York Friday review, reaction and replays

Balding run continues with Plage

Plage De Havre - tipped at 16/1 by both Ben Linfoot and Matt Brocklebank on Thursday - kept the ball rolling for trainer Andrew Balding when winning the mile and a half Assured Data Protection Handicap.

The top weight was sent off a well-backed 11/2 chance under P J McDonald and although he had to weave through traffic from a fair way back, Plage De Havre eventually made his way to the front only to be challenged late on by 14/1 chance French Duke.

French Duke appeared to have more running in him and may have briefly edged ahead but it went down to the bob of heads and following a brief photo-finish, Plage De Havre was called the winner by a nose. He was a sixth winner of the Ebor Festival for Balding, who also landed Wednesday's Juddmonte International with Item and Thursday's Yorkshire Oaks courtesy of Kalpana.

While owners Wathnan Racing were denied by a nose here, they gained compensation in the closing race of the day when William Haggas' Silver Lake held on by a head under Saffie Osborne when delivering as a well-backed 11/10 favourite in the Sky Bet EBF Fillies' Handicap.

Haggas said: "We were always going to go forward but the headwind has got up so we asked Saffie [Osborne] to be well aware of that and it was a bit of an ordinary watch I have to say but she got there in the end.

"I think she's looking for a mile and a half. I don't think she enjoyed the ground much, I didn't think her action was very good, even going to post. I don't know whether we've lost the ground now but she's getting up to having a shot at a black type race."

Blue is the colour for Cox

Blue Courvoisier, who landed the rearranged Betway Silver Bowl Handicap at Carlisle in May, claimed his second victory of the season under Rossa Ryan in York's Sky Bet Mile Handicap, the opening race on day three of the Ebor Festival.

Sent off a 13/2 chance on the back of a close-up third at Goodwood at the start of the month, Clive Cox's charge was soon right on the pace from stall five and Ryan committed for home a long way out, poaching a clear lead a couple of furlongs from the finish.

Blue Courvoisier appeared to get a little tired entering the last 300 yards but found more when hearing the challenge of staying-on second Eklleem (12/1) and there was a length and a half between them at the line.

Krasimir was a further two and a half lengths back in third at 18/1, while Outback Heat (15/2) had to settle for fourth and Storming Point (14/1) was fifth.

Ryan told ITV Racing: "He's a very giving horse and once I got to the front at the bend he pricked his ears and I was always in a good rhythm.

"He probably struggled a small bit turning in to adapt to the ground but, to be fair, once I got stuck into him and I could hear the commentator saying 'one coming down the outside' and I caught a glimpse, he went again. Nothing fazes him when he's out in front and controlling it, if they come to him he doesn't light up and do too much.

"Clive had him spot on and gave me a lot of confidence getting on this lad."

And when asked about the ground, he replied: "It's hard work."

Joseph strikes Gold in Convivial

Benjamin Hornigold ran out a very impressive winner of the British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes on debut for Joseph O'Brien.

The Blackbeard colt was far too good for his 13 rivals under Colin Keane who steered the two-year-old to a comfortable two-length success.

Entered in the Group 2 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes, Benjamin Hornigold returned at 16/1 and he led home Dover Street (40/1) and Sole Ambition (33/1) with the trifecta paying £10,850.20.

Keane said: "He came from the breeze-ups and Joseph thought he was a nice type of horse.

"We were drawn near the experienced ones, there was a bit of pace on and he relaxed straight into the bridle.

"He feels like a horse who will go another furlong no problem. He's a good moving horse, I see no reason why he won't handle nicer ground as well."

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