The York Ebor Festival continues and the better ground has seen nearly all the horses on the first two days run very well. Rhapsody landing the each way money finishing 2nd at 9/1 on Thursday.
After the good start to the meeting there is every chance that the yard will send out the market leaders in the two handicaps that top and tail the York card on Friday. Both Zennor Storm in the Sky Bet mile at 1.50 and Silver Lake in the Fillies handicap at 5.20 have been given low draws that in a usual year would give them an advantage over rivals drawn 10 or higher. In both races the main market rivals have been drawn high and that has also helped contract the price of the Haggas pair.
In the opener Zennor Storm is 11/2 and is joined by Ellkleem ridden by William Buick who has fared less well in the draw allotted in 15. He is 3rd best in the market at 7/1.
Zennor Storm has been slow to come to hand this year and was disappointing in his first two runs but after showing promise here at York was a big eye-catcher at Goodwood , coming from off the pace from a wide draw, he went past most of the field apart from the heavily backed perfectly positioned Exclusive Code, who also runs on Friday and is drawn ok in stall 11.
Zennor Storm is 4lb better off but he was put up 5lb for the Goodwood run and Exclusive Code got a hefty 9lb, which doesn’t make either well handicapped. The bookmakers clearly feel the handicapper has not been overly harsh as the pair dominate the market.
Zennor Storm took a very keen hold in his first two races this season but the gelding operation seems to have made him more amiable. The draw means Marquand will have to get him well positioned – the key question is can the gelding from stall 4 get away on terms and then settle ridden further forward?
Haggas won this race in 2024 with the ultimately disappointing Treasure Time who was drawn in 1 and was able to lay close enough to the leaders to get a clear run through inside the final furlong. He had also previously ran in the same Goodwood race as Zennor Storm and had been considered an unlucky loser on the Sussex downs. Significantly Treasure Time was left on the same mark for the York race. The 5lb hike given to Zennor Storm may make the difference between winning and losing.
The plan though is clear, if the horses were running more consistently I would be confident too have a good bet but in the current climate and with several questions hanging over him I will just go 0.5pt Ew with 5 and 6 places available.
Eklleem is a 3yo No Nay Never gelding that looks well handicapped from a mark of 87 and he has been waiting for better ground. That has finally arrived at York , however he has been off since breaking his maiden tag in the middle of June. That was only his 4th run and given the difficult draw in 15 he is a horse to watch for the Autumn handicaps that are approaching.
Bet: Zennor Storm 0.5pts ew York 1.50 1-6 Places
As soon as she demolished a field of Class 2 fillies at Goodwood – Silver Lake was almost certain to have been targeted for this fillies handicap that closes the card on Friday at 5.20. The 9lb weight increase was expected but she can still run off a mark of 86 and a weight of 8’8′ – means Saffie Osborne keeps the ride as Marquand and Fallon can realistically only ride at 8’10’
She won with a lot more in hand than the 3L winning margin and is a progressive filly that could easily move into Black Type races after Friday.
Over this trip just shy of 11f her draw in 8 is ideal and Osborne will surely ride her as she did at Goodwood from close to the pace. Those exact tactics were successfully used by last year’s winner of this race Cape Flora who defied an 11lb rise in the weights from a win on her previous outing.
The race has only featured on 6 occasions at the Ebor meeting and is one of a very few races that Haggas is yet to win. He has sent out the runner up on two occasions both with fillies heavily backed and bumping into one to good on the day. I expect Silver Lake to be his first winner in the race and for her to be heavily backed.
BET 2pt win Silver Lake 5.20 York Friday
Away from York Somerville Lodge sends a trio to Hamilton with the guaranteed soft ground a big factor in making the long trip. Cieren Fallon is booked for all 3 rides.
Wild Dahlia is very well bred along the lines of the Arc winner Daryz on the dam’s side. She ran a race full of promise on her seasonal come back and looks to have a good chance of getting off the mark for the season in the 9f handicap at 5.07. She comes up against a top form filly in Saxon Grace who won 3 races in 7 days earlier this month. That filly now has a 12lb penalty to carry and all her wins were on Good to Firm. Those factors open the door for Wild Dahlia and I expect her to win.
Bets: 1pt win Wild Dahlia 5.07 Hamilton
Flagbearer was beaten by 17 lengths in the Ffos Las race that was won so impressively on debut by the Roger Varian newcomer Wootz. Only 3 runners line up in the maiden at 5.40. All 3 have a potentially progressive profile and it is pure guesswork to know which is the most ready to break their maiden tag.
Bets: Not Recommended
Yabher
After, in retrospect, being gifted his first race as a 4yo over 10f at Goodwood winning by a wide margin that resulted in a 12lb hike in the weights. The revised mark of 104 has looked beyond him after running badly in the John Smiths Cup and then back at Goodwood over 9f. The Goodwood victory may also have foiled connections into a belief that he was a 10f horse, after looking every inch to be a 12f horse when winning the Rowley Cup at Newmarket as a 3yo in October. He is unproven on soft ground but his half brother Al Mubhir won on heavy.
Yabher has been dropped 4lb for his last 2 runs and given the brilliant record Haggas has at Hamilton he is worth an each way interest at odds of 5/1 or better.
Bet: 0.5pts EW Yabher 5/1 – 5 places 6.15 Hamilton
At Newmarket Majestic Jude missed an engagement recently due to a setback but has recovered quickly to run for a second time on the July course. However another ‘big talking’ unraced Goldophin 2yo Al Jabber , who could be anything lines up so No Bet can be advised.
No Bets:
A busy day on Friday with 4 Recommended Bets
Yabher can comeback to form at Hamilton on Friday.
Chrysalis Consortium 
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