6.40pm Dettori's travel woe
Chris Cook: Frankie Dettori must feel that winning the Lonsdale Cup on Opinion Poll was the least he was owed by the fates, after a miserable run of traffic problems since the weekend.
The Italian jockey was supposed to be on Campanologist in a Group One at Cologne on Sunday but his flight from Britain was cancelled on Saturday night and the flight he eventually caught on Sunday morning was an hour late. By the time he landed, Dettori had just half an hour to get to the track.
"Jumped in the taxi, gave the man fifty euros," the rider recalled. "He's driving like Schumacher. Then we get on the motorway and there's a six mile tailback." When race-time passed and Dettori was still in the taxi, he asked his driver to take him back to the airport. Adrie de Vries took over on Campanologist, who naturally won.
Today, Dettori's train arrived late at York and then his taxi hit traffic once more. He ran the last part of the way to the racecourse, arriving one minute before his deadline to take part in the first race. "I'll have to walk tomorrow," he said.
4.00pm Spencer strikes in the Ebor with Dirar
Will Hayler: Jamie Spencer might well have been thinking about his share of the substantial £210,000 prize money pot in the Totesport Ebor when punching the air in an unusually enthusiastic celebration at Dirar's success and the jockey had earned it too for he gave the 14-1 winner a fine ride.
Having brought him right across to be next to the stands' rail, Spencer sensed that the gaps weren't going to come and switched him away at a crucial point, giving him enough time to be able to build up enough of a head of steam to get the better of Rosika (12-1), who traded at 1-8 in-running with Betfair.
With a first and a second from his only two runners today, is there light at the end of the tunnel for Sir Michael Stoute's recently out-of-form team? Bridge Of Gold (33-1) took third, with Salute Him (25-1) filling out the places in fourth.
The quirky Ajaan caught the eye, as usual, staying on best of the remainder, but the race was a disaster for backers of Overturn (who finished in front of Dirar in the Galway Hurdle) as the 8-1 chance dropped out rapidly when headed at the top of the home straight and was eased right down afterwards.
3.15pm Approve wings in for Ahern in Gimcrack
Will Hayler: Once again the stands' rail was the place that the jockeys wanted to be in the Gimcrack Stakes, but interestingly Approve (8-1) has an aversion to running against a rail according to jockey Eddie Ahern.
The winning rider felt that the son of Oasis Dream has resented racing next to the rail in Newmarket's July Stales two outings ago and said he had been delighted to see him drawn wide today.
Stepping up to six furlongs seemed to be the key, as Approve had been flat out from some way out before gradually getting on top of Crown Prosecutor (15-2). Sir Reginald (14-1) is seemingly still improving and came from a long way back for third. He looks in need of a move up to seven furlongs now.
Temple Meads, who looked well in the preliminaries, was always doing too much in front and despite travelling powerfully in front for the first four and a half furlongs, emptied out quickly close home. He would have been an interesting runner in Friday's Nunthorpe Stakes, where he would likely have enjoyed more cover too. Will connections fancy taking on older horses in the Prix de l'Abbaye? I would certainly expect to see him back at five furlongs next.
2.40pm Poll lifts the Cup for Frankie
Will Hayler: Opinion Poll (9-2) must be given plenty of credit for his victory in the Lonsdale Cup, achieved on ground that was as quick as he can handle and despite being forced to challenge towards the centre of the course while his rivals had the advantage of racing against the stands' rail.
Connections have dodged running him on this sort of going in the past, but decided to grasp the nettle today and were rewarded with a gutsy Group Two success. Frankie Dettori was gasping for breath as his mount pulled up and reported that it had been tough to keep up during the middle stages of the race, but Opinion Poll seemed well on top at the finish.
I wonder if connections might fancy a bash at the Prix Du Cadran on Arc de Triomphe weekend where he ought to get some cut in the ground. A possible alternative is the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket. Illustrious Blue was outpaced badly three furlongs out but kept on steadily close home and all but repeated Goodwood Cup form with Electrolyser on 3lb worse terms.
1.50pm Happy Days for backers of The Fonz
Tony Paley: Well Eddie was right. Should be Fast Eddie not Eddie The Shoe. Kieren Fallon made a bee line for the stands rail on The Fonz (10-1) in the opener and he runs out the winner. Dazzling Light (33-1), from the in-form Jim Goldie stable, is second and the well-backed Life And Soul (5-1 fav), who travels noticeably well, is third.
Overturn is now clearly well berthed as a front-runner in stall 18 for the Ebor as he wil be in a good position to get to the stands rail from the home turn. Fortuni, who runs prominently, also has a good draw in 13.
1.42pm Jockeys title race watch
Chris Cook: Paul Hanagan is suspended today, so Richard Hughes gets an important chance to eat into the 12-winner margin by which he trails in the jockeys' championship. Hughes has lost one of his rides today as Free Agent is a non runner in the Lonsdale, but that still leaves him with four. His best chances are Casual Glimpse in the Gimcrack and Martyr in the Ebor.
I'll be tweeting from the paddock before the Gimcrack at 2.50pm and the Ebor at 3.25pm. You can follow my notes here.
1.40pm Eddie says it's fast up the stands rail
Eddie Fremantle, formerly of this parish and now an analyst for Racing UK, has just come in from walking the course and says there is a faster strip on the stands rail, but only in the last two furlongs.
