Racing tips: Free Wind is a Group 1 winner in waiting for the Gosden’s

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Azure Blue was a brilliant winner of the Clipper Stakes over 6f on Day 1 of the York Dante Festival. She is a mare improving at a rate of knots and has Group 1 aspirations. However, the great victory was overshadowed by the loss of a great sprinter in recent years with Creative Force losing his life after breaking down early into the race. It's always a shame to see that happen, it's a horrible site and it's the worst part of the game we all love.

York 1:50 – Copper Knight 9/1 (1pt EW 4pl)

Going through each runner in this race and I think though clearly a lot of them have a chance based on some pieces of their form, nothing really stands out as they either don't like the ground as much as others, they don't run well at York or their running style doesn't suit this track, so I ended up landing on the old boy Copper Knight.

It's crazy to think this lad is a 9yo now and he is still capable of running to a very good handicap level. He has been targeted this race every year and though last year he didn't run to what was probably expected, he had previously won it the two years before, so there's no doubt in my mind that they will have him primed and ready for this race today. He is a 9yo, but he is ridiculously well-handicapped now, running off a handicap mark of 88, from a weight of 8st 7lbs, which is crazy to think that he won this race off a mark of 100 in 2019. He won it in 2021 off a mark of 85 but then went on to win two more races off 92 and 100. Last year he won off 97 and this season he has run to an okay level, on soft ground which probably isn't his ideal ground, but the form from his Pontefract run now looks fairly decent as the winner, Live In The Dream has boosted that form by finishing 2nd in a Group 3.

Copper Knight likes to run from the front, and if he can't make all he will sit close to the pace, and I think that will be the place to be in this race. York is a fast track, the ground will probably be described as good come the time of racing, which will be ideal for this lad.

York 2:25 – Free Wind 6/5 (2pt)

If Free Wind is ready to rock n roll on seasonal reappearance, she should be fairly impossible to beat. I don't know whether she is going to be ready to win first time out, but she is the best filly in the race by some margin in my opinion, even though there are others who have won better races than her.

She was only seen once as a 4yo and that came in the Group 2 at Haydock in the Lancashire Oaks, and how she won that race is baffling to me. Jim Crowley nearly put Rab Havlin and Free Wind through the rails, she lost full momentum, was switched wide and had to get to top gear again, which she did and she ended up winning by 2.25L, it was one of the best performances of last year. I think that proved what a top-class filly she is, and there's no doubt in my mind that she is a Group 1 winner in waiting.

I don't think John & Thady would send her up here and put Frankie on her if she wasn't ready for this.

York 3:35 – Passenger 5/1 (1pt)

You're going to need a leap of faith in backing Passenger for today's race, as has only raced once before, and has a lot to prove now upped in grade, but if Sir Michael Stoute thinks he's capable of running up to this level on his second start, who am I do doubt. Sir Michael won this race last year with Desert Crown who had raced just one time, I'm not saying for one minute that this horse is anywhere near as good as Desert Crown, but he must be showing similar levels of ability for connections to think he's good enough to win this on his second start.

I think you have to take the favourite on in this race, as I don't think the form of his recent run is that impressive. He scraped home at short odds at Epsom, and the runner-up hasn't done anything to frank the form. Obviously, the Gosden's train him and Frankie is on board, but I think he is beatable.

Passenger won well on debut at Newmarket, and the best part of the race was the final furlong or so where he managed to extend away from those in behind him. He has a lovely pedigree, one which should excel over today's trip and the good ground he should get should be perfect for him. He is probably a bit short in the market, but I think he might be worth a 1pt win.

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