We are off to a winning start, sort off, at York. Continuous put us in pole position ahead of Paddington. But Frankie had other ideas, and delivered a ride to finally knock Paddington off his perch. Today we focus on the ladies as the Yorkshire Oaks takes centre stage. Aidan O’Brien holds a strong card, and we’ll be delving into more detail below.
Ready to Rally
NAP: Lowther Stakes (Group Two) – Relief Rally @ 2/1 (General)
Relief Rally raised a few eyebrows when she went to the Weatherbys Super Sprint, instead of going down a group race route. But William Haggas has come to the Ebor and has directed Relief Rally to go down the top level route. She makes the step up to six, but she won’t mind it given her breeding. And, even by her win at Newbury when she just waltzed away from the opposition. Haggas didn’t have a winner at his boyhood track, on his birthday, yesterday but will have his best chance with this daughter of Kodiac.
Heating Up at York
E/W Bet: Yorkshire Oaks (Group One) – Warm Heart @ 6/1 (General)
Savethelastdance may hog the headlines, but Warm Heart has a real chance going into this. She might not be the number one for Aidan O’Brien but she’s won on firm ground, unlike her stablemate. Her run in the Irish Oaks didn’t suit, namely the ground but it was quite slow. Expect plenty of pace up front and for Warm Heart to pick her rivals off one by one, and may even get the better of her stablemate too.
O’Meara Of Course
Handicap Best: Clipper Logistics H’cap (Heritage) – Orbaan @ 10/1 (BetVictor, Betfred, Boylesports)
David O’Meara loves a good handicap, whether it’s at Ascot or York. And Orbaan is one of those horses that keeps cropping up in these types of races. He’s been campaigned thoroughly and has found himself dropping to a 5lb lower mark than in last year’s race, where he finished a good fourth. That drop in the handicap, plus ideal ground conditions and drawn next to Spirit Catcher who will want to be prominent, points him as the ideal candidate.
As I explained in yesterday’s column, Northern trainers love the Ebor meeting. And Ed Bethell looks to have campaigned Point Lynas with this race in mind. His best result this season came over C&D, losing by a head to Croupier. He’s been given a break since disappointing at Royal Ascot which may play into his hands. A career high mark of 96 doesn’t put me off backing him at 12/1 (BetVictor), as he’s finished second twice at York.
La Trinidad was in my tracker right at the start of the season and has had a very light campaign so far. Only three runs, including a win on firm ground at Doncaster, gives him a mark of 94. But with Jonny Peate claiming three pounds, he’s only on a 2lb higher mark than his previous win of 89. Which came over C&D. He has to overcome an outside draw in stall 20, but drawn next to pace may prove to be a stroke of luck. A nice big price at 28/1 (General)
Selections:
13:50 – Lowther Stakes (Group Two) – Relief Rally (NAP) @ 2/1 (General)
14:25 – Premier Yearling Stakes – Dapperling @ 12/1 (William Hill)
15:00 – Clipper Logistics Handicap (Heritage) – Orbaan (H’cap Best) @ 10/1 (BetVictor, Betfred, Boylesports), Point Lynas @ 12/1 (BetVictor), La Trinidad @ 28/1 (General)
15:35 – Yorkshire Oaks (Group One) – Savethalastdance @ 9/2 (General), Warm Heart (E/W) @ 6/1 (General)
16:10 – Galtres Stakes (Listed) – Sea Theme @ 4/1 (General)
16:45 – EBF Stallions Nursery – Aragon Castle @ 5/1 (General), Expert Choice @ 6/1 (General)
17:20 – Fillies’ Handicap (Heritage) – Unequal Love @ 100/30 (General)
Best of Luck!
