Check out our best bets for day three of York’s Ebor Festival, which takes place in front of the ITV Racing cameras. The feature race of the day is the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers has a selection for that 5f showpiece and picks out the rest of his best bets for the action on the Knavesmire.
1:50pm York – Sky Bet Handicap
A winner at Hamilton two starts ago, the William Haggas-trained WAFEI then nearly followed up when second in a competitive Goodwood handicap. The hugely progressive three-year-old will now attempt to return to winning ways in the opening contest at York at 1:50pm.
The son of American Pharoah will take on a host of proven, more experienced rivals in this event and he will have to deal with a 3lb rise by the handicapper, but he looks more than capable off a mark of 86 and is entitled to be towards the head of the market. He has a featherweight to carry in this contest and the slight step up in trip shouldn’t pose any problems, so he looks the most solid betting option in a cracking opener.
Matthew Sutcliffe’s Value Punts – York Ebor Meeting Day 3 Tips
Matty Sutcliffe struck early in the York Ebor meeting with a 10/1 value winner, and turns his eye to Friday for five selections on day three of the festival. 1:50 York – Sky Bet Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo+) – Lieber Power 1pt WIN 8/1 LIEBER POWER didn’t quite kick on last term after…
Wed 21 Aug 2024
2:25pm York – Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes
Aidan O’Brien’s Point Lonsdale and Willie Mullins’s Vauban are both prominent figures in the betting for the Lonsdale Cup at 2:25pm, which is the staying showpiece of the meeting, but the Irish-trained pair will have to settle for minor honours as John & Thady Gosden’s GREGORY can outbattle the pair and taste victory for the first time in a while.
The former Queen’s Vase winner failed to figure when seventh in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot back in June, but he bounced back to form with a fine third placed finish behind Kyprios in the Goodwood Cup and a repeat of that should see him good enough to land this prize. He was no match for Kyprios that day, but Point Lonsdale and Vauban are not in the same league and if James Doyle can get him rolling a long way from home then he could well show his class to grab the win.
3:00pm York – Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes
A fascinating renewal of the Gimcrack Stakes at 3:00pm will see a plethora of smart youngsters line up and The Strikin Viking will look to build on a decent second in the Richmond Stakes. Aidan O’Brien’s Camille Pissarro was second in Group 3 level last time out, so needs to improve, while Big Mojo was a shock winner last time out, but showed he has bundles of raw pace.
However, it’s the unbeaten Karl Burke-trained ANDESITE, who was a fine winner on debut and can make it two from two here. The Pinatubo colt was a narrow winner on debut at York, where he got the better of subsequent Listed winner Yah Mo Be There. The pair pulled well clear of the field that day and Andesite is bred to be top notch being the half-brother of Dramatised. He lacks the experience of his rivals here, but he could just be the most talented contender in this event and can enhance his already lofty reputation to maintain his 100% record.
3:35pm Goodwood – Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes
We are set for a rip-snorting renewal of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes as Australian starlet Asfoora, who was a fine winner of the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, will take on recent King George Stakes and reigning champion Big Evs in a battle of the speedsters. The pair dominate the betting and it was Big Evs that came on top at Goodwood and the pair are set for another epic clash. Asfoora could just have the class to get the better of Big Evs, but both could be vulnerable to a closer.
George Boughey’s BELIEVING was staying on in the closing stages of the King George Stakes, but just lacked that initial pace to keep up with Big Evs. He has been knocking on the door at the highest level of the sprint division this season and he can finally land his big win here, as he can reel in Big Evs, who will find it tough to lead all the way, while at the prices he makes more appeal than Asfoora.
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