The Dante is the feature event of the day, and the week, on the Knavesmire, but the card on Thursday starts with two red hot handicaps and they are the races I am focussing on. Harbour Lake was a winner for us in the previous column on Saturday (advised 9/1), whilst there were each-way places for Helnwein (SP 7/1), Dance and Glance (advised 7/1) and Gleneagle Bay (advised 13/2).
York 2.10: Pilgrim
Very pacy, and very progressive over 5f in the first half of last season, I expect PILGRIM to be winning more races at the minimum trip this season and this looks a good starting point.
First and foremost he has an excellent track record reading 42130. That includes a fourth in a valuable sales race, a novice win in the autumn of 2023 and a third in the 3yo handicap at this meeting last season. You can ignore the unplaced run at the Ebor meeting as he was drawn on the unfavoured near side. Stall ten today is less of a disadvantage.
His big moment though came at Royal Ascot when he won the Palace of Holyrood under similar fast ground conditions. There were excuses for his three defeats after that, the poor draw here, he didnt stay 6f in the Ayr Gold Cup and the ground was too soft for his last run at Doncaster. His comeback at Ripon last month was a very respectable effort, a close second at Ripon, and he looks sure to build on that here.
York 2.42: Cerulean Bay & Old Cock
Plenty of old favourites line up here, but it is two of the younger brigade at 4yo who are fancied.
OLD COCK is the first choice. He was quite fancied for the Lincoln, but trailed in last on ground softer than ideal. It is probably also true that Ed Bethell’s string were not quite forward enough right at the start of the campaign. I expect him to leave that form well behind today.
He actually went quite well at Doncaster before folding up 2f out. However this fast ground will suit far better. He won three fast ground events last summer, a maiden at Ayr before two wins at Haydock, all essentially flat, left-handed tracks like York. He had the stamina to win over 10f, but has the speed for a mile, and this is likely to be truly run to ensure his proven stamina comes into play.
CERULEAN BAY definitely looks worth another shot on a flat mile on fast ground. He ran some decent races over the trip last spring as a 3yo, but it was when he was switched back to 7f in the second half of the season that he got onto a real roll. He landed a hat-trick with wins at Haydock and Thirsk (twice).
He was then only beaten 3l on Champions Weekend at Leopardstown on his final start of 2024, where he finished lame, causing him to miss the rest of the campaign. He was too free for his own good at Haydock on his return last month, but that run will have at least blown away the cobwebs. Now a year stronger, I expect him to be successful at a mile, at least on fast ground, and he might be some each-way value here.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way – Pilgrim – 2.10 York – 9/1 William Hill (1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way – Old Cock – 2.42 York – 15/2 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 4)
0.5pts each-way – Cerulean Bay – 2.42 York – 16/1 Bet365, William Hill (1/5 odds 1st 4)
