2023 York Ebor Festival Tips: Wednesday Racing Tips from Architect

The Sky Bet And Symphony Group Handicap is littered with some familiar faces, most of whom I have tipped over the last couple of years. This year’s line-up is once again extremely wide-open but I will give another chance to LOOKING FOR LYNDA (best price 16/1) who is sure to be up with the early pace from a good draw and could be tough to keep out of the frame with lots in his favour. 

Karl Burke’s charge acts very well at this course, as he has run well in three of his four starts here and was beaten just a neck over track and trip back in October when lots of the weight to the winner. Moreover, he was a very good, close-up fourth in the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes at this meeting last year, too, a race that was strong for the grade. 

His fifth behind Great State this year here in another Listed event also reads well and he would have been closer without being impeded towards the finish. He also ran a solid race when a front-running fourth at the racing league last time when shouldering top-weight and gets into this contest off a tiny weight with his rider taking off an additional three pounds. 

Evidently, low drawn numbers tend to hold the edge in this race and the good news for him is he gets the best seat in the house in stall 1 whilst being left on the same mark as last time.

He is very well-handicapped off this mark of 87, technically 83 with his rider's claim taken into account and given he is going to be up with the pace from an early stage, I am quite confident he will run a huge race with six places available with WilliamHill and Betfair and five places mostly elsewhere. 

HALIPHON (best price 12/1) made a positive start for Ian Williams last year, winning twice, and turned in his best effort of the current campaign when just denied by half-a-length at Yarmouth last time in which he was conceding lumps of weight to the winner and has positive claims with a similar showing here. 

The six-year-old won his sole visit at this course last year, albeit being helped in the stewards’ room, before following up at Chester next time in this grade off a mark of 90. He is three pounds lower now, being down to a mark of 87, and that latest effort was a big return to form. 

Paul Hanagan is an interesting booking in the saddle and his mount is drawn nicely in stall 8 too. He has yet to prove he can win over this trip of two miles but he is unexposed over it. Finally, he should get a nice lead into the race and if his rider can consume enough of his energy for the latter stages, he should run well with four places widely available. 

I can’t help but have a dabble on David O’Meara’s CHARGING THUNDER (best price 16/1) at a nice price as well, who won three times last summer and can find himself five pounds below his last win mark on what will be his first try over this distance. 

His form this year hasn’t been great but he was a close-up second off a mark of 98 over 1 mile six furlongs last year at Haydock in the Old Borough Cup (Haliphon back in fourth) and stays that trip very well, plus his mark is much lower ahead of this contest as I eluded to. 

He goes well on quick ground and has already established himself to be an effective horse off higher marks than today’s mark. This has probably been his main objective and he could easily run a good race given how well his trainer and jockey do at this fixture. 

Our initial selection is now a non-runner (Dapper Valley) and I want to be backing ROOM SERVICE (best price 10/1) after giving this race another look, who ran a good race at Beverley last time, where he hit the line strongly and the step up in trip should suit based on that evidence. 

He was impressive on his debut at Wetherby and connections have appointed Graham Lee to ride. Kevin Ryan predominantly does well at this meeting and with five places generally on offer, this unexposed two-year-old, who undoubtedly has plenty of talent, could run really well with more to come.