Our ace tipster takes you through the card for day three of the prestigious Ebor Festival, one of the racing highlights of the summer schedule
There is no better way to be prepared for the historic York Ebor Festival than by following ace tipster Newsboy. Over the four days of the prestigious fixture he will be providing in-depth analysis of every race in his not-to-be-missed column.
Day three on Friday features the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes, the five furlong sprint which features the Australian Royal Ascot winner Asfoora, with the Group 2 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup and Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack Stakes, among the support races.
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1.50 Sky Bet Handicap
THIS SONGISFORYOU is the choice to prove music to punters’ ears. The seven-year-old hasn’t been an easy horse to get to the races, even for the razor-sharp Emmet Mullins – he’s had 15 starts under Rules, including 10 on the Flat.
But it’s beyond doubt that he has his fair share of ability, as evidenced by a big-money handicap score over 10 furlongs on Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh in September.
A 9-1 shot in a field of 14, my selection still hadn’t been asked for maximum effort when hitting the front at the furlong pole and had a length and a half in hand of Indigo Five at the line.
The grey son of Temple City began the current campaign over a mile and a half in Listed company at Roscommon at the start of July – This Songisforyou finished sixth of 11 behind Chally Chute – before stepping up to a mile and six furlongs for a conditions-race fifth at the Galway Festival.
This Songisforyou didn’t get involved in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes back over today’s distance at Leopardstown 15 days ago – he came home in fifth behind Sons And Lovers – but Tom Marquand’s mount expected to show what he can do back in the handicap sphere, with a British Horseracing Authority mark of 99 appearing within range.
In a tricky start to proceedings, Chillingham , Mount Atlas and Naqeeb all deserve a closer look.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 THIS SONGISFORYOU, 2 CHILLINGHAM, 3 MOUNT ATLAS
2.25 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup
AL QAREEM is put up as the value play against hot favourite Trawlerman. Karl Burke’s stable stalwart has 7lb to find with the market leader on official ratings – the deficit is reduced to 4lb by Trawlerman’s penalty – but Al Qareem absolutely loves York with three wins, a second and a fourth from five visits to the Knavesmire.
My selection is proven at Group 2 level – he captured the Prix Chaudenay over a mile and seven furlongs at Longchamp in October 2022 – but there’s a good case to be made that he’s better than ever at the age of six.
Awtaad’s son marked his first start of this season with a third at Saint-Cloud in March before gamely lifting the Listed Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham the following month.
A second to Illinois in Chester’s Group 3 Ormonde Stakes followed before Al Qareem and Clifford Lee were back in business at York, galloping to a four-and-a-half-length humbling of Absurde in the Listed Grand Cup Stakes over a mile and three-quarters.
A two-and-a-half-length dismissal of Samui in the Silver Cup Stakes provided further evidence of his brilliance at ‘the Ascot of the north’ – and the extended two-mile trip shouldn’t prove an issue for this most admirable performer.
Even with the penalty for his Gold Cup triumph at Royal Ascot, Trawlerman isn’t passed over lightly, with Sweet William preferred to Shackleton for the bronze.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 AL QAREEM, 2 TRAWLERMAN, 3 SWEET WILLIAM
3.00 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes
EGOLI had a valid excuse for his Qatar Goodwood Festival disappointment and receives the vote for redemption.
No Nay Never’s son, whose moniker is the Zulu name for Johannesburg, didn’t go unbacked for a six-furlong maiden at Leicester at the end of May and marked his debut with a promising fifth to Rock On Thunder.
Ralph Beckett then sent his youngster to York for a similar event 18 days later and Egoli showed the benefit of his first start with a length-and-a-half defeat of Rikki Tiki Tavi.
My pick carried a penalty to a follow-up score at Newbury last month, making all the running under Rossa Ryan and powering home to beat Song Of The Clyde by a couple of lengths.
A rise in class looked the next logical step and Egoli duly took on eight opponents for the Group 2 Richmond Stakes last time. But the race proved a non-event for backers of the 13-2 chance as the nine-runner field split into two factions.
Egoli won his four-runner race down the centre of the track but, with the action unfolding under the stands’ rail, his effort was rewarded with sixth place overall behind Coppull. Forgive that run and you have a progressive, high-class two-year-old – and Egoli can prove the point.
Lifeplan, Reciprocated and Do Or Do Not are the strongest candidates for the podium.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 EGOLI, 2 LIFEPLAN, 3 RECIPROCATED
3.35 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes
SPICY MARG is fancied to become the first two-year-old filly to land the Nunthorpe Stakes since Lyric Fantasy in 1992.
