Seven selections for Wednesday card at York.
York Tips – Wednesday, August 19
- 13:50 Corolla Point / Toca Madera
- 14:25 Gentle Hurricane
- 15:00 Maltese Cross (Nap)
- 15:35 Constitution River
- 16:10 Small Fry
- 16:45 Miss Yechance (NB)
- 17:20 The Dancing Pirate
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The Juddmonte International Headlines Day One
Day one of York’s four-day Ebor Festival is a cracker.
The centrepiece is the Group 1 Juddmonte Farms International Stakes, a Group 1 race worth £1,500,000.
Due off at 15:35, the nine runners include the French Derby and Eclipse Stakes winner, Constitution River, who is unbeaten in five starts, and Ombudsman, who has won the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot for the last two years, and won the International Stakes last year. The last horse to win back-to-back Internationals was Halling in 1995 and 1996.
Add in French raider Zaydann, who has won his last five races, the first two from the Group 2 York Stakes, Item and Pride Of Arras, the French Derby runner-up, Hawk Mountain, and May’s Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner at the Curragh, Almaqam, well, you can see that it’s a race to savour.
The card begins at 13:50 with a 22-runner 5f89y handicap, which will be fast and furious. Ireland will be represented in the race by Danny Murphy’s Erosandpsyche, who will be ridden by Oisin Orr. Oisin began this week with a 39% recent strike-rate (11 winners from his last 28 rides) so is very much a jockey in form.
Other Irish runners on the card:
14:25 – The £175,000 Group 3 Acomb Stakes for 2yos – Confucius and Haffner (Aidan O’Brien) and Trean (Paddy Twomey).
15:00 – The £250,000 Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes – Christmas Day (the Epsom Derby winner), Pierre Bonnard and Antigua (all for Aidan O’Brien)
16:10 – A £100,000 2m56y handicap – Small Fry (Joseph O’Brien), Mordor (Gordon Elliott) and Westminster Moon (Tony Martin).
No race on the card is worth less-than £100,000, with total prize money adding up to £2,360,000.
It’s a great way to start the Festival.
York Ebor Day 1 Selections
13:50 5½f Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (4yo+)
Our two against the field are the lightly raced and improving COROLLA POINT and TOCA MADERA, an eye-catching fifth in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last time out.
Eight of the last ten winners were drawn 10 or lower, which both of these horses are.
Selection: Corolla Point/Toca Madera
14:25 7f Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (Group 3) (IRE Incentive Race) (Class 1) (2yo)
Aidan O’Brien won this race two years ago with The Lion In Winter and has the favourite here, HAFFNER, although no favourite has won the race in the last ten years.
Andrew Balding has won this race twice in the last four years and he runs GENTLE HURRICANE, who may reward an each-way play. He has a similar profile to Andrew’s winner last year, Gewan, who won here after winning on his debut.
Selection: Gentle Hurricane
15:00 1m4f Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) (Colts & Geldings) (Class 1) (3yo)
This race often produces a major player or two for the St Leger in September. It’s a good race for the market leader, with five of them having won in the last ten years. That mantle looks like falling to MALTESE CROSS. He finished second to Christmas Day in the Epsom Derby in June but can improve past him on today’s better going.
A quirky stat is that the last five winners, and six of the last seven, have been drawn in stalls 2 or 4. Pierre Bonnard is in stall two and Christmas Day in stall four. Both are trained by Aidan O’Brien, who has won this race twice in the last three years, although he had the beaten favourite last year in Lambourn.
Selection: Maltese Cross (Nap)
15:35 1m2½f Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+)
We sided with CONSTITUTION RIVER in the Eclipse Stakes, which he won, and won’t desert him here even though Ombudsman is a strong opponent.
Selection: Constitution River
16:10 2m½f Stayers Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3yo+)
Ireland has won two of the last six and the favourite has won three of the last nine, with seven of the last ten winners having been returned at 8/1 or shorter. Seven of the last ten winners were drawn eight or higher.
An obvious player has to be Joseph O’Brien’s SMALL FRY, who looked unlucky when second at Goodwood last time out. Northumberland Plate runner-up KIRCHNER is lightly raced and open to further improvement, while VALEDICTORY finished just over five lengths behind SMALL FRY at Goodwood and blinkers go on for the first time today. Northumberland Plate sixth RIDE THE THUNDER is weighted to avenge KIRCHNER today and is closely weighted with SHRIMP SHADY based on Newbury form.
There are some classy handicappers in this and, despite his price being a little short, we’ll side with SMALL FRY to win for Ireland.
Selection: Small Fry
16:45 5f Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo 0-105)
In general, in five furlong races here, you are better off being drawn lower rather than higher. NAANA’S SHADOW has been a revelation this season, winning four of her last six races. She keeps defying the handicapper, but how will she cope with stall 15, plus an 8lb rise in the weights for winning at Goodwood?
MISS YECHANCE is 6lbs better off with her for two lengths at Goodwood, which brings them close together although Miss Yechance is, arguably, better drawn in stall seven and Jack Nicholl’s claim could also help with a filly that will arrive here fresh, having had three months off prior to her last two runs. These factors edge us towards her.
Selection: Miss Yechance (NB)
17:20 6f Nursery Handicap (Class 2) (2yo)
This looks very open and, of course, in nurseries, horses can leave previous form behind. He has yet to win a race but THE DANCING PIRATE was well backed to win a nursery at Goodwood last time but finished seventh. Any horse can be forgiven an indifferent performance at such a track as Goodwood, but there can be no such excuses today. First-time cheek-pieces could also help the cause. RULER’S PRIDE, who has contested Group races on his last two starts, will find this a lot easier and has a good draw so might get in amongst the money.
Selection: The Dancing Pirate
York Ebor Day 1 Selections:
- 13:50 Corolla Point / Toca Madera
- 14:25 Gentle Hurricane
- 15:00 Maltese Cross (Nap)
- 15:35 Constitution River
- 16:10 Small Fry
- 16:45 Miss Yechance (NB)
- 17:20 The Dancing Pirate
