By Bill Esdaile
IT’S NOT that often you get a horse that’s yet to run in Group company go off favourite for a Group One, but that’s the case with ROYAL ACLAIM in the Nunthorpe Stakes (3.35pm).
Her trainer James Tate has never masked the esteem he holds his three-year-old filly in and given she’s unbeaten in her three career appearances, it’s not hard to see why.
The most recent of those came over course and distance in the Listed City Walls Stakes where she breezed past her opposition in the style of a very good horse.
She’s clearly immensely talented and gets the age and sex weight allowance here, but given her lack of experience in Group races, she looks a short price at 7/4.
I expect her to run well, though, and I’ll certainly be including her in my World Pool Quinella with tote.co.uk, but in the win and place market, I’m in the RAASEL camp.
Mick Appleby’s five-year-old gelding began the season as a solid handicapper but has improved hand over fist since.
He’s won a competitive handicap at Goodwood, the Listed Achilles Stakes at Haydock and a Group Three at Sandown, while he ran a cracker behind Khaadem in the King George at Goodwood last time.
To my mind he would have got even closer to Charlie Hills’ runner had he not had to go down the middle of the track, which had been overwatered and ended up being quite tacky underfoot.
That performance can certainly be marked up and I think he looks the forgotten horse at 12/1.
He wants a strong pace to aim at and with The Platinum Queen and Winter Power in here, he’ll get that, so I’m hopeful of a bold showing.
Alongside Royal Aclaim and Raasel, I’m going to add HIGHFIELD PRINCESS to my Quinella.
She put in a career best in the Prix Maurice de Gheest last time and a repeat would see her go really close.
The drop back to five furlongs is a slight concern, but she did finish second in a decent race on her only start over the trip so I’m not too worried.
In the Gimcrack Stakes (3.00pm), I’m keen on Richard Fahey’s CLEARPOINT.
Fahey has always said he thinks the world of this horse and given he missed Royal Ascot, you feel this must have been the plan for some time.
He’s been impressive on both starts so far and he looks overpriced at around the 9/1 mark.
He’ll be my main selection in the win and place market, but in the World Pool Quinella, I’ll throw in ROYAL SCOTSMAN and CHATEAU.
Royal Scotsman has done little wrong in his career so far and on the back of his Richmond Stakes win he looks a real danger.
I see he’s been well-backed already and it’s not hard to see why because he went through that Goodwood race in eye-taking fashion and he’ll surely go well again.
Chateau, meanwhile, can be expected to get a lot closer now returning to a flat track as he looked all at sea at Goodwood last time, and he looks a shade big at 12/1.
POINTERS
Clearpoint (win and place) 3.00pm York
Clearpoint, Royal Scotsman, Chateau (World Pool Quinella)
Raasel (Win and Place) 3.35pm York
Royal Aclaim, Raasel, Highfield Princess (World Pool Quinella)
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