Silver Tankard Stakes Tips & Betting Preview

Race Time: 3.40pm Meeting: Pontefract Day: Monday 19th October
Distance: 1m 4yds Full Race Name:  Totepool EBFstallions.com Silver Tankard Stakes (Listed Race)

One of those delightful juvenile races that you can look in to for ever with rock solid form versus potential, creating a battle of wits between punter and bookmaker.

Top of the official ratings we have the Peter Chapple-Hyam trained Beast Mode (4/1), who won his maiden over seven furlongs at the second attempt before running a blinder to finish fifth to Foundation in what looked a hot renewal of the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket at the end of September. Despite pulling a bit too hard, the son of Cape Cross was running on strongly at the end of that race which was also over the mile, so he will need to get away and stay on level terms early doors if he wants to get involved at the finish today.

Next in line we have to look at Marco Botti’s ultra consistent Lazzam (11/2), the winner of a Chelmsford maiden and placed in the first three in all his other three races. As a son of Archipenko he ought to handle the good to soft going predicted for this afternoon, and was perhaps a bit unlucky last time out when carried across the track by the winner back at Chelmsford but whether any of those runs make him up to Listed class is a moot point with the Botti yard in our opinion a little out of sorts.

Course and distance winner Percy Street (8/1) won a run of the mill maiden but by an easy six lengths on his second career outing for trainer Karl Burke when he beat Dot Green (re-opposes here on the same terms), but we don’t really know what that form is worth? Very few have even run from those in behind so little to judge there, but he could do no more than dispose of them comfortably and if he improves again as you would expect after just the two races, who is to say he cannot take this in the same style?

Two unbeaten unknowns will do to round this race off, starting with Thanksfortellingme (11/4) who has won two out of two races for Ralph Beckett and could go on from there. A short head victory on soft ground at Goodwood caught everyone off guard first time out but the son of Notnowcato proved that was no fluke next time out with a three length win stepped up in class in a Class Three Conditions Stakes at Epsom. This does represent another step up in class we agree but who is to say he can’t handle it and we do think that with his unbeaten record he has a decent chance of success again today.

Lastly, David Simcock is a trainer very much on the up and up and he may well allow Chinoiseries (4/1) to race here for the second time. A full sister to the classy Madame Chiang, connections are fully aware she will be a whole lot better at three than she is as a juvenile but that is not to say she can’t add a little Listed race like this to her early CV and who is to suggest she isn’t more than capable?  One race and one win at Chepstow told us precious little other than the fact that she is hardly lacking in stamina, and if there is a dark horse who could pull off a shock she may yet prove to be the one