4.55pm York Tips & Betting Preview 14/07/2017

A little over £11,500 to the winner of this five furlong dash, on one of the quickest tracks in the country. Read on for our runner by runner preview and free expert tip for the race.

IN SUMMARY: Lapili is likely to be popular following a smart 2016 campaign but he may just come on for the outing. East Street Revue loves the track but is possibly a little high to be in with a chance of winning, while Lucky Beggar and Rosina are interesting but the most fascinating runner in this Class 3 contest in MOVE IN TIME. He was a long way above this level in his pomp and although he hasn’t shown lots this year, there was more in the runs than the end positions suggest, is a big price on this drop in grade.

1 MOVE IN TIME – Formerly very smart, the winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye in 2014, he has struggled a little in the last year. Has beaten just ten horses home in his last five handicaps combined, seeing his mark freefall from 105 to 94 in the process, but he has shaped better a number of times than that suggests. Thrown in on his old form, it could be today that he finally makes it count down to a Class 3, well worth taking a chance on each way.

2 DESERT LAW – Former winner of the ‘Dash’ on Derby Day, he has a lightning turn of foot on quick ground. Demolished the field in the Borderlescott Trophy at Musselburgh on his 2017 return, that did his handicap mark no favours, struggling since. He has the ability to win from this mark, but needs the ground to be rattling fast.

3 EAST STREET REVUE – Won a deeper race than this at the Ebor meeting in 2016 from an eight pound lower mark. Ran a fine race to start his current campaign at Beverley, pushed up the weights five pounds for his troubles for finishing runner up. Probably needs to see his mark slide back from his current perch of 92 into the late 80’s to be truly competitive again.

4 STANGHOW – Gained a deserved win at Beverley when last seen, having run up a sequence of solid efforts in defeat. That has pushed him back up to a career high mark, and while he was placed off this same weight at Ripon last season, it should be enough to stop him winning.

5 LUCKY BEGGAR – Boasts a pair of wins this season already, at the chief expenses of the re-opposing Stanghow and Tylery Wonder. He should confirm the form with both of them at the weights here, with a two pound rise for his runner up effort at Chester last time more than fair. He can consider himself unlucky not to have won that day, caught in a pocket turning for home, only failing by a short head. A repeat of that run should see him in the frame now.

6 LAPILLI – Likely to be very popular for William Haggas, winning handicaps with consummate ease at Yarmouth and Bath last summer but hasn’t been seen since. This is a big step up in class from those Class 5 runs and it is going to take a huge effort to win this first time back from an absence against race fit rivals. The Haggas yard are – £22.39 with horses coming back from a 60+ day absence on turf in the last year to a level stake, he looks falsely short in the betting.

7 EXCESSABLE – Picked up back to back handicaps in May but has struggled since, including when well beind Stanghow at Beverley last time out. He was sent off favourite for that Beverley contest, so clearly better was expected, but he has no more than an each way squeak on his last three efforts.

8 COOLFITCH – Sprung a surprise over this course and distance in May, now eleven pounds higher than that triumph. She has gone in again at Ayr in the meantime, but as with all four of her wins, she followed that with a poor showing. Difficult to know what to expect with her, as she continues to be a Jekyll and Hyde character, probably best opposed with the ground stating to dry out.

9 BASHIBA – A victim of his own consistency, this will be his tenth run on the bounce from a mark between 85-87, but is yet to score. He was third behind Tylery Wonder here last time, doing best of those from the back in a race where the winner made every yard of the running. Has an each way chance once again, but does seem to save his very best efforts for Doncaster.

10 TYLERY WONDER – Got given a great ride last time out in the ‘jump jockeys Nunthorpe’ by Tom Scudamore, making every yard of the running. That was his first win since September 2015, an eight pound rise in the handicap taking him to the same mark he scored from in 2015. He certainly isn’t harshly punished on the back of that, but whether he can be trusted to be in the same form again is a doubt.

11 APRICOT SKY – NON RUNNER A long way behind Tylery Wonder last time out on his first run for the Brian Ellison yard, he is on a competitive mark on the best of his form. He is yet to win above Class 4 though, so a return to calmer waters looks needed before he is able to get his head back in front.

12 BLACK GRASS – Scored four on the bounce in 2016 at a lower level, he is another who was well behind Tylery Wonder last time out. His current mark of 80 is workable in a Class 4, but he looks booked for a struggle at this level of competition, with this front runner likely to be taken on early here.

13 MERRY BANTER – A triple scorer in a heavy juvenile campaign, he has found things tougher this season from this mark of 85. He has run consistently well, finishing runner up three times, but is going to need to find a few pounds improvement if he is going to be getting his head in front in a better quality field.

14 ROSINA – Smart two year old, she struggled in her second season of racing, highly tried by connections for the majority of it. She was poor on her 2017 return but has now dropped to the her last winning mark which would make her dangerous at her best. Whether she is capable of that best in a deep field is open to question, but she has run well at York in the past.

15 STONEYFORD LANE – Won for the first time since his debut when beating Merry Banter a length at Haydock last time. The addition of the first time cheekpieces clearly played a huge part in that success, but he was badly outpaced early on there on a similarly flat five furlongs. That is a big concern both up six pounds in the handicap and into a far better quality race. Still has the potential to improve but is going to need to do so to play a part in the finish.