YORK’s Ebor Festival is upon us, with the opening day headlined by the Group One Juddmonte International Stakes (3.35pm).
The feature is a highly competitive looking affair but a bit of a landmine on the punting front at this stage.
Current favourite Ombudsman is solid, however, he must give weight away to the field and has to reverse the Eclipse form with Delacroix.
The unexplained betting drift on Delacroix over the weekend would temper my enthusiasm for a bet, but he’s the choice of Ballydoyle and deserves maximum respect as a result.
Regular readers of The Punter will hopefully be on good terms with themselves if taking the 12/1 ante-post about Japanese raider DANON DECILE, who has gradually shortened over time into around 4/1.
That said, I wouldn’t be rushing to take his current odds, but it may be worth including the Japanese horse and DELACROIX in a Quinella.
With the first three days at York being World Pool race days, there’s a good chance of a nice pay out if those two were to fill out the first two placings.
The fillies’ sprint handicap (4.45pm) looks a much more suitable contest for a bet this stage, with 21 runners going to post.
The market is favouring the three-year-olds, with several unexposed types to the fore, but I fancy one with a little more experience under her belt.
WOOLHAMPTON is interesting for the Rod Millman team.
At five, she’s one of the oldest horses lining up here, but there’s cause to believe that she has slipped to a workable mark ahead of this assignment.
She’s been dropped two pounds from her last start at Windsor, where she was slowly away and switched wide in the final furlong, but she ran with credit considering that and looks well-handicapped arriving at the Knavesmire.
She ran in this race in 2023, where she had no luck in running, and granted better fortune this time, she looks a good value proposition in World Pool’s Win and Place markets.
She ran in this race in 2023, where she had no luck in running, and granted better fortune this time, she looks a good value proposition in World Pool’s Win and Place markets.
POINTERS WEDNESDAY
Delacroix, Danon Decile (Quinella) 3.35pm York
Woolhampton (Win and Place) 4.45pm York