Racing tips: Aikhal poses a serious threat to the fancied Godolphin runner in the Great Voltigeur Stakes

This tip has expired. Please check our free horse racing tips section of the website to find the most up to date.

Though it's the start of the York Ebor Festival, I don't think Day 1 is that good of a betting day. You have some interesting races on the card and Baaeed who is a superstar, but I wouldn't want to be getting too involved in terms of betting.

York 1:50

A 22-runner sprint race isn't my ideal place to bet as it is what it says on the tin, and that is ultra-competitive, but I will be having a dabble on the Julie Camacho 7yo MAKANAH.

This Mayson Gelding has been a terrific servant to the Camacho yard and runs with great consistency year in, year out. He hasn't won this season, but he has been unlucky on a couple of occasions, including when finishing runner-up at this track over 6f in May, finishing a head behind Dakota Gold, who runs in this race today. The thing with Makanah is that the faster they go, the better it is for him as he stays the sprinting trips out extremely well. I would've like to say this trip is ideal, but the amount of pace which is on offer, I think this trip could suit him really well as it is a mixture of speed but also you'll need the stamina to get home, and if you lack the latter then you will be well beaten.

York is a track which is notorious for being difficult for coming from off the pace, especially in sprints. Horses who race prominently often get the benefits and that is why you want a horse who will either lead or sit close to the pace. As you all know, my pace maps in recent times have been atrocious, and I often get the pace angle wrong, but I'd like to imagine that Makanah will sit handy and use his stamina that he has over this trip to pressure the leaders and attempt to go past them in the final 1.5-2f. He is drawn in stall 1 which probably isn't ideal, but if he gets a good break, he'll be able to merge into the centre and sit behind some of the pace angles like Significantly who sits in stall 5 and Copper Knight who comes from stall 10.

A handicap mark of 101 will make this difficult, but it's not impossible as we've seen the likes of Caspian Prince, Boom The Groom, El Astronaute and Dakota Gold win from ratings of 100+. Makanah finished fourth in this race in 2019 which was off a mark of 96, but I think he is a better horse now than he was back then, so holds a good EW chance.

York 3:00

I've ummed and ahhed over this race, but I've finally come to the decision of backing AIKHAL.

Unfortunately for me, I was on the receiving end when this lad won last time out, where he battered my selection and won at odds of 20/1 in the process. To see an Aidan O'Brien horse winning at those odds in a Group 3 race with that being his sole runner in the race is virtually impossible. That was his first run over 10f, and it looked to have suited him to the ground as the manner in which he ran on through the line, would suggest he will get further so it's not a great surprise to see him over 12f today.

The O'Brien team must've felt he has always had the ability to mix it at the top level as he ran in some good races as a juvenile. He ran in the Emirate Autumn Stakes (Group 3) at Newmarket last October which was won by Coroebus, who has since gone on to win the 2000 Guineas as well as the St James' Palace Stakes. The other horses in that race including Imperial Fighter and Dubai Poet have run well since, including some good races this season. Aikhal also ran in a Group 1 at Saint-Cloud which was won by Angel Bleu who was already a Group 1 winner. He only finished 1.75L behind him that day. Purpleplay was back in third that day, and she has since moved to William Haggas' yard and won a Group 2. On both of those runs Aikhal was running on and doing his best work late on, so the blueprint of him needing further has been there for quite a while now.

He is by Galileo, and his mare is related to Latrobe who was an Irish Derby winner, so today's trip seems right up his street and is definitely worth a try and worth a bet against the Godolphin favourite, who seems a tad too short in the market for me.

Secret State might warrant to be favourite for this, but coming from handicaps can often be flattering. He has won those handicaps off big weights in good style, but this is a totally different type of race. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win, as he is clearly well-regarded for a yard that has so many quality animals, so they'll know what kind of horse they are dealing with. Deauville Legend will have some backers at the prices as he has some reasonable form, but I think he is susceptible to a better and improving horse. El Bodegon would be a cracking bet in this if the ground was soft, as his form from France is working out extremely well, but I do worry on a quicker surface.

Horse Racing Tips

🔗 Share Your Horse Racing Tips on Social Media