Best Bets For The York Ebor Festival – Day Three

A little up and down thus far as Triple G goes into Day Three of the Ebor Festival absolutely level to level stakes; Happy Like A Fool and Mori both finishing down the field yesterday. Friday is Nunthorpe day up on the Knavemsire.

The Group Two Lonsdale Cup might just be perfect for the five-year-old Queen owned (gawd bless her) Dartmouth. I am a fan and he has nicked me a few quid and he has looked more and more suited to longer distances this season. He just got up in the 1m6f G.2 Yorkshire Cup here in May and the two-mile should be ideal for him now; he looked slightly outpaced back over 1m4f in the G.2 Hardwicke at Ascot last time. He has won on all sorts of going conditions and is again today ably assisted by Ryan Moore. Get on at 9-2.

The Group Three City Of York Stakes is a wide open looking affair and I can make a case for half the field truth be told but I do like one a little more than the others. Daban represents the 3YO 1,000 Guineas form where she was third, the mile looking to be a yard or two too far. The bare form of sixth in the G.3 Jersey Stakes doesn’t look great but that was a pretty good Jersey to my eye - 3rd, 4th, 8th, 9th 10th all won since - and she was beaten only by the winner Le Brivido on her side. At a price of 6-1 with the various allowances she gets I am prepared to take a chance on her in this.

At 3.35 it’s the speedsters and as York is considered a speed track they sure won’t be hanging about in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes. The ground might not be ideal – soft is in the description – but with luck it will be drying all day with luck and Lady Aurelia is my pick ahead of Battaash. She gets a handy 3lb sex allowance and a repeat of her run in the G.1 King's Stand will do nicely thank you. I have the 13-8. Not unusually for a certain Mr Dettori he appears in bullish mood, perhaps even more so than usual. "I think it was an almighty performance in the King's Stand. She brushed aside some great older horses," Dettori told Racing UK. "She's a typical sprinter. She's on her toes and she has two switches - slow and fast. There's nothing in between. Last year we tried really hard to get her to run over six furlongs. We got away with it in the Prix Morny, but for me five furlongs is ideal for her. I would say she is (the one to beat) after what she's done. I think York will suit her as she's got tremendous speed and typically American horses like a flat track. York might suit her better than Ascot."

Be lucky