1.25pm Borderlescott will run in Nunthorpe
Chris Cook: Borderlescott, winner of the Nunthorpe for the last two years, will get the chance to make it three in a row on Friday. The eight-year-old has been given the all-clear by his trainer, Robin Bastiman, who is presumably stunned by the speed of Borderlescott's recovery from an injury he sustained three weeks ago at Glorious Goodwood. The horse was lame after winning the King George V Stakes and Bastiman's initial reaction was to rule him out for the season. Instead, he is apparently fit to take his place in a Group One.
Final declarations for the Nunthorpe are here. Starspangledbanner has been drawn 13 of 13, nearest the stands' side, and there must be every chance that Johnny Murtagh will bring him to the stands rail, where it seems as though there may be a faster strip of ground. Murtagh came flying up the rail on Rip Van Winkle to win yesterday's International.
12.50pm Market movers
Chris Cook: Today's market movers come from Tony Coleman of Paddy Power, who tells me that Dangerous Midge (12-1 from 14s) and Demolition (16s from 20s) are the ones that punters are backing in the Ebor at 3.25pm. Today's other movers:
1.45 Life And Soul (6-1 from 7s) and Crackentorp (12-1 from 16s)
2.15 King Of Wands (4-1 from 9-2) and Samuel (7-1 from 15-2)
2.50 Shropshire (4-1 from 9-2) and Dubawi Gold (14s from 16s)
4.05 Pabusar (5-1 from 8s)
12.30pm Hills not at peak?
Chris Cook: Barry Hills has a couple of fancied runners here at York today, including Face The Problem, 6-4 favourite for the Listed sprint at 4.05pm. But the problem that has to be faced is that the yard has been firing blanks recently. In the past fortnight, Hills has sent out 33 runners, just one of which managed to win. In that time, he's had five beaten favourites, including one at 4-7. The sole winner was a 10-1 shot making its handicap debut.
You have to be careful about trusting such stats when a major race-meeting comes round. A yard can seem out of form while running moderate sorts in moderate races, saving its best ammunition for better races, which they then win. And, of course, almost every out-of-form yard starts winning again at some point. Still, Hills' recent record would put me off backing any of his at short odds.
By the way, I'd like to thank the York executive for siting the brass band right outside the press room windows. It certainly helps those of us trying to hear what a trainer said into the dictaphone earlier. The band appears to be playing the same tunes, in the same order, as yesterday. Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines is going to be awfully familiar before it comes round again on Friday morning.
11.40am No rain so far at York
Chris Cook: The forecasts at the start of this week predicted a fair scattering of rain during the Ebor meeting but there's been none yet. Yesterday was sunny and warm, so if anything you would imagine the racing surface must be drying out. The going remains officially good and we're told to expect showers this afternoon but it's bright just now and there seems little chance of the going getting significantly easier before the Ebor itself at 3.25pm. Any owners who have sent runners here in the hope of some cut are going to be disappointed.
It seemed as though there may be a faster strip of ground up the stands' rail yesterday, with three winners finishing to good effect there. It'll be interesting to see if any jockeys try to exploit that today.
The Racing Post have a report on their website this morning, saying that Andre Fabre is tempted to send Byword to the Arc after the colt was third in yesterday's International. The trainer says he is not convinced that Byword has the stamina for that race and will trial him in the Prix Foy before making a final decision. This is basically good news for anyone who followed my advice last week in backing Byword for the Arc, in the expectation that that would be his long-term target. Slightly less good news is that he is now 16-1 with one firm, two points better than when I tipped him. But that top price, with Coral, may not last, as Byword is as short as 8-1 elsewhere.
Today's best bets, by Tony Paley
After a successful day yesterday with the winners of the two big races, today's feature events at York look a great deal trickier. You can read my thoughts on the TV races here and for those looking for a banker perhaps Face The Problem (4.05) will fit the bill. The Barry Hill-trained two-year-old is improving fast and is going to take some stopping after rattling off a quick hat-trick of victories last month, including here over course and distance.
Tipping competition, day three
Everyone missed the one that would have made a difference yesterday, Sweet Lightning at 14-1. Johne5knuckle found the other two at 7-4 and 6-4 to take a clear lead and there are just seven of you in profit after two days. Much sympathy to anyone who was on Twice Over and thought they'd found a winner . . .
Today, we'd like your tips, please, for these races: 2.15 York, 3.25 York, 4.25 Carlisle.
This week's prize is a copy of The Gambling Adventures of Father Green, a collection of short stories by former Racing Post man Michael Church, now the official historian of the Derby.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -6.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
Standings after day two
johne5knuckle +7
MrPositive +3.50
Woadboy +3.50
15244 +2
chrishol +0.50
lasramblas +0.50
millreef +0.25
shears39 -0.50
scandalous -0.50
Copshaw -0.75
chris1623 -0.75
KeejayOV -0.75
mike65ie -2
sangfroid -2
Ormrod76 -2
thegreasedscotsman -2
JahLion -2.25
23skidoo -2.25
carl31 -2.25
diegoisgod -3.25
leviticus67 -3.25
sandiuk -3.25
BearRides -3.50
MauriceNL -3.50
chiefhk -3.50
slackdad38 -3.50
Shrewdette -3.50
spiller -3.50
titusisashambles -3.50
Touche1 -3.50
tom1977 -6
xwireman -6
peterpickum -6
erifder -6
moidadembums -6
pops2 -6
LorrainePa -6
melonk -6
Onmeheadson -6
Slicker66 -6
stee33 -6
WalthamstowLad -6
Brochdoll -6
twig28 -6
Mai11 -6
Viejo -6
Ellandback -6
orso -6
Harrytheactor -6
snowy81 -6
drupat -6
mulldog -6
goofs -6
londonpatrick -6
suckzinclee -6
Smidster -6
LeoSayer -6
MoleMan01 -6
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