1.45pm York Betting Tips & Betting Preview 10/10/2015

Race Time: 1.45pm Meeting: York Day: Saturday 10th October
Distance: 1m 208yds Full Race Name:  TitanBet.co.uk Stakes Class Two

Despite the race title, be warned, this is actually a handicap and thus even more difficult to solve with a horse’s pure ability balanced against the weight he or she has been allotted to carry. Poor Azraff (12/1) is all set to carry top weight this afternoon in our TV opener for Newmarket handler Marco Botti, but we can’t be having him for anything more than a place at best with the stable a little out of sorts in recent weeks. Adam Kirby rides the son of Paco Boy who has won at Newmarket and Newcastle, but not this season with the handicapper’s grip reducing him to three well beaten runners up places at best, and we rather doubt that changes today either.

Paddys Motorbike (25/1) may not have the most exotic name but as the son of Fast Company absolutely hacked up by close to four lengths on his first run of the season at Leicester back in April, yet hasn’t been seen on the track in the last six months. On the one hand something must have been bothering him to miss over half a season, but on the other he clearly goes well fresh (he was returning from six months at Leicester as well), and could be a real dark one to consider each way even if he is forced to race off a rating nine pounds higher here than when last seen in action, with trained David Evans pretty shrewd and a careful eye on the betting advisable for each way thieves.

Richard Fahey has won this race twice now in only the four runnings which is beginning to look like the start of a pattern, and jockey bookings suggest that Spring Offensive (14/1) is his number one pick this afternoon with Tony Hamilton riding. After taking a Class Three handicap at Musselburgh over the mile he was put up three pounds which took its toll when he was last seen at Newmarket in a Class Two when he was unable to pick up on the softer ground before finishing fourth. Left on the same mark this afternoon and back on soft ground we can see a similar result this afternoon, though with the Fahey record in the Saturday handicaps, we could yet be proved badly wrong. 

Looking for course and distance winners gets us nowhere as there isn’t one, even in the early field, and only the two distance winners, so it makes sense to round things off with the pair of them who have at least proved they have the necessary speed and stamina for thus unusual distance. Persun (12/1) seems on an upward curve after recent wins at Newmarket and Epsom for popular trainer Mick Channon, and with just the four pounds more after an easy Epsom success may not be too badly weighted. As ex footballer Mick also owns the horse we can be assured that any owner input has all been positive, and he comes here for all the right reasons, though this won’t be easy and he may well be too short in the betting thanks to those recent form figures.

Lastly, how about a better look at Arabian Illusion (5/1) who could be a surprise package? Trained by Andrew Balding, it may have been the softer ground last time out that saw massive and instant improvement, but whatever the reason the daughter of 2000 Guineas winner Makfi slaughtered a mediocre field pulling a cart. Beating trees does amount to very little we agree, and the drop back in trip could be an issue, but he was in the lead at the two furlong pole and could shock a few of these this afternoon.