Graham Cunningham guides us through the World Pool card at York on Friday including the Lonsdale Cup and a deep Nunthorpe field.
The weather is improving for day three of Ebor week – with the Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes as the highlight – but the most appealing bets of the day are on the supporting card.
Starting with AMILOC in the Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup at 2.25 and MRAIR in the Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack Stakes at 3.00.
Trawlerman’s retirement puts a different complexion on the Lonsdale and new favourite Caballo De Mar has a G1 penalty after being taken to a hard place trying to roll with that horse and Scandinavia in the Gold Cup.
Amiloc’s recent form figures aren’t inspiring – and he got rid of Hector Crouch at the start of the Goodwood Cup – but his staying-on sixth in an exceptional renewal of the Hardwicke Stakes reads very well and there’s enough stamina in his pedigree to suggest he can play a major role on his first attempt at two miles with Rossa Ryan back aboard.
Scott can crack the Gimcrack puzzle
The unbeaten Arapaho Gold heads the Gimcrack market and Michael Dods’s gelding, unbeaten in three after a battling Newbury Listed success, has clear Quinella potential with further progress likely.
But the feeling persists that there’s ample room at the top in the British juvenile sprint division and Mrair appeals as the sort to take a sizeable step forward here.
George Scott’s colt must have breezed very impressively to fetch £880,000 in April and he’s impressed for different reasons in three starts thus far, forging clear of the capable Final Objective at skinny odds at Lingfield then getting very little room at various key stages when eighth in the Coventry Stakes.
Adaay Of Scarlett finished second that day and has added two more silver medals in smart company, but Mrair would have run him close with better luck at Ascot. He’s poised to produce a career best here - and that gives him solid win and place potential.
Tower to stand tall for a right royal rumble
King Charles and Queen Camilla must have been delighted to hear that Harry and Megan are heading home from America shortly and the royal couple will surely be tuning in from Balmoral when LANCASTER TOWER lines up for the £100,000 Convivial Maiden Stakes at 4.45.
Britain’s richest maiden race has attracted plenty of promising youngsters and the Ballydoyle raider Oklahoma (cheekpieces first time) and Launch Sequence (up to 1400m now) have both shown plenty of promise.
But Lancaster Tower, by Kingman out of a French Guineas winner, looked a winner in waiting on his Sandown debut, travelling best of all for a long way in a race that has been given a rosy look by subsequent good wins from the winner and fourth.
The fact that Lancaster Tower went off at a shade of odds on that day indicates that he’s been showing loads of promise on the gallops. His Dewhurst entry provides another broad hint that he’s very well regarded and normal improvement will surely make him a leading player for Buick and the Gosdens.
French fancy on the complex Nunthorpe menu
You might be wondering why I’ve left the Nunthorpe until last in Friday’s World Pool piece, but the reasoning is simple.
In short, this looks a typically difficult European G1 sprinting puzzle and a welcome American angle, provided by blazing Royal Ascot winner Bacio, is complicated by the fact that Wesley Ward’s exciting colt will face easier ground than he’s been used to.
Everything we’ve seen from the home challengers suggests there are heads and necks between them – so the draw and luck in running could be important – but the Quinella option appeals and it could pay to swerve the favourite and perm four Euros in the hope of a decent return.
French filly RAYEVKA has thrived since being stepped down to the minimum trip. She’s just on top of the short list after a slightly unlucky G1 second at Royal Ascot, while AMERICAN AFFAIR, RUMSTAR and last year’s winner ASFOORA are very closely matched on Goodwood form and should be in the mix again from stalls 4, 8 and 3 respectively.