The Michael Bell-saddled juvenile was supplemented for the five-furlong Group 1 last Saturday and, in a year that lacks an outstanding sprinter, it’s not hard to see why connections were keen to throw their hat into the ring.
Spicy Marg, who carries the colours of music agent Emma Banks, started out in a five-furlong novice stakes for fillies on the 1,000 Guineas undercard at Newmarket in May and hit the ground running with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory.
With her sights raised to Group 2 company for the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, my selection returned 10th of 23, beaten six lengths, behind True Love.
And she stayed at the same level, but up to six furlongs, for the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket’s July Festival, fading on the climb to the line to finish fifth of six to Venetian Sun.
Spicy Marg then reverted to the minimum distance for the Alice Keppel Fillies’ Conditions Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival last time out, and seared to a length-and-three-quarter supremacy from Revival Power in a time that had the clock anoraks squealing with delight.
There’s plenty more to come from a filly who receives up to 27lb in weight concessions and the booking of the excellent Harry Bentley, on a busman’s holiday before his return to Hong Kong next month, is the icing on the cake.
In a fascinating – and uncommonly open – Nunthorpe, Lady Iman, Asfoora, Washington Heights and Jm Jungle are just four names to throw into the melting pot.
4.10 Assured Data Protection EBF Fillies’ Handicap
AKECHETA did enough at Goodwood last time out to be of significant interest this afternoon.
The ‘down’ side for backers of Kevin Coleman’s mare is that a half-length win gained on her debut, at Tipperary in May 2024, remains the sole occasion she has got her head in front.
But Akecheta has performed with credit in strong handicap company this season, in particular when fourth to Ashariba at the Qatar Goodwood Festival 23 days ago.
A 12-1 chance for a fillies’ handicap over this afternoon’s 10-furlong trip, the five-year-old raced at the back of the 14-runner line-up during the early exchanges.
Asked to make her ground at the two-furlong marker by Adam Farragher – Shane Gray is in the plate today – Akecheta ran on strongly down the outside of the field to be beaten a length and a quarter at the line.
That effort needs marking up – the trio ahead of her, including runner-up Wonder Star, all held more prominent positions and, from the same British Horseracing Authority rating of 90, the grey can make her presence felt.
Wonder Star is open to further progress and is feared most, ahead of Roarin’ Success and Ciara Pearl.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 AKECHETA, 2 WONDER STAR, 3 ROARIN’ SUCCESS
4.45 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes
NAVAL LIGHT has achieved a level of form that should make him hard to beat. Before he had seen a racecourse, the grey son of Havana Grey impressed those in attendance at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale in April – he went under the hammer for 360,000 guineas.
Sent into training with Karl Burke by owners Wathnan Racing, my selection ran with plenty of promise for the future on debut the following month with a second to Old Is Gold at Beverley.
Naval Light’s sights were raised for the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and James Doyle’s partner wasn’t discredited with an eighth-of-15 finish behind Charles Darwin.
Upped in distance but lowered in class for a six-furlong maiden at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Naval Light came off second best, a length and a quarter behind Stellar Sunrise.
The winner is promising and, with fifth home Enricher having shed his maiden tag next time, Naval Light, for whom today’s seventh furlong is a plus, is expected to do likewise. Frescobaldi just missed out at Fairyhouse second time out and enters calculations, along with Red Spells Danger and Inishbeg.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 NAVAL LIGHT, 2 FRESCOBALDI, 3 RED SPELLS DANGER
5.20 Sky Bet Mile Handicap
FEARNOT continues to progress and is still a long way from the bottom of the barrel. We didn’t see the Clive Cox-trained son of Invincible Spirit as a two-year-old in 2024 but he began to make up for lost time when scoring at Wolverhampton in March on his racecourse debut.
Fearnot narrowly missed out under a penalty at Kempton Park 18 days later before marking his handicap debut with a third to King Casper at Newmarket’s Craven meeting.
A red-letter day arrived via a four-and-a-quarter-length margin over this one-mile trip at Ascot in May and Fearnot returned to Royal Berkshire for a third, a neck and a head behind winner Arabian Story, in the Britannia Handicap.
Put up 5lb for that near-miss, Fearnot and David Probert were back in the winner’s enclosure at the same track with a half-length defeat of Bullet Point on the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes undercard 27 days ago. There’s another 5lb rise to deal with here, but Fearnot still has untapped potential to draw upon.
Dangers lurk at every turn, with Big Leader, Sea Force, Sir Paul Ramsey and Point Of Contact all worthy of respect.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 FEARNOT, 2 BIG LEADER, 3 SEA FORCE