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Two sprinters have already shown a liking for York are Day 1 picks
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A 16/117.00 selection on Friday for fillies' handicap
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Alan Dudman previews York this week and has two tips for Ebor on Saturday
Wednesday - York 13:50: Back Air Force One @ 15/28.50
Wednesday on the Knavesmire can hopefully get us off to a good week, and away from a few of the short priced favourites, I am happy to take a dart at a pair of the handicaps.
The opening 5f 13:50 comprises of the usual large field and with a couple of 100-rated sprinters in this handicap, I am looking for the potential improver.
One sort is Geoff Oldroyd's Air Force One - although I am slightly miffed that his price from 10/111.00 has evaporated now into 15/28.50.
Previously trained in Ireland by Paddy Twomey, he's not been with Oldroyd for long in his two starts for the yard, and having shaped fairly on stable debut, won the jump jockeys' Nunthorpe last month at the track to tick off the York box.
That was very much a career best with a Timeform figure collected of 91+, and I thought he won with a bit in hand.
It was good ground then, similar is expected on Wednesday and despite a 6lb rise to 84, he is still lightly-raced with an unexposed profile.
He came from stall 15 for the win, which didn't look a bad thing that day and housed in 10, he does have enough early pace according to his early splits on the clock to figure down the centre.
Oldroyd doesn't have many runners, but he's done superbly this term with 12 winners from his 39 runner sent out and the yard are 2-3 in the last two weeks at a sublime 67%.
Back Air Force One in one click here
Wednesday - York 16:45: Back Forager @ 11/112.00
As you are. Another 5f big field handicap and a slightly bigger price with Forager for the each-way angle as the Sportsbook are going with five places with our selection Forager.
She is absolutely rapid and loves fast ground - dual qualities that have seen her win twice this term at Yarmouth and over course and distance at York.
Her Yarmouth win highlighted her breathtaking early pace - clocking a 10.16 sectional at the second furlong. The finishing speed there was 97% and her York victory was similar. She blasted off from the far side stall and was paddling a bit at the end but held off Dan Tucker, although it didn't look that way watching it live.
She ran with credit at York last time when drawn on the wing and in stall one, she's going to blast off again. While she has to improve off 79 against much-higher rated rivals, York suits her, as will the ground and three of her four runs this term have earned A++, A++ and A+ on the ATR sectional upgrade.
Back Forager in one click here
Friday - York 16:10: Back Brielle E/W @ 16/117.00
Nine of the 17 entries for Friday's 16:10 Fillies' Handicap over 1m2f are three-year-olds, and Brielle looks plenty big enough at 16s to warrant an each-way dart for David O'Meara. Although a word of caution, she does hold an entry at Hamilton on the same day.
She is one of the least exposed in the field with three starts and produced her first ever win at Hamilton last time - readily justifying a short price at 6/52.20 over 1m to stay on well up the famous old hill.
Brielle will have no trouble with the extra two furlongs judged on that and she had previously raced over 1m4f at Thirsk on just her second start, so connections and trainer clearly must have some sort of stamina belief in her.
Indeed, she made the running at Hamilton and Danny Tudhope was ultra-positive from the front - deserved laurels for Tudhope for the tactics.
She was also strongest at the end of the 1m clocking her two fastest times at the seventh and eighth furlong and I am hoping O'Meara opts for this rather than Hamilton with her other entry.
Back Brielle in 16:10 York (Friday)
Saturday - York 15:35: Back Ethical Diamond @ 8/19.00 and Ascending @ 16/117.00
Saturday's Ebor revolves around Willie Mullins and his pair of market toppers in Hipop De Loire and Ethical Diamond - priced at 7/24.50 and 8/19.00 on the Sportsbook for Saturday.
I cannot get too excited about the Hipop price, but I am more chirpy about Ethical Diamond's.
He's up to 104 after her Royal Ascot success - landing the Duke Of Edinburgh over 1m4f on rattling fast. He really did power home once he was in daylight, and it was all credit to him that he overcame some congestion just after the turn. The front three were also a long way clear.
In short, he's still well treated from 104 judged on his jumps' rating, although I often get tied up in that sphere trying to compare the two, but the question posed is "is he good enough to win a race from 104?" and I'd answer yes.
A couple of crazy priced with Subsequent at 125/1126.00 and Fleetfoot at 66/167.00 are worth following and tracking to see how they fare in the week.
I was impressed with Jim Bolger's Fleetfoot winning the McEnery Cup at Gowran over 1m4f and he'll have little trouble up in distance while Subsequent has shown virtually diddly squat in two runs this season but won the Noel Murless last term and looked progressive. However, soft ground is needed for him, which pretty much puts to bed the notion of backing him, but he's a better horse than a three-figure poke considering his 104 rating.
Ascending at 16/117.00 is another of the Irish jumps posse, and and content with hoovering up all the Cheltenham prize money, they're now planning on taking the York loot.
He's trained by Henry De Bromhead there will be no stamina issues whatsoever with a 2m4f Ascot Stakes victory under his belt, although De Bromhead remarked he wanted to go for the 1m6f race but wasn't rated high enough to get in.
From 98 and 18 on the list - box ticked for Saturday and the six-year-old seems to be thriving as he also plundered the Cork Derby over 1m4f earlier in the season against those pesky Flat boys.
He hold an Irish St Leger entry and also a Cesarewitch one, and it could well be that 1m6f could turn out to be his best trip.
It's worth touching on his Cork win over shorter as the race was run at a crawl with a finishing speed at a whopping 114% - whopping slow early pace that is.
He showed in that he is more than just a jumps' plodder and travelled well enough on the speed in second throughout and possessed the requisite acceleration too, although his stamina was the difference and I thought he win with a bit in hand despite the small margin of victory.
I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a potential Melbourne Cup candidate too, but for Saturday he can outrun his odds of 16/117.00 with the places on offer.
Back Ethical Diamond in Saturday's Ebor Handicap
Back Ascending in Saturday's Ebor Handicap