3 minute read
Earl Of Tyrone has the right profile to land Europe’s richest handicap, the Sky Bet Ebor at York.
The mile-and-three-quarter event is always an ultra-difficult race for punters, yet Paddy Twomey's Irish raider ticks plenty of boxes and looks thrown in at the weights on recent form.
The Robert Moran-owned son of Australia has rattled up three successive victories on good ground, including a big-field handicap at the Curragh over a similar trip.
The form of his his most recent run, when staying on strongly over an extended mile and a half to score with some ease in a Listed contest at Limerick, has been subsequently franked by runner-up Raise You, who captured a Group Three prize next time.
Three of the last four winners have carried 9st 5lb or more to victory – the same weight Billy Lee's mount shoulders – and is technically 2lb well in from that perch given his revised rating of 105.
Sacred can earn compensation for a lacklustre effort at Goodwood and keep the ball rolling for the William Haggas yard in the Group Two Sky Bet City Of York Stakes.
Though she takes on the Lennox one-two in Sandrine and Kinross again in the seven-furlong contest, she suffered from racing wide on the Sussex Downs and was only beaten a length and three-quarters.
She made a belated return to action at Royal Ascot, having signed off last term with victory in the Hungerford at Newbury, and the Cheveley Park-owned daughter of Exceed And Excel looks the one to be on now she is fighting fit.
Mighty Ulysses gets the nod in the opening Sky Bet And Symphony Group Strensall Stakes. The Gosdens' runner followed up a smashing effort in defeat in the St James's Palace and with an easy success in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil at Newmarket.
Savvy Knight looks a big price in an ultra-competitive Sky Bet Melrose Handicap, if reproducing the form of his close-up fourth in the King George V Stakes at the Royal meeting. He was last of three when beaten at odds-on at Sandown subsequently and while has a few questions to answer, he trainer Sean Woods has always thought a lot of him.
At Sandown, Defence Of Fort can follow up his facile debut win at Ascot when he lines up in the Group Three Fasig-Tipton Night Of The Stars Solario Stakes.
Peter Chapple-Hyam's Starspangledbanner colt showed understandable greenness in powering to a four-and-three-quarter-length success in a seven-furlong novice race that has produced three subsequent winners and he did it in a decent time.
The hope is the flashy chestnut will have matured from the experience and go on to better things.
The other Group Three on the card, the one-mile JRL Group Atalanta Stakes, looks an ideal opportunity for Grande Dame to earn more black type.
Though she has had just four runs to date, the Gosden-trained three-year-old has improved each time, and she was far from disgraced when thrown in at the deep end in the Group One Coronation at Royal Ascot, before dropping in class to take a Listed prize over the same course and distance she tackles again.
Proud And Regal can maintain his unbeaten record in the Group Two Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes at the Curragh for Donnacha O'Brien.
The seven-furlong event has long been a stepping stone for the following season's Classics and the Galileo colt looked a smart performer in landing the Tyros at Leopardstown on his previous outing. His trainer has already stated that Epsom is in his sights next season and he may well develop into a Derby prospect.
Having beaten the smart Mawj in the Albany, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Meditate is the pick in the Group Two Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes, while at Chester, River Of Stars can follow-up her Lingfield novice success when upped in trip for the Listed Chester Stakes.
SELECTIONS:
CHESTER: 1.55 Frankness, 2.30 All The Time, 3.05 River Of Stars, 3.40 On A Session, 4.15 Ancient Times, 4.50 So Smart, 5.25 Mancini.
CHELMSFORD: 4.51 Rogue Storm, 5.26 Rock Girl, 6.00 Al Khazneh, 6.35 Nanga Parbat, 7.05 Miss Bella Brand, 7.35 Laurentia.
CURRAGH: 1.25 Hiawatha, 2.00 Canute, 2.35 Dark Vega, 3.10 Proud And Regal, 3.45 Meditate, 4.20 Keep Sharp, 4.55 Harley Street, 5.30 Fine Distraction.
KILLARNEY: 2.10 Uncle Phil, 2.45 Shannon Gray, 3.20 Vultan, 3.55 Ballybough Native, 4.30 Authorized Art, 5.05 Fils D'oudairies, 5.40 Marine Nationale.
LINGFIELD: 4.40 Porfin, 5.15 Imperial Dream, 5.50 Talamanca, 6.20 Zicatela, 6.50 Morgan Fairy, 7.20 Bass Strait, 7.50 Maggie's Delight.
NEWTON ABBOT: 1.07 Pop The Champagne, 1.42 Lock's Corner, 2.17 Vision Des Flos, 2.52 Bathiva, 3.27 Loved Out, 4.02 Mortlach, 4.35 Al Zaraqaan.
SANDOWN: 2.05 GRANDE DAME (NAP), 2.40 Defence Of Fort, 3.15 Al Rufaa, 3.50 Belloccio, 4.25 Catch A Star, 5.00 Gulmarg, 5.35 Chipstead.
YORK: 1.50 Mighty Ulysses, 2.25 Savvy Knight, 3.00 Sacred, 3.35 Earl Of Tyrone, 4.10 Tabdeed, 4.45 Rocket Rodney, 5.20 Injazati.
DOUBLE: Grande Dame and River Of Stars.