Ben Linfoot has had 16/1 & 18/1 Value Bet winners at York this week - don't miss his selections for Friday's feature action.
Recommended Bets: Value Bet
1pt win Shared Equity in 2.35 Newbury at 12/1
1pt win Clever Cookie in 3.30 York at 8/1
1pt win Ashkoul in 4.05 York at 14/1
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The Betway Yorkshire Cup headlines the final day of the Dante Festival at York on Friday and Dartmouth heads the betting following an excellent four-year-old campaign that yielded three victories.
Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore have won this contest in two of the last three years, with Gospel Choir and Snow Sky, and Dartmouth has very solid claims of improving that record further.
He’s the best in on official ratings, has just about won over this trip and he goes well fresh, as well, so it’s difficult to pick holes in his chance.
The one thing that could scupper him is the ground. It was drying on Thursday, but there’s a bit more rain forecast on Friday morning and it won’t take a lot to eradicate the bit of ‘good’ there was on the Knavesmire at the end of the second day.
With that in mind the 8/1 (General) about course specialist CLEVER COOKIE looks fair as he bids to improve his fantastic record at the track.
A winner of this race last year on good ground, Clever Cookie has won four times at York and he’s at his very best when the turf is riding soft, as it could well be again on Friday.
Behind Dartmouth there’s not much between these, but Clever Cookie shouldn’t be underestimated because of his advancing years.
He can put his experience to good use and the lack of a run this season is of no concern as he goes really well fresh.
Added to that this is his favourite time of year. Five of his six Flat wins have come in the month of May and the other was on April 25.
If the ground does catch Dartmouth out Clever Cookie looks the most likely beneficiary and quotes of 8/1 about the likeable York specialist aren’t too shabby at all.
In the following Betway Jorvik Handicap Mick Appleby’s ASHKOUL looks a tad overpriced at 14/1 (General).
Gibbs Hill will be tough to beat and quotes of 2/1 about him are perfectly understandable, but I’d expect some significant improvement from Appleby’s charge now he steps up to a mile and a half on soft ground.
This Aga Khan-bred won a couple of times on soft in France and he’s easily forgiven his defeat on his only go at the trip having gone off too quickly.
He’s related to several mile and a half winners and he shaped as though he’d benefit for a step up in distance when third over 10 furlongs at Doncaster last time.
The four-year-old travelled quite nicely in that race and looked to be just lacking a change of gear before seeing his race out well enough as he chased home Fidaawy.
He gets a 5lb pull at the weights with that horse on very different ground over two furlongs further, so he’s not without hope of reversing the form despite being over three times Fidaawy’s price in the market.
Finally, the ITV cameras are at Newbury as well for the Starlight Handicap (2.35) over six furlongs where Clear Spring bids to complete a hat-trick in the race.
He’s not without a chance, but quotes as short as 6/1 look on the skinny side and at double the price I like the look of SHARED EQUITY (12/1 BetVictor, Paddy Power, 11s generally).
The ground is pretty soft down at Newbury too and that will not bother Jedd O’Keefe’s horse as he loves a bit of cut.
The handicapper has given him a real chance as he dropped 8lb from 105 to 97 last season, but he wasn’t in bad nick and finished second off 100 at Epsom on Derby day.
His current mark is just 1lb above that which he won easily off at York at the end of the previous season and he’s never run a bad race when running off a mark in the 90s.
He goes really well fresh and it’s interesting connections travel south with him for this prize when he could’ve run in the Infinity Tyres Handicap at York on Wednesday for a similar pot.
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Ben Linfoot's Value Bet aim: The Value Bet is designed to generate long-term profit by searching for overpriced horses in the feature weekend races and at the big Festivals in the UK. Running total: +371.14pts to advised stakes/prices (from inception of Value Bet column in January 2010 to current).
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Posted at 1708 BST on 18/05/17.
