2.20pm York Tips & Betting Preview 18/05/2017

Dante day at York begins with a wide open looking sprint, a field of seventeen runners down the straight five furlong course. David Griffiths has his string in sparkling form at the moment with four winners from his last eight runners. He is responsible for top weight, Duke Of Firenze, who landed this very pot in 2016. That was off a mark thirteen pounds lower than the one he is tasked with here, but he has run with great credit in the interim, including when beaten less than three lengths in the Prix de l’Abbaye. He had no luck in running last week when racing at Chester and although he is due to be dropped three pounds by the handicapper in the future, he deserves plenty of respect.

Soie D’Leau had a profitable 2016 for trainer Kristin Stubbs, rounding out his season with a hard fought win at Doncaster in October. He is entitled to come on for a recent pipe opener at Newbury where the ground will have been quick enough for him. Recent rainfall will be massively in his favour, and his prominent racing style will be well suited to this speedy test at the minimum trip. “He could improve and be Listed class next year, he has improved every year” said Stubbs after his Doncaster success and he could be the one to beat now that the cobwebs have been blown away.

Move In Time is looking dangerously well weighted these days for all that the 2014 Prix de l’Abbeye winner is now a nine year old. He has not had a rating this far down the handicap since the Spring of 2013 and has won a couple of times when fresh in the past. He will need to shrug off some thumping defeats when dropped back into handicaps at the back end of his 2016 season but he was heavily campaigned last year and he may have been over the top. He is certainly one to watch with interest in the market for confidence that connections believe that the spark is still burning inside.

Another who is looking very well treated on his best form is Line Of Reason for Paul Midgley. This is the furthest he’s dropped in the handicap since victorious over course and distance in the summer of 2014. He has travelled well in his races this campaign but has failed to keep his challenge going under pressure. This flat five furlongs is ideal for him although the recent rainfall certainly wouldn’t have been in his favour. Midgley is a master of producing sprinters back from near their nadir so he is still entitled to a second look in the market.

York in recent years has seemingly become more of a specialist track and in East Street Revue, Tim Easterby has a horse who enjoys his sojourns to the Knavesmire. Three runs here have resulted in a win, a second and an eighth although he was only beaten a little over two lengths in a blanket finish in the worst of those results. A sixth furlong once again appeared just to stretch him last time out at Newmarket but a runner up effort at Beverley on his return suggests this mark is within his reach providing the ground doesn’t get too testing.

Kevin Ryan is doubly represented here and both have an each way chance in an open looking sprint. Fast Act arrives on a hat trick having claimed wins at Windsor and Chelmsford to round out his 2016. Those have pushed his mark up to 86 but he was rated 106 as a juvenile following a runner up effort behind Cotai Glory in the Molecomb at Glorious Goodwood so it may not be enough to stop him yet. Ryan’s other runner is Mont Kiara who tanked through a Newmarket sprint at the Craven meeting. He didn’t have enough left in reserve to get out of the dip on that occasion but fitted with a hood to help him settle and dropped back to the minimum trip in a big field is enough to make him of interest at about 16/1.