Top Tipster Daryl Carter has a trio of tips for day one of the York Dante meeting, including a strong 2pt win fancy in the Duke Of York Clipper Stakes.
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Posted: 3.30pm May 15th (Odds correct at time posted)
1.50 York – LA YAKEL (1pt win – 13/2 generally) + WHITE WOLF (1pt win – 17/2 William Hill, 8/1 generally)
Wiliam Haggas has won this the last two years for owner Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, and four-year-olds have a tremendous record, so LA YAKEL must be backed off this rating of 92. He still looks potentially very well treated, and having flagged him up last year as a potential Group horse in a handicap when we heavily backed him on this column at Ascot off of 87, he is hard to ignore off 92. Adam Farragher claimed five off that day before he went to Newmarket and was well-supported into favourite for the Old Rowley Cup. I wasn’t convinced then he would handle the track, and it transpired as so. Coming back to a flat track should suit him, and with this race having produced future Group performers, he looks the way to go.
The other horse in here who could be a future group performer is WHITE WOLF for Saeed bin Suroor who has been a slow burner but caught the eye at Meydan last time in a Group 2 contest when doing excellently well from the rear of the field and finishing strongly. He was thought enough of to run in the Dante last term when finishing a not disgraced sixth to the subsequent Derby winner, and he has only had six career outings. Given the profile of this race, he is another to keep on side from a good draw in stall six. He should appreciate the first-time cheek-pieces that could easily bring about that further improvement, and a rating of 101 having gone close at Meydan off 99, splitting some useful horses in a 95-105 handicap is not beyond him.
2.25 York – SILVER SAMURAI (1pt win – 12/1 generally)
SILVER SAMURAI frustrated this column last season, but his best performances have always come on a faster surface, and today’s drying ground is a big positive to his chances. The undulations of Newmarket do not play to his strengths, so a line is easily put through his latest performance, albeit still a positive one. His reappearance at Kempton on seasonal return was eye-catching. The more I look at this contest at the morning odds, the more I want to be with him returned to York, where he did tremendously well off of this rating in October to finish a narrow third on ground slower than ideal, having come from a poor position. He remains unexposed over sprint distances, and without the hood, and having scored third time out last season, he might be worth siding with today with everything in his favour.
3.00 York – CREATIVE FORCE (2pt win – 9/2 SkyBet, 4/1 generally)
CREATIVE FORCE was excellent at Haydock on Saturday and confirmed my long-standing theory that he doesn’t really enjoy Newmarket, and a flat track sees him to best effect. It was also an interesting change of tactics to make the running in that small field and a prominent position in races has seen him to best effect. It’s unlike Charlie Appleby to turn out a horse – particularly of Creative Force’s calibre- so quickly. Still, he does this to brilliant effect scoring with ten of his last 27 runners returning to the track within seven days and six from his last 12 (50%). With those over sprint trips (5f-6f) he is 2-4 in his entire career. The last two won in 2020 (Lazuli) and 2019 (Blue Point). Creative Force hasn’t fallen victim to Highfield Princess like many of these. In fact, he finished ahead of her in the Platinum Jubilee. He is undoubtedly the form horse in this race and has a race-fitness edge over many of his rivals. Azure Blue can grab a place ahead of Emaraaty Ana, who tends to need his first run of the season.
4.10 York – RAMAZAN (1pt win – 13/2 William Hill, 6/1 generally)
RAMAZAN improved with each outing last season, including with a good fifth here last August, but his last two efforts confirmed him a horse going places, and he is taken to land this handicap on seasonal return. He finished out his season with an excellent third in the Goffs Million at the Curragh, and the winner, Galeron, gave that form a boost by finishing fourth in the 2,000 Guineas – that ties in with Chuzzlewit very closely. The fourth is now rated 11lbs higher, and today’s rival, New Endeavour, was no match for him, and despite being nine pounds better off at the weights, he clearly wants six furlongs. The sixth has an opening rating of 98, so 94 here for the Fahey runner should prove well within his grasp. He has been crying out for this seven-furlong distance (and further), so the fact that he has only had one try suggests there is plenty of improvement to come having been gelded in the winter. Zu Run has looked awkward under pressure, and Catch The Paddy surely wants sprint trips.
Daryl Carter’s Best Bets
1.50 York – LA YAKEL (1pt win – 13/2 generally) + WHITE WOLF (1pt win – 17/2 William Hill, 8/1 generally)
2.25 York – SILVER SAMURAI (1pt win – 12/1 generally)
3.00 York – CREATIVE FORCE (2pt win – 9/2 SkyBet, 4/1 generally)
4.10 York – RAMAZAN (1pt win – 13/2 William Hill, 6/1 generally)
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