Return to Knavesmire can see talented handicapper return to winning ways
Day Two of York’s Dante meeting begins with very competitive sprint over the minimum distance and Out Do is well fancied in the market at 9/1 on his first start at 5f. He’s shown plenty of speed in his races, so is worth a try at this trip but he just doesn’t look well handicapped anymore off 104. He’s been raised 6lbs for winning on his seasonal debut at Pontefract, but those that raced prominently in that race had a huge advantage so there are serious question marks over that form. He might also have been better trying 5f on a stiffer track first too (worth remembering he was tried over 7f this time last year) so on the whole he looks worth taking on.
Speed is no question mark for See The Sun (8/1), who won a big handicap here last summer. The form of that race has worked out extremely well and although See The Sun has not won since then, he has put in many creditable efforts that suggest he is still very feasibly handicapped. In October last year he finished third in a big field handicap on unsuitably soft ground off this mark over this course and distance. At a course where he runs well on his favoured ground See The Sun can win another good handicap.
Elm Park can defy ground fears in strong Dante
The Dante Stakes looks very strong this year and with the Derby a wide open contest ahead of this race hopefully we’ll see a great performance from at least one of these runners.
It’s difficult to know what to make of Jack Hobbs after he won a Sandown handicap by 12 lengths on his reappearance. He looks smart but whether or not he should be 5/2 favourite in this race at the time of writing is certainly open to question.
John F Kennedy is worth another chance to show his true colours on better ground here and although the name of the horse should never really be considered when it comes to placing a bet you have to assume that connections saved this name for what they thought would be a special horse. Even on his form from last season though he is still a bit short here at 7/2 and until he shows more he has to be overlooked.
Elm Park at 10/3 looks very classy and although he was withdrawn from the 2000 Guineas due to fast ground, which raises question marks about the drying ground here, he has won on good to firm ground before so clearly should handle it presuming he is allowed to run. He’s the only Group 1 winner in the race, is unbeaten in his last four starts and has proven quality that the opposition here don’t have, so he has to be the bet at the prices.
Art worth the price in Hambleton
The Hambleton Stakes is always an interesting contest and this looks an opportunity to get stuck in to Off Art 9/1. Only the draw beat him after a year off at Thirsk and based on his 5th place in last season’s Lincoln, which is extremely strong form, he is still very well handicapped off just a 2lb higher mark here. He can get a good position from his low draw here and see off the likes of Homage (9/1), who is likely to come on for the run with the Hunt Cup his main target. Finally, Prince Of Johanne is a big price at 16/1 considering he has placed in this race in the last 3 years, each time off a higher mark than he has here.
