Champagne Prince didn't manage to dictate the race in the opener, and Oisin Murphy decided to turn it into a stupidly quick race.
On paper, my horse was the out-and-out front runner in a race which seemed to lack pace. I had a sneaky feeling Oisin would go forward from a low draw, but I didn't expect him to set the pace, and set it at fast fractions.
David Egan decided to be last in the first group, but still paid the price for being close to a strong pace. Of the front four, Champagne Prince did best, but narrowly missed a place by beaten into fourth by a headbob. On the back of that performance, I think you've got to mark his effort up, as all the horses inside the top three came from off the pace.
Spicy Marg proved to me that getting drawn in by horses off stupidly low weights is a curse. I stand by the fact that the sprinting division is probably the worst it's ever been. There was a 100/1 in second place, and that shows that if a horse can run a good race on the day, it can nearly be good enough to walk away with a Group 1.
Skukuza 6/1 (0.5pt EW, 3pl) – York 1.50
On form, King's Gambit is the one to beat. I was very close to backing him for this race, as he was given a very poor ride at Royal Ascot and was unlucky not to win. That showed he is in good form, but this drop back to a furlong less on a less demanding track raises the question: Does he have the speed? I think he could, but I don't think this will be run at a frantic pace, and I can see Skukuza making all.
The way recent races have gone, and my prediction of who will front-run, there is no doubt this will be wrong as well. However, we've seen Skukuza make the running on a couple of occasions this year, and doing it to good effect under Ryan Moore. He has improved massively this year, especially with the wins in Ireland, looking very solid. Last time out, he ran at the Glorious Goodwood meeting on soft ground whilst carrying over 10st. He didn't run to the same level as his previous two wins, but maybe the ground wasn't to his liking.
In my opinion, you've got to give him a chance at this level before you totally write him off. The form of his last win at the Curragh has been franked by the runner-up, who has since finished second in a Group 3.
It will be interesting if they decide to run Bullet Point two days after his win at this course. I expect him to be a non-runner, and we get a rule 4, but if he does run, then he has a solid chance.
Never So Brave 3/1 (1pt) – York 3.00
The way this race is likely to run, it's going to suit a fast finisher. That's not always the case at tracks like York, where being on the front end is normally the place to be, but with plenty of pace on show, I can see a collapse.
I think this race will be suited for the likes of Rosalion, Never So Brave and Lake Forest. Rosalion has the pace for the trip, and stays slightly further, with the same comments being applied to my selection, Never So Brave. Rosallion is a horse who probably should have achieved more with the reputation he brings out of the Richard Hannon yard. He fared best of the rest in a whacky Sussex Stakes last time out, but in reality, if Field Of Gold turned up, he should have romped home and battered that field. Never So Brave is on a steep upward trajectory this year since moving from Sir Michael Stoute's yard, and I don't think there's anything stopping him from improving further.
Last time out, he was ridden with supreme confidence when the leader shot fifteen lengths clear. David Probert knew he had plenty of horse underneath him, and when asked to close, he did it effortlessly. In the end, he didn't win by much, but it was a strange race, and if needed, I think he could've stretched clear.
The form of the yard is very good at the moment, and has been all season. Andrew Balding has the key to improving his horses this year, and this lad is the product of that.
Majestic Warrior 11/1 (0.5pt EW, 6pl) – York 3.35
Unexposed horses for the Ebor sound brilliant, but the lack of experience in big fields is the main off-putting thing. However, Majestic Warrior appears to have been laid out for this race since his return in April, and he could be a fair bit ahead of the handicapper.
This would be some training performance if James Tate could pull this off with Majestic Warrior. He has clearly had his problems, shown by the fact he was off the track for 700 days prior to winning at Thirsk in April. He put in a monstrous performance to win that day, albeit at a much lower level. But the visuals he created that day were very impressive, and he has been put away for a go at the big pot at York. Fair play to James for holding tight, as this race is very contested and he's only just managed to sneak into this race, so they must firmly believe he is on a very good handicap mark.
He is stepping up in trip, which is an unknown. His pedigree gives a good impression that he should be fine for the extra couple of furlongs. He is related to the 2020 Ebor winner, Fujaira Prince, and is also a half-brother to the brilliant flat and jumps horse, Nichols Canyon. If you look a bit deeper into the pedigree, there is a horse that was placed in the Ebor for Richard Fahey, so this race is in the pedigree.
Revival Power 15/2 (0.5pt EW, 3pl) – York 4.45
On debut, I thought we saw something quite special in the making with Revival Power. She was not fancied in the market, but overcame inexperience to win in great style.
At Royal Ascot, she didn't show her true ability, but she bounced back at Goodwood to finish second to Spicy Marg. I'm not basing the run behind Spicy Marg as tremendous form, as she was outclassed yesterday against the older horses, but it's still solid in terms of juvenile form.
The main selling point for backing Revival Power is York. By that, I mean she is a full-sister to Winter Power, who was a fantastic sprinter for Tim Easterby. Winter Power was very good at York, which included a win in the Nunthorpe in 2021, as well as getting two listed successes at the same track earlier in that season. If she were to follow in the footsteps of her older sister, we could be cooking on gas, and she could be great value.
Classic Encounter 11/1 (0.5pt EW, 4pl) – York 5.20
For my last selection of the day, which is a very busy day for me, it's Classic Encounter.
I've been backing this horse since he beat my selection on his first start of the season at Redcar. I really liked what I saw from him that day, and it's very surprising that he hasn't won too many races since. In all fairness, he has been unlucky in a lot of his races, and that's due to the way he's been ridden. He showed a liking for this track when winning in June. He was poor at this track last time out, but I think you've got to forgive him. On that day, he was carrying 10st 4lbs and it was a very strange race, with a runaway leader. He never got into contention and never looked happy, so I'm happy to scrap that run.
William Buick is on board and was on him when he won at York earlier this season. William would have had the chance to ride Marhaba Ghaiyyath, who he partnered to a runner-up spot at Glorious Goodwood. The fact he has jumped ship and come back to Classic Encounter is a big plus, especially the way he has been riding this track this week.
GambleAware