Best bets for the York Ebor Festival day two Thursday 24th August

Just the one bet at York on Wednesday which was Castle Way finishing second in the Great Voltigeur Stakes; I said I thought Gregory may struggle down in trip giving away weight but took him on with the wrong one! Anyway on to day two on the Knavesmire and I have a couple of fancies at decent odds.

Best bets for the racing at York Thursday 24th August

They get underway at 1.50 with the Group Two 6f Sky Bet Lowther Stakes. I am on record as saying Star Of Mystery looks a two-year-old to keep an eye on and she takes her chance here. I tipped her on debut when second and when she won at HQ in June (unbackable at Haydock when odds-on in-between). She was second in the G.2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes last month at long odds-on perhaps too keen early and may have been unsuited by rain-softened ground.  Charlie Appleby said this week “Star Of Mystery has done well since the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes. It was softer ground that day and a small field, which didn’t play to her strengths, so we are hoping to get her back on track here. She shows a lot of natural pace and, if she runs up to the level of her Listed win, it will make her very competitive.” I am prepared to give her another chance at this level and at 9-1 overnight she is a decent price. 

The 1m4f Group One  Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks is the mains dish of the day. Free Wind is a very good mare, you can forgive her run on bottomless ground at Goodwood last time, and sets a decent standard here. She does though have to give weight to some decent three-year-olds here and that looks tricky. Bluestocking has been running well in defeat all year and is open too some improvement yet so is considered. Savethelastdance had her behind though in the G.1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks and the only time that filly has tasted defeat this year was in the G.1 Oaks at Epsom when second. She is more of a grafter than a classy filly and I think the long run-in here, where they often start racing from a long way out, can see her grind out a victory as she stays every yard of the twelve-furlongs. I have 9-2 overnight. 

Be lucky