It’s the final day of York’s Dante Festival on Friday 16th May and there are five sparkling races taking place on the Knavesmire that will be live on ITV Racing. There’s also a solitary contest taking place from Newbury a day before the Lockinge Stakes likes up that Berkshire track and our tipster Steve Chambers is here with his best bets for the live terrestrial action.
2:25pm Newbury – Titan Wealth Handicap
John & Thady Gosden’s Burrito is entitled to be heading the betting for the 2:25pm at Newbury, at the time of writing, and he could certainly be open to more improvement, but making his handicap debut off a mark of 87 he could find it tough to record a second career win here. One that could down the Gosden’s charge is INTO BATTLE, who sneaks in at the bottom of the weights and has been knocking on he door of late.
Ed Walker’s runner finished fourth on his first start of the season at Haydock Park and he’s sure to come on significantly for that first run and off the same mark of 80 and with a in-form Hector Crouch in the saddle then he can claim the crown. The Churchill gelding has failed to taste victory in handicap company yet, but he certainly looks capable of grabbing a prize of this nature.
The Best Free Bets And Betting Offers For ITV Racing
ITV Racing serve up a mountain of top quality race days and we pick out some of the best free bets promotions and betting offers for the live terrestrial action.
| Bookmaker | Offer |
| Sky Bet | Bet 5p Get £30 in Free Bets |
| Paddy Power | Bet £5 Get £30 in Free Bets |
| Ladbrokes | Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets |
| Bet365 | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets |
Join our 20k+ subscribers to receive the latest horse racing news, offers, and expert tips directly in your inbox — 100% free!
2:42pm York – Knights Solicitors Handicap
Karl Burke’s THUNDER RUN won a valuable handicap prize at York’s Ebor Festival back in August and the four-year-old will look to follow that up when looks to carry top weight to victory in the 2:42pm at York on Friday. That success came off a mark of 96 and over seven furlongs, so it’s interesting to see him line up over 1m 2f 56y, but he could potentially lead his rivals a merry dance if he can get the fractions right out front.
He lines up off 100 here, but the key will be to get him settled as he was a bit free on his return outing and he could only finish down the field in the Lincoln Handicap over a mile at Doncaster. Now stepping up in distance again, Clifford Lee will look to keep a lid on him, but turning for home he could well kick clear of his rivals and it will all be about holding on in the closing stages.
3:13pm York – Sky Bet Fillies’ Stakes
Holding a Group 1 entry in next month’s Coronation Stakes, the William Haggas-trained CONSECRATED must be held in very high regard and she showed real promise when winning a maiden at Newbury in nice fashion. The daughter of Frankel was a three length winner of that event last month and two placed horses behind her have since come out and won, so the form has been franked.
Making all that day she is likely to get it all her own way here, with the likes of Gulya and the unbeaten Kon Tiki looking notable dangers, but Consecrated did shape like she could be a Pattern performer come the end of the season, and she can make it a perfect two out of two in what is an intriguing Listed event.
4:15pm York – Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Handicap
Winless in six starts, Kevin Ryan’s CAPE SOVEREIGN has been knocking on the door in most of those contests and having finished no worse than fourth in all of those events. Last seen finishing a decent second at Beverley, the Ten Sovereigns gelding remains on the same mark of 72, so he’s certainly handicapped to go well in what is one of the toughest betting heats of the afternoon on the Knavesmire.
Ryan also saddles Against The Wind, who is heading the betting, at the time of writing, and is the selection of stable jockey Tom Eaves, but with Silvestre De Sousa in the plate on Cape Sovereign then he certainly can’t be given a negative on that angle. He will need everything to go right and he’s one that is certainly a solid each-way chance, but at near double-figured odds he has to be given a chance to finally get his head in front.
Looking For More Racing Info? Check Out Our Racecards & Top Tips Sections
Make sure you’re following us on all our social media platforms to keep up to date with all the latest horse racing news and the best tips.