Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
It’s the final day of York’s wonderful Ebor meeting with the great spectacle of the Ebor Handicap itself and my thoughts on that are below.
ITV are covering just four races from the Knavesmire, beginning with a Group race, the Strenshall Stakes, where Saeed Bin Suroor’s Real World goes for a hat-trick after victories at Ascot and Newbury, This is then followed by three top-class contests.
The York meeting is backed up by two races from Sandown, including the Solario Stakes where the Queen’s horse trained by the Gosden’s, Reach For The Moon is a pretty hot favourite to romp home. But I have looked for value amongst the six races on offer and here are my thoughts for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 York. Dhushan
3.00 York. Space Blues
3.35 York. On To Victory
2.40 Sandown. Lavender’s Blue
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Starting at York with the 2.25 the Sky Bet Melrose Handicap which is run over 1m 6f. This race is run over the Ebor trip for 3-year-olds a lot of which could develop into Pattern race horses. The top weight is AP O’Brien’s King Of The Castle who won comfortably at Limerick on his last outing and comes over to the UK with a good reputation but his weight looks too much to me.
Roger Varian sends Moshaawer who won a poor race at Doncaster in early July then went out as a warm favourite at Newcastle later in the month and could finish only third.
Oman represents Ralph Beckett but he was well beaten on heavy ground at Haydock in May. Since then, he has had a couple of runs at Chester winning once but the form from that track very rarely works out.
Lower down the handicap Michael Bell’s True Courage has won his last three races but they were lowly rated handicaps and he steps up massively in class here.
My preference is for William Haggas’s Dhushan who after two fine victories was just touched off at Ascot last month. He had several of these behind him that day and he looks like he can improve again.
At 3.00 it is the Sky Bet City Of York Stakes, a Group 2 race over 7f. Ed Walker has Primo Bacio in the lineup who benefits from the 3-year-old and the fillies allowance. She has been supplemented for this race. She won a Listed race here at York in May and has since been trying her luck in Group 1 races without success, but she needs top of the ground going.
William Knight’s Sir Busker has been consistent this season and ran well to finish second in a Group 3 contest at Salisbury a week ago, but the most he can hope for here is a place.
The trainer with all the answers here is Charlie Appleby who has two runners, Glorious Journey and Space Blues and it is the latter who seems to be the stable’s star after his Group 1 win at Riyadh in February but he does need the rain to stay away. He was unsuited by the going at Goodwood last time where he finished fourth but he still comfortably beat John Quinn’s Safe Voyage who finished eighth.
But don’t write off the chances of Appleby’s other runner Glorious Journey who although well beaten in the July Cup at Newmarket he had won well a fortnight earlier at the same track, he should chase Space Blues home.
The big race of the day is at 3.35, the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap over 1m 6f. The top weight here is Jim Goldie’s Euchen Glen who is a tough nut and won here at York last October. He has won at Sandown twice this year but asking him to concede weight to this class field is too much.
Roger Varian sends last year’s winner Fujaira Prince to try for a repeat performance but he has 6lbs more to carry than last year and that seems too much of a burden.
William Haggas has four runners here- Ilaraab, Hamish, Roberto Escobarr and Pablo Escobarr. Ilaraab’s long winning sequence came to a shuddering halt at Royal Ascot and it remains to be seen if he can regain that past form.
Hamish looks the best of the quartet with two wins at York back in 2019 but he has had a 14-month layoff, so I must pass him over.
The other two are fair handicappers but not up to this class. There are a few Irish raiders the best of which could be JP Murtagh’s Sonnyboyliston who ran sixth in a Group 3 race here at York last month, he may be placed.
Looking down the handicap, I like Karl Thornton’s Shanroe who won well at The Curragh in June and he is another who can press the principals.
But I will hang my hat on Alan King’s On To Victory who will be glad of any rain that comes to the Knavesmire. He ran a fine race when second in a Listed race at Goodwood in May he was then laid out for this race. He had a prep run at Goodwood last month where he dwelt at the start but came through the field to finish fifth, he can improve on that run.
Finally, moving to Sandown at 2.40, it is the Betway Atalanta Stakes over a mile. This is a Group 3 race for fillies and mares.
Sir Michael Stoute has the favourite here with Lights On who has won three times this season but she was well beaten when stepping up to Group company last time.
Andrew Balding’s Auria has run consistently well this season and gained a deserved victory in a Listed contest here at Sandown in early July.
Waliyak from Roger Varian’s yard won easily at Haydock in a Listed race last time but he has been behind Lights On on two occasions this year and I expect that run to continue.
But there is a Sandown Group winner in the lineup and that is Amanda Perrett’s Lavender’s Blue. Since winning a Listed race on the all-weather in April, she has been tried at a very high level and this drop back to Group 3 should suit.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 York. Dhushan
3.00 York. Space Blues
3.35 York. On To Victory
2.40 Sandown. Lavender’s Blue
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365