Racing betting tips: Friday May 14
1pt win Creative Flair in 2.10 York at 15/2 (Hills, BetVictor)
1pt win United Front in 2.40 York at 22/1 (General)
1pt win Highfield Princess in 3.40 York at 11/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
Friday’s Matchbook Yorkshire Cup Stakes makes next to no appeal when you’re on the lookout for big-priced value but thankfully there are plenty of other races to get stuck into elsewhere on the York card.
Whatever happens in the Group Two feature, there’s obviously a realistic chance that Snow Lantern will take top-billing, should she come up with the goods for favourite-backers in the Listed Oaks Farm Stables Fillies’ Stakes.
Richard Hannon’s grey is an eyecatcher in just about every regard, including her striking looks and fantastic pedigree, while it was interesting to see she has this week been given an entry in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown to go with options in Ireland, France, the Oaks and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Working out what her optimum trip might be is clearly presenting Hannon and the team with a few issues, then – a nice problem to have, admittedly, but something to bare in mind here over what can be quite a sharp mile that suits prominent racers.
Snow Lantern probably has the most potential in the field and won her Newbury maiden a shade snugly from some useful colts, but she hasn’t got the best form in the race just yet and has to be opposed at 6/4 generally.
Kestenna, Love Is You and the Fred Darling fourth and fifth, Primo Bacio and Ville De Grace, have all posted decent recent performances in stronger company than Snow Lantern has met so far, while the Charlie Appleby-trained pair have to be respected too, which leads me to a bet.
The hood (Appleby has a 18-52, 34.62%, strike-rate when applying a hood first time) goes on Divine Light whose Nell Gwyn sixth needs marking up a fair bit due to the interference she suffered, but I was really taken with stablemate CREATIVE FLAIR at Ascot and she’s the one to be on here under William Buick.
She looks a typical daughter of Dubawi in that she’s quite compact, doesn’t do anything too flashy but travels well and really toughs it out, on top of which she’s evidently getting better and better with racing.
Last year, following a debut sixth on quick ground at Ascot in July, she won a Sandown maiden the following month from Statement (subsequent Fred Darling second and now rated 106) and Samoot, who has won a couple of times for Sir Michael Stoute this spring, and she beat them comfortably from the front.
It was more of the same from Creative Flair back at Ascot for her seasonal reappearance when an all-the-way winner in what looked a warm conditions race, ultimately passing the post with plenty up her sleeve. The form has yet to be tested, but the visual impression was very good.
She’s drawn in three on Friday, appears almost certain to get her own way out in front again and looks absolutely made for this sort of test with a little ease in the ground. She makes lots of appeal at the general 15/2 and should give Snow Lantern plenty to think about.
I’ll give the opening Langleys Solicitors British EBF Marygate Fillies’ Stakes a swerve but if Instinction gets any bigger than the 12/1 at time of publication then she could become a viable option for anyone keen on an interest in the ITV opener.
She did quite a lot wrong on debut at Redcar and still managed to win a race that’s thrown up a couple of winners, plus Russellinthebushes, who was beaten a head again in a Chester maiden last Thursday.
Trainer Bryan Smart pulled off a remarkable success with Project Dante here on Wednesday and has obviously got a nice bunch of early types as Bond Chairman won first time out at Musselburgh at the end of last month too.
Preference, however, is for a bet on UNITED FRONT in the Matchbook “Best Value” Exchange Handicap.
He’s produced a string of good efforts on the all-weather through the winter and spring since switching from Aidan O’Brien to Mick Appleby and, given his consistency and overall upward trajectory, it’s surprising he’s only gone up 10lb from 88 to 98.
His last run, a length-and-three-quarter defeat of Zabeel Champion (who was in receipt of 1lb) was a clear career-best and the runner-up has since won three handicaps, himself rising 10lb to a mark of 103.
The elephant in the room is that United Front now has to carry that improvement back over to the turf scene and further rain would presumably dent his claims given he’s a son War Front, out of a Galileo mare, but that looks well factored into the price (22/1 General) and he did show an above-average level of ability on good and good to yielding ground during his juvenile days at Ballydoyle.
He’s evidently got his mojo back for new connections now and it’s worth noting Appleby has gone to the trouble of booking Andrea Atzeni, whose record for the yard is a very healthy three winners, one second and one third from just eight rides.
Another interesting jockey booking sees Ryan Moore take over the reins from Hugo Besnier aboard HIGHFIELD PRINCESS in the Jigsaw Sports Branding Handicap over seven furlongs.
Trainer John Quinn was seemingly on the lookout for a bit of local knowledge when acquiring Besnier's services for a Listed assignment on the all-weather at Deauville in December, but it back-fired somewhat as he got into an early pace battle which ultimately left the filly with nothing left to give in the home straight.
Perhaps that seven and a half furlong test stretched her a little too far anyway, but given how hard they looked to go early on, Highfield Princess did quite well to be beaten a little over four lengths in the end.
She’s much better judged on her highly progressive UK form through last autumn, when flying through the ranks from a lowly initial rating of 57.
Unraced at two, the daughter of Night Of Thunder got loads of experience under her belt as a three-year-old in 2020 and positively thrived on her racing, all the time looking like a horse who still had plenty more to offer as she filled out her frame.
She’s got a mark of 83 to overcome back on home soil but won at Chelmsford on her penultimate start last year from 80, and again only seemed to be doing as much as she needed to in order to get the verdict over Frozen Ocean.
She’s got a cracking draw here in stall one, which should allow Moore to sit precisely where he wants – whether that’s in front or just taking a lead – and we know she finds an awful lot for pressure, while there are no ground concerns with her either. Anything double-figures and up is a good price about her.
Published at 1500 BST on 13/05/21
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