The third day of York’s Ebor Festival is upon us and the feature race is the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes in which the Wesley Ward-trained Bacio is the big talking horse.
Jonny Pearson, a handicapper and tipster for the Racing Post, is here to give you his best bets for Friday's action from York.
Friday's York Horse Racing Betting Tips
14:25 York - Amiloc @ 3/1
15:00 York - Agamemnon @ 17/2
15:35 York - Rayevka @ 4/1
14:25 York - Amiloc @ 3/1
Our first selection is in the Lonsdale Cup over an extended 2m, and we are going to side with Amiloc for the Ralph Beckett team to record a first win of the season. He finished off last season with a good run in the Breeders’ Cup, finishing fourth in the turf.
He has subsequently disappointed at York on reappearance when beaten favourite, before running reasonably well at Royal Ascot and then unseating at Goodwood.
The Ascot run left a favourable impression that he is on his way back to his best and that a step up in trip will be well within his grasp. He found a bit of trouble that day before finishing strongly, suggesting a step up in trip will bring further improvement.
With Ralph Beckett's stable operating at a 24 per cent strike-rate there is every chance he will add to his winners from the last fortnight in what looks a below average renewal of the race.
15:00 York - Agamemnon @ 17/2
Agamemnon is a rapidly improving sort, who took his form to a new level when runner-up in a Group 3 in France last time out. He achieved a Racing Post Rating of 104 for that run, beating several well-regarded rivals in the process. That places him as the top-rated horse on RPRs, albeit only by 1lb.
Sitting just behind him on RPRs is Adaay In Scarlett, whose ratings have somewhat plateaued since his second in the Coventry. Then there’s Hell Of A Spin, who defied big odds to finish third in a Group 3 at Glorious Goodwood.
Recent renewals of this race have been on a downward trend, with 108 being the largest winning RPR of the last three years. Arapaho Gold has already beaten Agamemnon and likely has the larger scope for improvement, but Agamemnon doesn’t have a lot to find to reach recent winning levels.
15:35 York - Rayevka @ 4/1
Our final bet comes in the Nunthorpe, and it is going to be for the French-trained Rayevka.
Following his victory in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse at Royal Ascot there has been a lot of talk about the Wesley Ward-trained Bacio. As impressive as he was, it was a handicap and he is going to have to improve again to win at the highest level.
Rayevka on the other hand has proven herself already, at the highest level, and was unlucky to have not won the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, where Mission Central landed the spoils.
The softer ground at York is likely to benefit Rayevka, and the course should suit her perfectly.
Francis Graffard has his string in fine fettle having won two Group 1s in the past fortnight and Rayevka can add another and achieve a first Group 1 win herself.
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Tipster's Recent Winners
Jonny Pearson is a handicapper for the Racing Post who is in good form recently, with all three of his selections winning at Saratoga last time, with a treble on the three paying more than 100/1.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
