A 14/1 winner on Wednesday set Matty Sutcliffe and his followers up perfectly for the week. Continuing onto the third day at York on Friday, he has four best bets for you to back.
1:50 York – Sky Bet Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3yo+) – Mount Atlas 4/1 2pt WIN
MOUNT ATLAS would have to be a group horse in a handicap to take this off a mark of 107, but I did strongly fancy him in the Group Three Glorious Stakes at Goodwood prior to being pulled out on account of lameness and he could yet develop into one.
The Masar gelding progressed well last season after unseating at Windsor on debut, comfortably taking a Redcar maiden before going on to land a competitive handicap at Ascot on handicap debut. He returned this season with a three length fourth in the Rosebery handicap at Kempton after a gelding operation, shaping as if needing the run first time up. He then posted a career best effort when weakening late on into fifth over 1m5f in the Group Three Ormonde Stakes at Chester behind Illinois, with that form working out strong. The winner has subsequently finished second in Group One company at Ascot and Goodwood, and the second Al Qareem is unbeaten in two runs since.
Mount Atlas then fared best of those to race in rear in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot, before landing a 0-105 handicap at Ascot off top-weight in comfortable fashion. He pulled a length clear of the second there who franked the form next time out now rated 4lbs higher, and he proved capable there of carrying 10-2 which bodes well for this contest in a race which should be run to suit.
3:00 York – Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes (Group 2) (In Honour Of Tom Lacy) (Colts & Geldings) (Class 1) (2yo) – Egoli 9/1 1pt EW 3 places
Do Or Do Not is entitled to find this a lot easier than his last three efforts, but with form figures of 02223 you’d have to question whether he’s all that genuine in getting his head in front thus others are chance to once more improve past him.
Ralph Beckett is yet to win the Gimcrack, but the sole C&D winner in the field EGOLI is taken to break his duck and bounce back from his defeat in the Richmond Stakes. The son of No Nay Never got loose on debut at Leicester and shaped badly in need of the experience, before duly coming on for that run here in good style to fend off two subsequent winners, with the third taking a 31k maiden at the Goodwood festival.
Egoli backed that up under a penalty at Newbury, making all to pull two lengths clear of the second with the third just touched off at Newmarket next time out and the fourth bolting up five lengths at Salisbury next time out.
While he was beaten eight lengths at Goodwood last time out, he was first home on his group of four on the far-side who were at a notable disadvantage with the field favouring those drawn to the near-side rail so his performance can be upgraded given how he stayed on, and he’s gone under the radar in this market as a result.
3:35 York – Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (2yo+) – Washington Heights 16/1 1pt EW + Manaccan 100/1 0.5pt EW 4 places
Low draws have dominated this contest in recent years and MANACCAN could spring a surprise from stall one in a muddy sprinting division that’s thrown up shocks throughout the season.
The son of Exceed And Excel progressed well in handicaps in the 2022 season before going on to have form figures of 313113 in pattern company, with the latter effort coming a length behind the subsequent Nunthorpe winner Live In The Dream. Injury kept him off for 773 days subsequently, and he’s slowly worked his way back to form this season.
It’s plausible to think he was undercooked in both the King Charles III and Coral Charge, but he showed good speed in both of them and he bounced right back to form when staying on strongly off top-weight in the Shergar Cup Dash. While he still has to improve drastically on what we’ve seen thus far, he’s likely to be primed for this contest and the classy sprint handicappers have dominated the Group contest this term, so further improvement is not out of the question.
While stall 17 may be a slight concern, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS is also chanced to take the Nunthorpe and I’d expect Tom Eaves to try make all on the near-side rail. His York form reads strongly, with form figures of 22461, and he was far form disgraced in last years’ Nunthorpe when beaten four lengths into sixth, finishing third in his group of seven up the centre. He’s remained in solid form this season, beaten four lengths off a break by Rumstar in the Abernant before finishing a length third in the Temple Stakes behind Mgheera, reversing the form with Rumstar and finishing ahead of the subsequent King Charles III winner American Affair.
He ran an excellent race in defeat at Royal Ascot to be beaten two lengths behind American Affair, and he returned to the winners enclosure in the City Walls Stakes over C&D, finishing a length ahead of the subsequent King George Qatar Stakes winner JM Jungle.
He looks overpriced with some the aforementioned horses in here, and given he’s the sole C&D winner in the field he has to be taken to break his group one duck.
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