Thursday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
Aidan O’Brien’s winning streak in British Group One races stopped at three when Postponed took the International Stakes on Wednesday, but the champion trainer-elect is odds-on to get straight back into the groove in Thursday’s Yorkshire Oaks, when he will saddle a third of the 12-strong field including the two market leaders, Found and Seventh Heaven.
O’Brien is already only the second trainer to win more than £5m in a season, and he has reached that total two months before John Gosden managed it in 2015. A 1-2 in today’s big race would add nearly £300,000 to his haul with two days of the Ebor meeting, the St Leger at Doncaster and Champions Day at Ascot among the bumper paydays still to come, and it remains entirely possible that he will reach £7m by the end of the campaign.
It is a season for the ages even by O’Brien’s standards, and Seventh Heaven (3.40) may be the pick of his team this afternoon. Found will be a tough opponent, but the Irish Oaks winner has only a couple of pounds to find on the ratings and with just six races behind her to date, the scope to do so.
Frankel’s remarkable start to his stallion career continued on Wednesday when Senator won at Carlisle, the great champion’s 12th winner from 25 starts, and it will be a big disappointment if Fair Eva (2.30), the ante-post favourite for next year’s 1,000 Guineas, cannot keep the run going in the Lowther Stakes. Her win at Ascot on King George day was the most impressive performance to date by any of Frankel’s first crop and backed up by a solid time, and while juveniles can always improve abruptly, one of Fair Eva’s opponents will need to find the best part of a stone to trouble her. Abingdon (4.20) is progressing steadily and should be good enough to take the Galtres Stakes later on the card, while Rusumaat (1.55) also goes to post with every chance in the opener. He has had plenty of racing, but still looked to be progressing when second in a nursery at Glorious Goodwood and could be the answer in a race which may have less depth than the size of the field might suggest.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Stanghow 10-1
Hiorne Tower 5-1
Sovereign Bounty 10-1
Tuesday
Loaded 3-1
Venutius 9-1
La Fritillaire 9-2
Wednesday
Boom The Groom 11-1
Postponed 15-8
Oceane 7-1
And our leaders are:
GForce1 +12
kingklynch +12
Shrewdette +12
wiggy12 +12
yasmin11 +11.88
… after a quiet day in which only Yasmin11 made progress on the leaders.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 1.55 York, 3.05 York and 3.40 York.
This week’s prize, generously offered by BetVictor, is a £50 bet, this being a special week of horse racing, with the Ebor meeting to start on Wednesday.
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 -9.
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!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
