Following a 9/1 winner yesterday. Steve Ryder has three selections for Saturday's racing.
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The Sky Bet Ebor Handicap looks a wide open renewal this year and I am happy to have two stabs at big prices with Makawee (best priced at 50/1) and Max Vega (best priced at 28/1) with up to eight places available with the sponsor.
The David O’Meara trained Makawee was a NR earlier this week because of the ground but there is rain forecast throughout the day which would suit her if it turned the ground softer than good. She has been slightly disappointing on her previous two starts but is interesting dropping back down into a handicap for the first time since September last year. The six-year-old mare won over 1m6f at Goodwood off a mark of 100 that day so this mark of 101 shouldn’t be out of reach for her. Following that victory, she finished a short head behind Alpinista in a listed race at Goodwood over 1m4f before two 3rd placed finishes at York at Group 3 and listed level. Makawee went off too quickly last time at Goodwood behind Wonderful Tonight but the long straight at York should really suit her running style and I expect her to outrun her odds.
The second selection Max Vega will also be suited by the forecast rain and he looks well handicapped on his two-year-old form. He was a high class juvenile who won the Group 3 Zetland Stakes in impressive style when he had the likes of Miss Yoda, Berkshire Rocco, Tritonic, Volkan Star and even Subjectivist well beaten. Miss Yoda went on to win the German Oaks, Berkshire Rocco finished a neck 2nd in a St Leger, Tritonic won the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton, Volkan Star won a listed race and Group 3 in France and Subjectivist has now won 3 Group 1s including the Ascot Gold Cup. The Ralph Beckett trained four-year-old never really fired last season apart from a 2nd place finish behind Hukum in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes but was gelded before his reappearance this season. He was withdrawn twice on fast ground before making his return in the Silver Cup Stakes over this course and distance on good ground when appearing to badly need the run. He makes his handicap debut off a mark of 106 in this race and is another I expect to outrun his odds if the forecast rain arrives throughout the day.
The William Haggas trained Hoodwinker is respected in this race following her victory at Sandown last time but preference instead goes to the Roger Varian trained Ensemble (best priced at 10/3) on her handicap debut. The daughter of Nayef was disappointing on her only start as a two-year-old but finished 2nd on her reappearance this season splitting a couple of well bred fillies at Newmarket. She got off the mark last time over this course and distance when making all by 2 ¾ lengths and an opening mark of 86 looks rather lenient based on that performance.
Connections have booked Cameron Noble to take off a handy 3lb for her handicap debut and I expect her to prove hard to beat for the in-form Roger Varian yard who are 14-39 (36% strike rate) in last two weeks.
