Day two of York’s Dante Festival takes place on Thursday 15th May and Andrew Mount picks out his best bets for a quality day’s racing.
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Posted: 5.15pm, Wednesday, May 14th
2.10 York – JM Jungle (1pt e/w – 7/1 bet365, Coral)
I was pleased and annoyed at the same time when JM JUNGLE returned from his winter break to run second to AMERICAN AFFAIR at Musselburgh as I felt it was a prep for today’s contest and was expecting a mid-division ‘under the radar’ effort. John and Sean Quinn’s five-year-old did this column a favour when successful in the Symphony Stakes Handicap over the extended 5f trip at the Ebor meeting here last August, a race he had run well in 12 months earlier when a three-year-old, finishing a half-length third of 20 from a poor high draw (the classic generation has a terrible record in that race). His full record at York over 5f-5f89y reads 23471 (1-5), with the seventh place in this race last year when stuck out wide in stall 16. Stall 9 should be fine today. I’ve saved on TEES SPIRIT.
2.42 York – BLUE FOR YOU (1pt e/w – 9/2 bet365, 4/1 generally, Sky Bet paying 5 places)
The David O’Meara-trained BLUE FOR YOU caught the eye when third to Myal (tipped in this column) on last month’s reappearance at Haydock, doing best of the closers in a 25-1 third of ten. The seven-year-old has no doubt been laid out for the Hambleton Handicap again having run well from poor draws in this race for the past two seasons. In 2023 he ran fifth of 16 from the widest draw and, last year, ran a blinder to finish fourth of 17 from trap 15, doing second best of the closers. His patient style isn’t always ideal for this venue but there’s plenty of pace to tow him along and he’ll be desperately difficult to keep out of the first four).
3.45 York – NIGHTWALKER (0.5pt e/w – 25/1 Coral, Sky Bet, BetVictor)
NIGHTWALKER (stall 11 of 11) is drawn higher than ideal in stall in the Dante Stakes but there’s compensation in the price and I’m expecting improvement from John and Thady Gosden’s son of Frankel. The grey colt caught my eye at Leicester on his debut for Sir Michael Stoute last summer where he looked ill at ease on the undulating track, hanging his chance away before finishing third of six, and seemed far happier at flat Yarmouth next time where he landed a 7f fast-ground maiden with more in hand than the official margin of three-quarters of a length suggested. He built on that with an 11-1 third to current Derby favourite in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket last backend where he became unbalanced in the dip. The return to Newmarket didn’t look ideal when he made his debut for the Gosdens at the Craven meeting but there were plenty of positives to glean from his 8.5L third to Almeric in the 1m1f Feilden Stakes on unsuitably slow ground. The switch to a flat track and fast ground will suit, as will the step up in trip, and I can’t resist a small each-way interest despite the wide draw.
4.18 York – STAR OF MEHMAS (1pt e/w – 5/1 William Hill, Coral)
Fillies have done well in the 5f Westow Stakes since it was awarded Listed status, winning four of the nine such runnings (from 24 bets) for a profit of £20.33 to a £1 level stake at SP. This angle has produced plenty of placed runners as well and STAR OF MEHMAAS looks clear best of this year’s two qualifiers. Richard Hughes’ three-year-old has form figures since her racecourse debut of 1113 (3-4), with the defeat – a one-length third at Chelmsford – easily excused as she was drawn widest of all in stall 12 of 12. Throw in the booking of Ryan Moore and she’s going to be hard to keep out of the first three from her favourable low draw.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
2.10 York – JM Jungle (1pt e/w – 7/1 bet365, Coral)
2.42 York – BLUE FOR YOU (1pt e/w – 9/2 bet365, 4/1 generally, Sky Bet paying 5 places)
3.45 York – NIGHTWALKER (0.5pt e/w – 25/1 Coral, Sky Bet, BetVictor)
4.18 York – STAR OF MEHMAS (1pt e/w – 5/1 William Hill, Coral)
Andrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Thursday, 15th May
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