9 hours ago
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Key events
It looked like an ultra-competitive Melrose on paper but Infraad turned it into a procession. He has an entry in the St Leger at Doncaster next month, the final Classic of the season, and it would be no great surprise to see him head to Town Moor.
William Haggas, his trainer, is in the winner’s enclosure and in typically non-committal form, though he didn’t rule out at crack at the Classic (and didn’t rule it in, either).
YORK 2.25 RESULT: Infraad masterful in Melrose
1. INFRAAD 100-30 jt-fav, 2. Galilean Quality 12-1, 3. Who’s Lope 28-1, 4. Tierra Del Toro 28-1, 5. Limestone 100-30 jt-fav. 17 ran
Steel Raven straight into the lead, Infraad just behind him, Mythical Bay is out in the middle of the track at the moment.
Limestone is tracking Infraad, Mythical Bay settles fourth …
down the back, My Ballyquinn prominent too …
Steel Raven still leads at the top of the straight …
Infraad and Mythical Bay making steady progress, Limestone there too but under pressure …
Infraad is making the best progress now, hits the front a furlong out … it’s a decisive move, he’s running on well to win …
Off and running in the Melrose Handicap …
At the post for the Melrose, my pick here is Mythical Bay – in the blue-and-white colours of renowned punter Tony Bloom – and he’s the one for late money, down to around 4-1 behind the Limestone and Infraad on 100-30.
The first prize here, incidentally, is £93k, so a win for Mythical Bay would take the Balding stable past £7m in prize money for the season. He was £791k behind Aidan O’Brien in the trainers’ title race before racing today, and he has live chances in both the City Of York Stakes and the Ebor, where the combined first prizes are no less than £640k.
Balding is one exceptional afternoon away from turning the title race into a neck-and-neck contest.
Next up here at York is the Melrose Handicap – the three-year-olds’ version of the Ebor over the same trip (and a race won by Tarriance, a leading fancy for the Ebor, 12 months ago).
This is always a terrifically competitive heat, and Infraad (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) and Limestone (Joseph O’Brien/Ryan Moore) are currently locked together at the top of the market at 3-1.
Limestone is taking a big drop in class having lined up for the Group One Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp in mid-July – he was sixth of seven – while Infraad was a heavily-backed winner of a handicap at Glorious Goodwood last time out.
Mythical Bay (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) is 7-1 to continue his trainer’s white-hot run of form at the meeting, while Charlie Appleby’s Into The Light, another handicap winner at Glorious Goodwood, is the only other runner at single-figure odds, at 9-1.
Hamad Al Jehani had two big handicap winners at Glorious Goodwood. Archivist has just followed up in the Group Three Strensall Stakes and Evening Saigon, the Stewards’ Cup winner, will attempt to do the same in the Constantine Handicap at 4.10.
YORK 1.50 RESULT: Archivist streaks home in Strensall
1. ARCHIVIST 9-1, 2. Saber Strike 8-1, 3. Persica 11-2. 11 ran.
That’s a cracking start to the day tips-wise. Thought he’d run well, but have to be honest, I didn’t think he’d win by half the track.
Off and running in the Strensall Stakes …
Point Lynas fast away, Hankelow prominent too …
Damysus mid-division, Archivist just behind, Geryon now disputes second …
Coming down the middle of the track, Archivist finishing well and goes into the lead .. he’s clear … he’s absolutely bolting up, my oh my … Archivist by half a dozen lengths at least!
But not any more … Damysus is the one for late money, down to 3-1, with Geryon out to 9-2.
They are on the way to post for the Strensall Stakes, Geryon and Damysus are now joint-favourites at 4-1 with Hankelow next in on 11-2, Persica on 6-1, Jonquil – the runner-up in season’s French 2,000 Guineas – at 15-2 and Archivist at 8-1. Wide open, in other words.
Richard Hannon’s ultra-consistent Persica and Hamad Al Jehani’s ARCHIVIST are also definite contenders, and I ended up plumping for the latter when tipping for the card yesterday. He put up a career-best to win the Golden Mile at Goodwood last time out from a horrible draw and would not need to improve too much to go close.
A few punters at least seem to agree, as he’s down to around 17-2 having been as big as 16-1 overnight.
Karl Burke’s Hankelow is another interesting runner dropping in class – he’s been taking on Group One opposition on his last two starts, the most recent of which was the Prix du Jockey Club – French Derby – at Chantilly.
He finished 13th of 16 but the video is worth a look if only for the sumptuous backdrop of the Château and Grandes Écuries.
A Group Three over nine furlongs feels like much more his level and he is currently trading as the third-favourite for the Strensall at around 11-2.
After weeks of wildfires, drought warnings and record temperatures, the weather has been less than ideal for a summer racing festival here in Yorkshire so far this week. It’s a very pleasant afternoon today, though, and a crowd of around 25k can spread out, kick back and relax before the afternoon’s serious business begins.
We kick off with the Strensall Stakes, a Group Three over a fraction less than nine furlongs and 11 runners going to post in the absence of Expanded and Naqeeb.
Damysus was the early favourite after the decs on Thursday, and his form behind Item in the Group Two York Stakes here last time …
… looks a good deal stronger after Item’s success in a top-class International Stakes here three days ago.
He has been edged out at the top of the market today, however, as Ger Lyons’s Geryon has come in for plenty of support. He won a similar contest at Leopardstown in mid-July and then stepped up a full three furlongs in trip when second to Enceladus in the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Preamble
Hello from the Knavesmire in York, where Dick Turpin came to a sticky end back in 1739 and racehorses have been contesting the Ebor Handicap since 1843. It’s the fourth and final day of York’s festival meeting and that, of course, means that the Ebor itself is the centrepiece of the card for a sell-out crowd.
Ever since its inception, the Ebor has been, unashamedly, a race for the punters – but also a handicap that is more than “just” a handicap.
Top-class stayers have been winning this race for much of its history. Way back in 1983, Jupiter Island landed the spoils on the Knavesmire with Lester Piggott in the plate, before going on to become the first European-trained winner of the Japan Cup under a power-packed Pat Eddery drive.
And a big boost to the prize fund in recent years has seen the standard improve still further, with Trawlerman, a subsequent Gold Cup winner at Ascot, landing the spoils in 2022 and Ethical Diamond picking up last year’s race en route to a remarkable success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Willie Mullins, Ethical Diamond’s trainer, will be going for a third win in four years this afternoon with two contenders – Love Me Tender and Mr Hollywood – but at least a dozen of the 22 runners will seriously fancy their chances.
The Ebor is due off at 3.35 and the Group One City Of York Stakes at 3.00 is the main supporting race on a card that is underway with the Strensall Stakes at 1.50. Felix dies Eboracum, as they might have said around these parts back in the day.
