I can find good reasons for giving most of the York card a miss, irrespective of how much rain falls. In the Gimcrack, I like the form horse Blue Point, only just beaten by Mehmas in the Richmond at Goodwood, but there has to be a chance that there is a fly in the ointment, perhaps in the form of Mubtasim. I would be interested in Sutter County in the Roses Stakes but no reason has been offered for the three month lay-off, so I will assume it is negative.
Over at Sandown, the two feature events have attracted sizeable fields but the bookmakers have priced up John Gosden’s unbeaten Royal Ascot winner Persuasive at around 2/1 to collect the Atalanta Stakes, so they have persuaded me to not have a bet in the first of them.
The Solario Stakes naturally looks of interest to Frankel fans because of the presence of Majoris. Hugo Palmer’s colt won very easily last time but he will need to step up on that as the form pick is Repton, if one takes his three-and-a-half length fifth to War Decree at face value. Of more concern might be Seniority (winner of a four-runner maiden from a Charlton hot-pot), South Seas (winner at 1/5 of a five-runner Novices’ race) and Eqtiraan (winner of a six-runner maiden).
When I looked at the opening nursery before there was any betting available, I knew that Serengeti Sky would be favourite because so often the betting in these events reflects the size of the stables rather than the form of the horse. Whilst I would like to see him win, the only ‘handicap’ form in the race is the close second of Mister Blue Sky at Ascot.
Fire Fighting never wins with my money weighing him down, so I will leave him alone for his forum followers, although at the weights Oasis Fantasy should beat him; and I would have rather chanced progressive three-year-old Baydar but not at the available odds.
In the 4:50, the form tells me that Wind In My Sails does not want rain and I wonder whether Unison is capable of trying to make all in this higher grade. This leads me to three-year-old BERNIE’S BOY, who tried to make all over course and distance last time, retains the services of Oisin Murphy for Andrew Balding, and can hopefully go two places better than he did as favourite.
