Good morning all,
Four days of fantastic racing at York are over. I thought it was an excellent Ebor Festival and what a difference spectators made compared to 12 months ago. I was there on Friday and it was a good day to go with the Lonsdale Cup’s producing a thrilling finish between Stradivarius & Spanish Mission. We also had a burn up over the 5f in the Nunthorpe Stakes with Winter Power providing a Yorkshire trained winner.
On the punting front it was a tough four days but that’s York for you. In some ways it’s a tougher festival than Royal Ascot. You can never be sure which way they will go coming into the straight in the longer distance races. Meanwhile on the straight track there’s always the chance of a draw bias and over the first couple of days it paid to be drawn over the far side in the sprint handicaps.
York is a fair galloping track with a long straight but some horses just don’t act at it. If you look back at the races you see plenty of well fancied horses who can’t get a hold of the ground. I don’t really know why it’s the case but it looks like it could be soil related.
If it hadn’t had been for Saturday and Sonnyboyliston, Shanroe & Ravenscraig Castle, a close-up third in the Melrose Handicap it would have been a below par festival tipping wise. However, Saturday meant York ended on a positive note rather than on a downer.
Inside today’s and Tuesday’s column’s you can read my thoughts on the Ebor Festival, including some eyecatchers tomorrow. Today I look back at Saturday’s Ebor Handicap. Plus, there are three that have piqued my interest at this evening’s Ripon card.
Sonnyboyliston Knocks Out Ebor Rivals
The Ebor Handicap is Europe’s richest Handicap and my favourite flat handicap of the season. For some reason it’s a race I have done well in. Coming into this year’s race I had found four winners since 2011 and I managed the feat again on Saturday.
Hamish was a late non runner due to the rain not arriving in time although by race time it was falling. However, clearly not enough to risk the ant post favourite after his long absence.
Great footballers don’t make great manager’s and the same thing has been said about jockeys. We can safely say Johnny Murtagh was a great jockey and he looks to be heading the same way as a trainer. He’s quickly gaining a reputation as a trainer who can prepare one for a big race. He did so again with the Sonnyboyliston winning Saturday’s Ebor.
The 4-year-old came in to the Ebor a steady improver with untapped potential as a stayer. He had to dig deep to win though. After a couple of slow early furlongs, they got racing a fair way out and that suited Sonnyboyliston. He had to dig deep to win though and despite hanging towards the centre which gave Quickthorn a chance he managed to get his head down on the line to win by a head.
Credit to the runner-up who would have preferred even softer ground. Once headed by the winner inside the final furlong, he battled on all the way to the line and he almost got back up.
The rain arrived in time for Alounak who ran another cracker in third. Just finding two better handicapped horses too strong at the finish. He just edged out Shanroe who made his effort towards the centre which possibly wasn’t the place to be.
Ebor Handicap Eyecatcher:
There’s always a horse or two who get’s an unlucky passage in the Ebor. This year’s eyecatcher looks to have been Max Vega in 5th. The 4-year-old a useful juvenile, winning twice on soft ground didn’t really fire last season but he did finish a 2 ½ length runner-up to the useful Hukum in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury last August.
His sole run this season came when 7th in a Group 3 over C&D. Where he split Sonnyboyliston & Quickthorn. He finished five lengths behind the winner here. However, he didn’t get the best of passages between the final two furlongs and with a clear run have would have gone close.
He goes into the autumn fresher than most and on soft ground there is a race to be won with him.
Away From York
Away from the Knavesmire. It was the juveniles who took centre stage at Sandown and the Curragh.
Sandown
Next year is HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and there is a good chance that she will have a runner in the Derby which will be on the Bank Holiday Weekend of her Jubilee celebrations.
Can she finally land the Epsom Classic? Well, she’s got a potential contender in Reach For The Moon. The son of Sea The Stars was a ½ length behind Point Lonsdale in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and showed a nice turn of foot to quicken away from his five rivals in the Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown.
