Matt Brocklebank looks ahead to Sunday's action from York and Ascot and digs out four horses he's keen to get on side, including Tintoretto.
Recommended bets, Sunday July 26
1pt e.w Street Parade in 1.55 Ascot at 25/1
1pt win Tintoretto in 2.10 York at 12/1
1pt win Dal Horrisgle in 2.30 Ascot at 8/1
1pt win Princes Des Sables in 2.45 York at 16/1
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
DAL HORRISGLE spearheads the afternoon staking plan in Ascot’s Betfred “Fred’s Pushes” Handicap as he looks a fair bet at 8/1 (General).
William Haggas trained this horse’s Listed-winning half-brother Dal Harraild who was placed a couple of times over a mile and a half at Ascot and finished fourth in Idaho’s Hardwicke Stakes, and he won’t have been too disheartened by last month’s comeback effort.
Dal Horrisgle was really keen after 309 days off and gave Cieren Fallon little chance of settling him in a 10-furlong event won by stablemate Desert Icon, but it should have taken the freshness out of him at least and really teed him up for the return to this trip.
He’s been a non-runner twice on account of soft ground and hopefully we’ll be alright on that score come Sunday afternoon as he’s been given a 4lb ease in the weights following the recent pipe-opener. That looks seriously generous for a horse who acquitted himself well in the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood around this time last year, added to the fact that Haggas’ horses are now absolutely flying compared to when he reappeared.
The market is made by another stable companion in Country, who is progressing nicely on easy ground but has rather shown his hand already this term and gone up 4lb to a career-high 95 for winning on the July Course this month.
I much prefer Oisin Murphy’s mount, who could easily be looking to put his name forward for a crack at next month’s Sky Bet Ebor at York.
Haggas should also have high hopes for the returning Miss O Connor in the Group Three Betfred Valiant Fillies’ Stakes, while Ascot’s other Group Three – the Princess Margaret Betrred Stakes – isn’t begging for a bet.
Stuart Williams’ horses aren’t quite so hot at present but he did have a sprint handicap winner at Sandown on Thursday evening and I’m going to give STREET PARADE (25/1 Betfair, Paddy Power 1/5 1,2,3) another chance back at Ascot, having tipped him at a big price at the same venue last time.
The Play Nifty Fifty Exclusively At Betfred Handicap is a hot contest and the unbeaten Bomb Proof could, admittedly, be anything. He’s very hard to gauge following two wins over a year apart but an initial rating of 98 is an interesting guess considering he had a horse rated 68 back in third at Beverley last month.
I’d rather side with a proven performer, especially at the prices, and Street Parade is looking too well treated to ignore.
He ended up with no chance whatsoever from a low draw here earlier in the month and was effectively allowed to come home in his own time, much the same way as he was after finding himself behind a wall of horses on his return to turf at Newmarket on June 6.
He’d been performing to a good level on the all-weather at the start of the year but it’s the pick of his turf efforts last season that make him so attractive running off 89 now, including a Windsor win off a mark of 95 and a one-length second to Wedding Date off 101 on the July Course.
He likes to hear his hooves rattle so hopefully Sunday’s bright forecast will see it dry out sufficiently and he looks far better drawn this time in stall eight.
Williams also applies cheekpieces for the first time in a bid to spark the four-year-old back to form, something that was forthcoming when the trainer added a tongue-tie first time out last season.
It’s been a quiet month for Lambourn-based Tom Ward but he can finish with a flourish and pinch York’s Sky Bet Daily Price Boosts Handicap from under the locals’ noses courtesy of TINTORETTO (12/1 bet365, 11/1 General).
He reached a reasonable level in handicaps for previous connections in Ireland but has shown progressive form since moving yards and has already won two of his four starts for Ward.
Following a sighter at Lingfield in February, when beaten just over a length in fifth, he book-ended the lockdown period with seven furlong wins at Kempton in March and June, while a return to turf last time showed he’s still a force off his increased rating.
With both victories this year coming at Kempton, he’s definitely more of a galloper than a quickener, so we shouldn’t have been too surprised with how things played out at Epsom.
The horse just didn’t look comfortable on the undulations but what he did was stick on creditably to end up a close sixth, highlighting he’s still seemingly in great nick.
He’s never been to York before, which is a negative in this field full of vastly experienced course specialists, but I fancy he’ll absolutely love the initial sweeping bend and long home straight over this seven furlongs.
He’s certainly the one I want to side with at 12/1 under the in-form Stevie Donohoe, who played the waiting game so well here when landing the John Smith’s Cup on Sinjaari last weekend.
Jonah Jones is going to be really popular under Frankie Dettori in the Sky Bet Extended Dash Handicap but I’m going to take him on with PRINCES DES SABLES at 16/1 (General).
The likes of Sinjaari and Progressive Rating have done this column favours lately by winning after long layoffs and first time out might just be the time to catch Kevin Ryan’s filly.
It’s not that she has a particularly good record when fresh, rather she became quite hit-and-miss last year and she’s the sort to pop up when least expected.
Her eight-length romp at Haydock last August came a month after a couple of no-shows at Pontefract so I’m happy to put a line through her final run of 2019 when failing to beat a rival home at Newcastle.
She failed to fire on her only previous visit to York too but the assessor has cut her some slack and she now runs off 93, 9lb higher than the Haydock win.
She was seriously progressive as a juvenile, rising from 68 to a mark of 89, so perhaps she just found things a little tougher at three and wouldn’t be the first sprinter to suffer from that problem.
Plenty of them soon hit back when allowed time to strengthen up as four-year-olds, though, and it’s interesting Ryan keeps her in training. She’s a risky proposition but one I’m willing to take at 16/1 for a Yorkshire team in rattling good form right now.
Posted at 1330 BST on 25/07/20
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