SDS EXCLUSIVE BLOG Fri: YORK

No rides at York for me on Thursday but I came very close on Wednesday – just missing out in the opener on King Of Stars (pictured below) who ran a cracker from a difficult draw. We made our minds up before the race that we were in the wrong spot and wanted to allow him to drift across the track. He ran so well, tried his heart out and only got beat a short head. He’s a horse that still has a bright future ahead of him and deserves to have his day in the sun.

Anyway, onto the Friday’s action and I’ve a couple of nice rides to look forward to including aboard Flotus in the big one, the Nunthorpe.

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FRIDAY

YORK EBOR FESTIVAL

1.50pm PARTY ISLAND Sky Bet Handicap

I start the day aboard Party Island for Denis Coakley in the opener . He hasn’t fared that well with the draw, positioned out in stall 18, but he comes here in great form having won his last two on the all-weather at Lingfield. He was particularly impressive last time running away from his field and that’s a big positive. I suppose we’ve got to see if he can convert that form to the turf but he gets in here off a nice racing weight and has also proved that he stays well so those are the positives.

2.25pm Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes

No ride for me in the Lonsdale Cup but it will be great to see Stradivarius (pictured below) back in action. I thought he ran a terrific race at Goodwood and still showed plenty of his old zest despite his age. He is obviously the one to beat but there are plenty of others in this race that can scare him including both Trueshan and Coltrane. However I really expect one of the big outsiders to go well and that’s Gemma Tutty’s Mostly Cloudy who has racked up a sequence of wins and will certainly run better than his price indicates.

3.35pm FLOTUS Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1)

The big race of the day is the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe where I ride Flotus (pictured below). She was really good at York last time and deserves a crack at a contest like this despite the drop back in trip. She showed plenty of speed that day and her stamina will be a big asset here. Obviously you have to respect Royal Aclaim who looked a really smart filly last time and the two-year-old of Richard Fahey The Platinum Queen gets loads of weight at the bottom. She’s very speedy too and cannot be ruled out. I’m also a big fan of Mick Appleby’s Raasel who ran better than appears at Goodwood last time and is another that will benefit from a real fast pace.

Good luck,
SDS

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STAR PROMOTIONS

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