Given his pedigree, his full brother Chalk Stream has been improving over 1m 4f this season, he's shown good speed to win as a juvenile. There will be tougher assignments ahead for the colt in the autumn. However, he’s going the right way and should hold his own in races like the Dewhurst Stakes and the Futurity in the autumn.
Trainer John Gosden’s last three winners of the Solario Stakes were: Raven’s Pass, Kingman & Too Darn Hot. Reach For The Moon is going in the right direction to emulate those three smart horses.
Reach For The Moon had been a bit coltish prior to his previous two starts but if he can hold it together mentally and train on as 3-year-old. It could well be: “Hats of to Her Majesty” at Epsom in June. If she was to win flat racing's blue riband race in a Jubilee year. What a huge boost it would be for the sport in the UK.
Across The Irish Sea Point Lonsdale & Agartha enhanced the reputations when winning the two Group 2 races at the Curragh.
Curragh
The Aidan O’Brien trained Point Lonsdale is the best 2-year-old we have seen so far this season. He made it 4-4 when easily winning the Group 2 Futurity Stakes. The son of Australia looks an uncomplicated ride and showed his tactical versatility when making all in Saturday’s race. He goes on any ground and although his two biggest wins have now come on soft ground, he’s likely to do even better on a sounder surface.
Some high-class colts have won the race in recent years. Mac Swiney won it last year and Aidan O’Brien’s winners include 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck and 2,000 Guineas winners Gleneagles & Churchill.
The Group 1 National Stakes is next on the agenda for the colt. Where he will hopefully come up against the Godolphin owned Native Trail. It should be some race if they both turn up. However, it will take a good horse to lower his colours this season.
Agartha also made all to win the Group 2 Debutante Stakes 35 minutes earlier. A steadily improving filly. She didn’t win her first four starts in maiden company but has now won her last two in Group races. On paper it looked like an open looking contest. The market thought so too with four horses, including the winner going off 4/1 co favourites. However, the race itself wasn’t as close as the market suggested with Agartha running out a decisive 2 length winner.
Agartha’s win was second successive win in the race for trainer Joseph O’Brien after Pretty Gorgeous in 2020. The Group 1 Moyglare Stakes, back over C&D, seems the likely next race for the winner. Seven of the last ten winners of Moyglare ran in the Debutante Stake on their previous run.
Monday Racing
After a five-day feast of top-class racing. Today’s fare can cheerfully be described as moderate but I have three that hold some interest at Ripon.
Ripon
6:55 – Challet a previous C&D winner won at York three starts back and bounced back to form when a 1 ½ length 3rd of 9 ten-days ago. He’s 4lb higher than when winning at Ripon but shaped last time like he can win off this sort of mark. Has a handy draw in stall 1 but can’t afford to miss the break as he did at Thirsk.
7:25 – Front runners have done well here in races over 1m 4f. Looking at the last 200 races run over the distance front runners have produced 50 winners from 185 runners 27% +57.66. Compare those numbers with hold up horses which have produced 27 winners from 372 runners 7% -217.93.
Oot Ma Way could well get a solo out in front and if he does he will be tough to peg back. He’s been knocking on the door on both his last two starts at Newcastle and when a ½ length 2nd of 12 at Ayr two weeks ago. The first time cheekpices are applied for a drop back to 1m 2f but he looks to have a good chance here off 1lb higher than last time.
7:55 – Ginato won over C&D three starts back, off 3lb lower. He showed he remains in form at Thirsk 17-days ago. He was making steady headway when not getting a clear run coming to the final furlong. Eventually finishing a ½ length 7th of 10. You can draw a line under that run and he shouldn’t be far away here if stall 1 isn’t an inconvenience.
Monday Selection:
Ripon
7:25 – Oot Ma Way
Good luck with your Monday bets.
John
John Burke is the tipster behind the long standing Victor Value service you can join him here – https://victorvalue.uk