Clever Cookie Faces A Dunking
The York Ebor Festival has been terrifically exciting, so far and there are 3 more Group contests taking place on Friday. Ed Dunlop’s Trip To Paris should add a little ‘ooh la la’ to this season’s renewal of the G2 Lonsdale Cup. The 5-year-old won the G1 Gold Cup at Ascot, in the previous campaign, although it’s fair to say he hasn’t hit those heights since then. The Champs Elysees gelding’s last showing (Newbury) was much more like it though and he’s preferred to the gradually-crumbling Clever Cookie.
Forge Set To Fire
The G3 City Of York Stakes is at 3.05 and Sir Michael Stoute’s Forge looks capable of withstanding the heat, from both Librisa Breeze and Nemoralia. Runner-up in the G3 Thoroughbred Stakes (Goodwood), he might well have gone one better had he not gotten so warm and a half-length defeat to stablemate Thikriyaat brought no disgrace. Birchwood is much better than his G2 Lennox Stakes showing suggests and each-way backers should be on alert.
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Topping the bill is the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes, a race won by Mecca’s Angel in 2015. The Dark Angel mare will line-up once again, but others are preferred this time around. None more so than Henry Candy’s Limato, who was breathtaking in the G1 July Cup at Headquarters. Quiet Reflection was well-held in 3rd place and this looks like a slightly easier task, for the Tagula-sired 4-year-old. Profitable’s G1 King’s Stand Stakes victory puts him firmly in the picture, but Clive Cox’s charge has 3.5 lengths to find on the likely favourite.
Cunco Can Grab Victory, For Gosden
The other British meetings are at Chepstow, Stratford, Fontwell and Sandown, Bangor, Wolverhampton and Salisbury. The Stonehenge Stakes (Salisbury, 7.05) certainly isn’t the richest Listed race in the calendar, but this should be an exciting and competitive affair. John Gosden’s Cunco is taken to get the better of Mr Scaramanga, Gemina, Montataire, Jackhammer and Ronald R. There’s racing at Kilbeggan and also Killarney, where Dollar And Dream will be amongst the favourites in the John J. Galvin Handicap Hurdle (7.55).
Friday’s Picks
YORK
1.50 Stars Over The Sea
2.30 Trip To Paris
3.05 Forge
3.40 Limato
4.20 Dance Teacher
4.55 Markhan
BANGOR
2.10 The Character
2.45 Skylark Lady
3.20 Big Sound
3.55 Safari Journey
4.30 Move To The Groove
5.05 Miss Joeking
SALISBURY
5.30 Cosmic Storm
6.05 Swift Mover
6.35 Bayston Hill
7.05 Cunco
7.35 Novalina
8.05 Rainbow Pride
SANDOWN
2.20 Fabric
2.55 Babyfact
3.30 Good Omen
4.05 Daily Bulletin
4.40 Carenot
5.15 Hollywood Road
WOLVERHAMPTON
6.20 Rosie Crowe
6.50 Classic Flyer
7.20 Princess Way
7.50 Machine Learner
8.20 Van Dyke
8.50 Toboggan’s Fire
9.20 Cape Crystal
KILBEGGAN
5.10 Black Ace
5.40 Tempo Mac
6.10 Cyril
6.40 Sharlanda
7.10 Dallas Cowboy
7.40 Black Sam The Man
8.10 Leopards Leap
KILLARNEY
5.20 Youarewonder
5.55 Rayisa
6.25 Zamira
6.55 Three Star General
7.25 Graney Town
7.55 Doallar And A Dream
8.25 Chance It
