York Day 1

I am gutted that Bound Hill just missed out on a place for us earlier. He stayed on really well after getting outpaced and squeezed for room coming around the home turn but once he found his stride again he almost got up for a place. He is not one to lose faith in just yet and upped in trip kept to better ground he is capable of winning a handicap.

York gets under way tomorrow and it is one of my favourite meetings of the year. With plenty of high quality handicaps and a generous sprinkling of group races there is something there to keep all punters happy. The Duke Of York and the Musidora are the feature races on the first day and they both look like very competitive renewals. Below are my thoughts for the first day of what promises to be a cracking meeting.

RACE 1

A hot 10f Class 2 handicap is the opening race of the meeting and 12 are due to go to post. The ground is currently described as good to firm but there is rain forecast so an ability to handle an ease in the ground could be important (if the forecast is correct of course!). One horse that appeals at a big price is the David O'Meara trained Awake My Soul. This 7yo son of Teofilo hasn't managed to win since August 2014 at Ayr (10f soft) but he ran a cracker here behind Chancery last October (10.5f good to soft) and on that form he is entitled to run well here.

That effort came in a handicap off a mark off 99 and he has been since dropped 3lb to 96 after two tame efforts on bottomless ground. He was beaten almost 30L last time at Ponte (10f heavy) and it was even worse on his final run of last season at Doncaster, but again the ground was testing and the 12f trip was never likely to suit.

He has won on ground ranging from soft to good to firm so any rain that falls overnight will not be a worry. His yard has started to click into gear in recent weeks and this is a meeting they like to target. Mr O'Meara also runs Hit The Jackpot and he will be a much shorter price after his narrow win last time out. However, I am not sure he has much in hand off his mark of 98 and I think the value lies with the so called 2nd string. He is the each way selection in a wide open race.

STEVOS' SELECTION: AWAKE MY SOUL E/W 22/1

RACE 2

It is the turn of the sprinters in the 2nd race, a class 2 6f handicap. The draw can be important in races run on the straight track at York and if there is an ease in the ground a low number is an advantage. 19 go to post here and there are any amount that can have a case made for them. The one I like at a price is Red Pike for Bryan Smart and Tom Eaves, and if the forecast rain arrives it will be no worry to this fella.

This 5yo son of Kheleyf has been a fun horse for connections and he has managed to win 5 of his 21 starts. All of his career wins have come at today's trip of 6f and he is at his best on genuine good, or good to soft ground. He was beaten out of sight on his seasonal reappearance at Ponte (6f soft) off a mark of 95 and he has been dropped back down to 92 after that poor run. However, the ground was much too soft for him and he is is a much better horse than he showed that day.

His last win came in August of last year and a repeat of that effort at Doncaster (6f good) would surely be enough here. He beat Polybius by a short head that day and he was conceding 4lb to that rival. Polybius won a Listed race on his next start and followed that up with a near miss in a Group 3 at Ascot. On that form Red Pike looks attractively treated off his current mark of 92 and while he ran poorly on his only previous visit to York he was drawn out in the car park. He has the plum draw in stall 1 this time and if he gets away quickly he could make a bold bid from the front. I think he is worth chancing each way at odds of 25/1 in what looks an ultra competitive handicap.

STEVOS' SELECTION: RED PIKE E/W 25/1

RACE 3

The Group 2 Duke Of York will be another fast and furious contest and 12 are due to go to post in this 6f sprint. On official ratings it is going to be a close run thing and Henry Candy's Twilight Son carries a 5lb penalty for his Group 1 win at Haydock (6f good to soft) last season. He is 5 from 6 so far, his sole defeat coming behind Muhaarar at Ascot in the Champions Sprint. He won easily first time up last season so his absence is not a big worry and dropping back into Group 2 company he goes there with every chance. The penalty could leave him vulnerable though and there is each way value to be found elsewhere.

At odds of 16/1 I think Moviesta could be worth an interest each way. Formerly trained by Bryan Smart he is now in the capable hands of Irish maestro Eddie Lynam, and he is sure to strip fitter for his comeback run over an inadequate 5f at Naas (good). He was 8th of 10 that day, beaten just over 5L, but it was an encouraging comeback run and it should put him cherry ripe for this.

He was a Group 3 winner at the Curragh last season (6f good to firm) and he is 5/24 overall, including a Group 2 at Goodwood back in 2013. He has won on ground ranging from soft to good to firm so any rain that falls shouldn't be a problem. He has won at York before, a 5f handicap off 87 on soft ground in May 2013, and he was a close 2nd here on his next run, again in a handicap, over course and distance. He got to within a length of a prime Sole Power in a Group 1 (5f good) here back in 2014 so his ability to handle the track is not in question. If he is on a going day he will put it right up to this lot and he has a decent draw in stall 5. I think he is well worth an each way bet at his current odds of 16/1.

