Timeform TV Focus: ITV racing tips for Thursday

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York

2.15 1 pt – 1 Korker 8/1

This feels like an unusually two-tiered race for a big-field sprint handicap at York, with most used to plying their trade at a lesser level while the top three in the weights are pattern performers to all intents and purposes. Equilateral made it three from three in handicaps when winning over C&D last summer, but he hasn’t been out since January and another of the class-angle horses, Clarendon House, is drawn quite a bit away from where the main action is likely to take place, with low numbers having largely held sway in this in recent times and likely trailblazer Tees Spirit landing stall two. Only a couple of stalls away from Tees Spirit is Korker, who would be a regular Group-winning sprinter if he wasn’t so sleepy so often leaving the stalls. He’s still reached a very high level, however, and a potential pace collapse should Tees Spirit race how he did in the Palace House is precisely what he needs to show his best. Korker also has bags of York form to his name – he’s raced at the track eight times and has finished in the first three on five of them – and the fact he’s had a sharpening reappearance at listed level at Deauville should ensure he’s spot on fitness-wise ahead of this valuable pot.

2.45 0.5 pt – 4 Point Lynas 10/1

A wealth of York form is also a major thrust for arguing Point Lynas is a few points too big in another big-field handicap in which course form can admittedly be found left, right and centre. Point Lynas’ record at York is particularly impressive, however, considering his aggressive running style would ordinarily make a few below-par efforts along the way an inevitability. Point Lynas finished fifth on his sole visit to the track as a three-year-old, but as he’s raised his level every year since he’s made York his second home, first past the post (but demoted to second after a ding-dong tussle with the reopposing Master Richard) in summer 2022 and beaten just a head in finding only one too good on both C&D runs last season. Point Lynas doesn’t have the benefit of a run, unlike nearly all the others in the line-up, but he was well enough prepped to win first time out in 2024 – and had missed nine weeks prior to his second York near-miss of last year – rates a sufficiently big plus to justify a small-stakes bet in an obviously wide-open race.

3.15 2 pts – 3 Free Wind 7/4

Free Wind gained her only success as a five-year-old when reappearing in this very race and everything is in place for her to repeat the dose. Admittedly, it’s maybe a little surprising that she’s been kept in training for another season, but Free Wind’s form didn’t dip last year (her narrow defeat to Warm Heart in the Yorkshire Oaks was as good as anything she’s ever shown) and, though she’s done most of her racing at around 1½m, she was quick enough to overcome a patient ride in a falsely-run race when defeating the smart Rogue Millennium in this twelve months ago. Another dawdle is on the cards this time round, but Kieran Shoemark will doubtless be alive to such a possibility and it’s not as if her chief market rival Bluestocking is any better equipped for such a scenario, anyway.   

3.45 No Bet Advised

We’ve been happy to side with a couple of short-priced ones earlier this meeting but would rather pass the opportunity in the Dante. Ancient Wisdom sets the clear standard on his smart two-year-old form and even a mere reproduction of his Autumn Stakes effort should make him very hard to beat in a race that seemingly lacks other potential high-class ones. Maybe general quotes of 5/4 will look exceptional value at around 4pm on Thursday, but for us it’s about the right price.

4.15 0.5 pt – 5 Sommelier 14/1

Bigs Evs enjoyed a terrific time of it as a juvenile, landing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on his final outing, and even with a penalty he comes out top on Timeform ratings ahead of his seasonal reappearance. In truth, there’s no real reason why he shouldn’t train on and, as an all-out speedball, this does look a good starting point for him. He is reappearing from more than six months off, however, and at the prices we don’t mind taking him to small stakes. The filly Unbreak My Heart is the nearest one to him on ratings, but she was disappointing (acknowledging little went right for her) on her return to action at Bath last month and, as such, Sommelier makes a bit more appeal at appreciably longer odds. Admittedly, he’s yet to race on turf and bombed when second favourite for a valuable three-year-old handicap at Lingfield when last seen, but prior to that he’d shaped best at the weights (from a BHA mark of 96) when edged out by a thriving one at Newcastle and the speed he shows suggests he’ll be even more effective back at a strongly-run race at the minimum trip.  

Salisbury

2.30 1 pt – 7 Pawapuri

It’s hard to get away from the favourite Pawapuri in this. Despite being a five-year-old she’s undoubtedly got unfinished business on the Flat, successful on her final two starts for William Haggas in this sphere before switching to Nicky Henderson for a hurdling career that’s so far seen her win two of her five starts. Both those wins were achieved on testing ground, conditions notably holding at Haydock for the second of them, and the fact that race was over the best part of nineteen furlongs provides strong encouragement that Pawapuri will be fine upped to a mile and three-quarters on the Flat for the first time. With the possible exception of Circuit Breaker, most of her rivals look about where they should be in the handicap.

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