Timeform highlight their best bets at York on Wednesday in the form of a ratings banker, a big improver and a Flag to note.
The Ratings Banker
Emily Upjohn – 15.35 York
EMILY UPJOHN has much the best form on offer among the five runners in the Musidora Stakes and can book her place in next month’s Oaks, giving her the opportunity to emulate Snowfall who won both races last year. She’s already disputing favouritism for Epsom after taking her record to two out of two with a wide-margin success in a novice at Sandown on her reappearance last month.
The daughter of Sea The Stars was sent off at short odds in a field of very well-bred fillies at Sandown despite conceding 7lb all round as the winner of a similar event at Wolverhampton late last year. She duly made short work of her rivals, travelling well behind the pace set by eventual runner-up Follow That Star and then quickening clear in the last couple of furlongs to win by nine and a half lengths.
With further progress to come, Emily Upjohn can become John Gosden’s sixth Musidora winner since 2011.
The Big Improver
Gaassee – 13.50 York
The Jorvik Handicap over a mile and a half is a competitive curtain-raiser to the 2022 Dante Festival but the one who makes most appeal is the unexposed four-year-old GAASSEE for William Haggas and Tom Marquand. He has a typical profile for a handicapper from his stable, having improved with each run after making a belated debut only in September of last year.
After shaping encouragingly on that first start when clearly in need of the experience, Gaassee went on to win his next three outings when fitted with a tongue tie, winning novices at Chester (by a wide margin in heavy ground) and Newcastle and then stepping up to a mile and a half for his handicap debut at Kempton.
While that four-runner contest was run at a crawl, it couldn’t disguise Gaassee’s promise as he won it under top weight by five lengths from a rival who won his next three starts and is now useful himself. Capable of better still, Gaassee can complete a four-timer here and go further towards justifying his entry in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Timeform Flag
Nomadic Empire – 14.25 York
Top Rated, Horse In Focus, Horses For Courses
There are plenty of familiar names in this typically competitive York sprint handicap in which the David O’Meara-trained pair Summerghand and NOMADIC EMPIRE share top weight. Summerghand hasn’t hit form yet this year whereas Nomadic Empire made an eye-catching reappearance at Ripon last month when looking an unlucky loser.
Having his first start for seven months and gelded in the meantime, Nomadic Empire was hampered at the start and then worse followed in the closing stages when he got no run until the race was all but over, winding up third behind Ava Go Joe and earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag.
He ended his three-year-old season in top form with some smart efforts, completing a quick double at Leicester and over this course and distance, and ending the year with a good fourth to Volatile Analyst in the Coral Sprint Trophy, again over York’s six furlongs. He’s still on a fair mark and capable of making amends for his unlucky run last time.
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