Andrew Asquith previews the ITV races on the third day of York's Ebor Festival and has three recommended bets.
ITV Racing betting tips: Friday August 25
1pt win Bague d'Or in 1.50 York at 10/1 (bet365, BetVictor, Betfair, Paddy Power)
1pt win Emperor's Son in 3.00 York at 12/1 (bet365, Boylesports, Coral, Ladbrokes)
1pt win Youngest in 4.10 York at 8/1 (General)
The Nunthorpe Stakes in one of two Group 1 races over five furlongs run in Britain and it was Bradsell who came out on top in the other when beating Highfield Princess by a length in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Highfield Princess has since bolted up in a Group 2 at Goodwood, showing her class down in grade, and is favourite in the betting to overturn Royal Ascot form with Bradsell. In my opinion she will reverse that form at this track on better terms, this sharper five furlongs very much playing her to her strengths, whereas she hasn't the best record at Ascot.
Connections of Bradsell were rewarded for supplementing him at Royal Ascot, having no problems on his first try at five furlongs, and it is hard to argue that he wasn’t the best horse on the day. However, whether he will be as effective over the minimum trip at this course, in a race which seems sure to be run at a fierce gallop, remains to be seen.
Windsor Castle and Molecomb Stakes winner Big Evs has been supplemented and is the sole two-year-old in the field. He receives lumps of weight from his older rivals and he has looked all speed so far, but you do have to go back to 2007 to find the last juvenile winner of the Nunthorpe, so he clearly faces a tough task, and odds of around 6/1 are short enough.
Regional saw the form of his Listed win at Haydock last time boosted when Equilateral won on Wednesday but he faces a much sterner test now moving into Group 1 company and, for me, it is hard to get away from the claims of the wonderful mare Highfield Princess, who is primed to defend her crown.
The Gimcrack looks an interesting race but Kylian is short enough in my eyes at the head of the market. Admittedly, he was visually very impressive at Sandown two starts back, but that wasn’t a strong race, and he was taken off his feet in the Molecomb won by Big Evs last time.
The step up to six furlongs will suit, but this will be the quickest ground he has faced since his debut, where he didn’t quicken as well as looked likely, and he is also vulnerable to improvers.
EMPEROR'S SON narrowly denied Kylian when making a winning debut and I’d be prepared to give him another chance at his current odds of around 12/1. He endured a far from smooth run at Carlisle but still had enough ability to come out on top, more or less knocked over leaving the stalls but getting himself into a good position and making good inroads on the outside in the straight.
Emperor’s Son showed signs of greenness when asked to challenge Kylian in the final furlong, but his jockey didn’t have to go for everything and he won with a bit more up his sleeve than the bare margin suggests.
He ran no sort of race in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, but the horse drawn next to him played up in the stalls and was eventually withdrawn, so that may have unsettled him, and he raced rather isolated on the wing of the near-side group, almost in no-mans land. He has been freshened up since and is a horse who has always been held in high regard, so for me he is well worth another chance to confirm himself a smart colt at a double-figure price.
The opening Sky Bet Handicap is another race which I am interested in and it is BAGUE D'OR who catches the eye. He hasn’t got many miles on the clock for a five-year-old, but his record since sent handicapping is a very positive one, finishing out of the first two only once and winning four times from nine starts.
He also has a good record when fresh, making a winning reappearance in 2021 and probably ridden too patiently in a handicap on the Rowley Mile last season which was won by a more prominently-ridden rival. Bague d’Or progressed from that effort stepped up to a mile and three quarters, winning his next two starts, and the form of his Ascot success in July last year has worked out well.
Bague d’Or was far from disgraced when runner-up to Trawlerman at Goodwood when last seen 13 months ago and that form looks even better now as that rival went on to win the Ebor at this meeting on his next start. Bague d’Or has since joined James Ferguson, a young trainer who continues to impress, and he is potentially well treated making his return from the same mark.
Starting back over a mile and a half isn’t a concern for me on his first start after a lay-off and he is a horse to be positive about given his record when fresh.
Another handicapper who I feel is a little overpriced is the Roger Varian-trained YOUNGEST who goes in the mile and a quarter Assured Data Protection EBF Fillies' Handicap. She has an excellent pedigree – out of a Canadian Grade 1 winner who is a sister to smart Lumiere – and overcame inexperience to make a winning debut at Leicester last season.
She didn’t progress as expected afterwards, however, and she looked an awkward ride on her first two starts back at Ascot this season. Youngest shaped with plenty of promise in a first-time hood at Glorious Goodwood earlier this month, though, finishing around two lengths behind Rowayeh but enduring a much harder run through.
Youngest was stuck behind a wall of horses when the race began to take shape around two furlongs out and she was snatched up soon after when a horse caused interference. She wasn’t overly knocked about afterwards, but was again making headway when short of room and finished with running left at the line. Youngest isn’t the biggest, but she has a pedigree which suggests she’ll relish this step up to a mile and a quarter, and she looks ready for it now, especially as she settled better than usually at Goodwood last time.
Published at 1515 BST on 24/08/23
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