Nick Luck
Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: York Dante Meeting Day 1 Tips
William Hill ambassador Nick Luck previews Wednesday’s racing from York, where the Musidora is the feature
York, Wednesday
The opening TV race (2.20pm) at York today can go to Dark Moon Rising, who I think is a good each-way bet. There are far sexier horses and more unexposed ones at the head of the betting, but I think they’ve all got questions to answer, whether it be fitness or whether they’re in particularly good form. This horse is in good form. He runs consistently and is getting down towards his last winning marks. He hasn’t won for a little while but he does get on very well with this rider, Josie Gordon. She’s ridden him three times and he’s run really well on each occasion. Josie has had a long journey back from a significant health issue, so I’m really pleased that she’s got an opportunity here to show her talent. This is a horse who’s well drawn, he’s competitively handicapped and he’s got lots of form at York. And I think he’s ready to go really well again, and he is a very big price.
In the six-furlong handicap (2.55pm) I thought Dark Thirty was quite interesting here. The Quinns are very good at targeting races on the Knavesmire with a select handful of horses. This is Dark Thirty’s third run since they acquired him from Richard Hannon and I thought there was significant encouragement from his effort at the Craven meeting over seven furlongs. This yard tends to get horses getting quicker and I think six furlongs looks his bag now. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a much more prominent showing from what looks to be quite a good draw in stall four.
Aramram is my pick in the Minster Stakes (3.30pm). I think this could really be his season. He ran an excellent race on his return when winning a strong-looking running of the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster, really streaking clear of a pretty decent field. I thought he should have won the Abernant at the Craven meeting and I think he was just on the wrong part of the track and had too much ground to make up. Given how poorly positioned he was, he ran an exceptional race. He’s been given a little bit of a pause to refresh, and he can’t be too far behind the market principles on the evidence of his last run. If you fancy Time For Sandals on the basis she was a little bit unlucky and that she can step forward from Newmarket, then the same comments apply to Aramram, but he’s a much bigger price.
In the Musidora (4.05pm) I’m going to take a very big chance and have a very small wager on K Sarra. That Fillies’ Mile form of the front two in the market looks the standout form, no doubt. But I was really impressed with K Sarra on her debut despite looking really, really green. She’s a full sister to last year’s Dante winner, Pride Of Arras and the fact her trainer is willing to squander a mark of 82 here, even if he is after a bit of black-type, does speak volumes to me. The seven furlongs of the Fred Darling was just not her trip at all – she wants at least a mile and a quarter, if not further. I think this is going to bring about quite a significantly better showing. She did stay on quite nicely at the end of the Fred Darling, having been completely outpaced and I can see a much better performance here. At huge odds, I’m going to take a chance that she can bustle up the market principles.
I like First Legion in the seven-furlong handicap (4.40pm) and I like him quite a lot. He’s a fine-looking horse who caught my eye at the Craven meeting. I thought he stepped forward from that at the Guineas meeting. He’s got good form at York having won at this fixture last year. His mark looks very competitive, and I think he’s got everything lined up for a big run. But perhaps the most compelling factor is I think he wants the seven furlongs now and I’m backing this change in distance is going to be the silver bullet that delivers us victory.