STEVOS' SELECTION: MOVIESTA E/W 20/1 NAP

RACE 4

This is a cracking little Group 3 10.5f contest with 7 fillies due to go to post. So Mi Dar is only the 4th highest rated in the field but she is a warm order at 10/11 for Frankie and John Gosden. In fairness the daughter of Dubawi has looked note perfect on her first two runs, and she has shown she is versatile regarding ground, her two wins coming on soft (10f) at Epsom last time and good (8.5f) at Windsor on debut. The fact that she managed to win last time even though Frankie dropped his whip 2f out is probably what punters have latched onto, and the runner up has boosted the form by going in at Lingfield at the weekend in a Listed heat. She looks the real deal but she will be facing a higher class of filly tomorrow.

I like the Aidan O'Brien trained filly Best In The World here and she looks overpriced at 11/2. She is only that price because of a below par run on her seasonal comeback at Navan in a listed race (10f) but the bottomless ground was never going to suit this daughter of Galileo. She is better judged on her defeat of Dolce Strega on her penultimate run on decent ground in a listed heat at the Curragh (8f).

The runner up has since gone on to win a group 3 at the Curragh by a neck from Steip Amach, and that form was franked at Leopardstown on Sunday. Best In The World is a full sister to top class filly Found, and she was at her very best on ground with just a little bit of juice, her two Group 1 wins coming on genuine good ground. The rain that is due to fall should render the ground ideal for the O'Brien filly and if it wasn't for that last run at Navan I could see her being less than half her current odds of 11/2. She is the selection in what should be a fascinating renewal of the Musidora Stakes.

STEVOS' SELECTION: BEST IN THE WORLD 11/2 nb


RACE 5

This class 3 7f handicap will be a real battle charge with 20 runners due to go to post. In handicaps like this stakes should be kept small as luck plays a huge part in such big fields. The one I like at a price is London Protocol for Karl Burke and the Ontoawinner syndicate, and this 3yo son of Muhtathir has shown plenty of promise in his short 7 race career so far. He has only managed to win 1 of those starts, a 6.5f 2yo contest on good to soft ground in Deauville. The runner up that day has since gone close in a Group 3 so the form has worked out well.

He found Listed company too hot on his next start, again at Deauville, but this time on very soft ground over a mile. He was well beaten but the trip and ground are valid excuses for his poor display that day. He has had a couple of runs this season and he has shown plenty of promise on both occasions. He was 5th of 12 on his seasonal comeback at Wolverhampton (8.5f), beaten just over 4L off a mark of 88. He returned to turf at Beverley on his last outing and was 3rd of 5, beaten just over 3L again off a mark of 88.

The handicapper has relented after that run and he has dropped him to a mark of 86. Decent young claimer Jordan Vaughan takes off a very handy 5lb so he gets to race off a nice low weight of 8st 8lbs. The forecast rain will be in his favour as he has shown his best form with a bit of juice in the ground. A fast run 7f on a track like York should suit him well, and he should get even further in time going by his pedigree. He has a decent draw in stall 5 and if he can get a decent position early doors and sit just off the pace I can see him finishing off his race strongly. He looks worthy of a small interest each way at odds of 25/1 in what looks a wide open handicap.

STEVOS' SELECTION: LONDON PROTOCOL E/W 25/1

RACE 6 

This 5f 2yo contest is a difficult race to weigh up as there is precious little form to go on. The 3 colts that have already run are at the head of the market and the Saeed Bin Suroor trained Kananee is 5/2 to follow up his debut win at Lingfield. He has to shoulder a 6lb penalty though and that could make life difficult in a field full of potential dangers. Nothing really jumps out as being potentially overpriced and this is a race that I will just be watching with a view to the future.

RACE 7

Last but not least on Day 1 we have another huge field in a 12f handicap. A maximum 20 runners will go to post in the class 4 contest and the one I like at a big price is Warfare for Barry McHugh and Tim Fitzgerald. This 7yo son of Soviet Star has been a fine servant to connections, winning 6 of his 4 starts. He is 4 from 18 on turf and he was a dual winner last year at Ayr (10f good) and Beverley (8.5f soft). That latter win came off a mark of 80 and he is a pound lower off 79 today.

This will be his first run at 12f but he has looked well worth a shot at this trip going by some of his form. Last time at Beverley (10f good) was a prime example and he was repeatedly denied a clear run in the home straight when he looked to be staying on very well. He managed to finish 5th, beaten just over 3L, but it was a cracking effort after a break and he should come on plenty for it.

There is also hope regarding the 12f trip in his pedigree as his dam is a half sister to multiple 12f winner Flossy. He has a decent draw in stall 1 and McHugh will likely drop him in and deliver him late. He is capable of going close off his current mark if he gets the trip, and a bit of luck, and I think he is worth a couple of pound each way at his current odds of 20/1.

STEVOS' SELECTION: WARFARE E/W 20/1