filly Opera Singer to a neck in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. She’s the highest rated in the race and will take some beating if running up to those last two runs. Owen Burrows’s Alyanaabi ran a bit flat last time but may not have truly stayed 10F that day and the drop back a furlong looks a good move - he rates the biggest danger to the pick.

 

SEE THE FIRE 1 point win @ 11/4 William Hill

 

Goodwood 2.05

The Group 3 7F William Hill Prestige Fillies’ Stakes for two year old fillies is up next in which we have a field of ten following the defection of favourite Formal due to the ground. She would have been a strong fancy but we’re wait for another day for her on better ground. The obvious one in Formal’s absence is the once raced Ralph Beckett trained Tabiti, a Kingman filly who did it well on her debut at Newmarket in a maiden on fast ground. Shes unproven on soft mind with her twice raced dam only racing on fast ground (her sire won twice at the highest level on soft so some hope there). I’ll take a chance though with John & Sean Quinn’s Royalty Bay who’s already shown her liking for easy ground winning at Ripon and York on soft ground and only went down by a short neck in a Group 3 fillies contest at Deauville when last seen. Quinn has been amongst the winners this week at York with Jm Jungle and the filly will be ridden by Jason Hart.

 

ROYALTY BAY 1 point each way @ 5/1 bet365 1/5th 123

 

 

York 2.25

A field of sixteen assemble for the class 2 1M 6F Sky Bet Melrose Handicap for three-year-olds. The race looks wide open with the likes of Sir Michael Stoute’s easy Wolverhampton winner Reaching High and Andrew Balding’s battling 2M Ascot winner Tactician among the principals. I’ll take a flyer on an outsider each way with additional places in the shape of Tom Clover’s Tabletalk who’s stepping up to 1M 6F for the first time. The lightly raced Camelot colt is only having his fifth career start having broken his maiden at Chelmsford in May prior to running tenth in the Epsom Derby (beaten 19L). Following a 55 day break he ran a good third at Ascot in a 1M 4F handicap with the runner up Insanity franking the form since by winning at the Shergar Cup meeting back at the same track . Rossa Ryan rides from a favourable draw in 4 and looks a value each way play.

 

TABLETALK 1 point each way @ 20/1 bet365 1/5th 12345

 

Goodwood 2.40

A disappointing turnout of just five here for the Group 2 William Hill Celebration Mile. With a band of rain coming across and the ground certain to ease (it’s already good to soft (good in places), as I write this on Friday afternoon, there has to be a likelihood that the current favourite Lead Artist will be pulled out. Simon & Ed Crisford’s Poker Face ran a shocker last time but this is his ground so has an obvious chance if you’re willing to forgive him that poor run last time. The bet however is the Karl Burke trained Ice Max. He looked smart when winning handicaps at Bath and Musselburgh in April on a soft surface and hasn’t been disgraced twice since in pattern company. This looks a good opportunity for him in what may turn out to be a very winnable contest.

 

ICE MAX 1 point win 9/1 bet365

 

York 3.00

Just eight have declared for the Group 2 7F Sky Bet City Of York Stakes. Ralph Beckett’s Kinross has won the event the last two years under Frankie Dettori but is getting no younger now as a seven year old and he can help make the market for the confident pick in the shape of the John & Thady Gosden trained Audience who was a 3/4L second to Kinross in this last year although it’s fair to say he’s taken his form to another level since whilst Kinross may not be firing on all cylinders. Audience started this campaign with an emphatic Group 1 Lockinge victory at Newbury when making all over a mile from Charyn. He was subsequently rather disappointing at Royal Ascot behind the same horse but bounced back to form at today’s trip when an easy 4L winner at Goodwood with Kinross (and Art Power) behind. He’s 5lb better off today with that pair and with the likelihood of regular rider Rab Havlin forcing the pace looks one to get stuck into today.

 

AUDIENCE 2 points win @ 7/4 bet365

 

York 3.35

The day’s big handicap is the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap run over 1M 6F with a guaranteed purse of £500,000. A maximum field of twenty two have declared including Aidan O’Brien’s Queenstown who’s bumped into top stayer and stable companion Kyprios on his last two starts and looks a player although is drawn very wide in 22 (although the last two winners were drawn out there in stalls 20 and 24 all be it under Frankie Dettori masterclass rides) and Willie Mullins’s unexposed Hipop De Loire who was last seen finishing runner up to his stable mate Jackfinbar in a Galway maiden hurdle. In a wide open contest the one that I like is the Henry De Bromhead trained six year old Magical Zoe who’s been on my radar for this race for a while now. A smart hurdler who is currently rated 143 finishing fourth in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The mare has qualified for a mark on the level winning a Down Royal maiden and finishing third in a Group 3 at Fairyhouse over today’s trip. Billy Lee has the ride from stall 1.

 

MAGICAL ZOE 1 point each way @ 9/1 Unibet 1/5h 123456

 

York 4.10

A big field class 2 6F handicap is up next with nineteen sprinters spread across the course. Low numbers have seemed to have the call in sprints this week and it’s three year old Elmonjed from stall 2 who catches the eye here. William Haggas’s Shadwell owned son of Blue Point stepped forward to win the valuable Fitzdares Sprint Final at Windsor twelve days ago in first time blinkers, holding on well and with just a 2lb rise to contend with can be competitive under Tom Marquand. Last year’s dead heaters Albasheer and Summerghand (also won this in 2022) are others to consider in an open handicap.

 

ELMONJED 1 point each way @ 7/1 bet365 1/5 12345

[Thornwick]

Audience 300 york 7/4 looks way too big thought it more like 5/4 chance help yourselves gl all