Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Friday's racing coming your way from the third day of York’s May Festival as well as the best of the rest from Newmarket, Newbury and Aintree on 19 May 2023.
YORK
Race 1 No8 PERSIAN DREAMER (Nap)
Trainer: Dominic ffrench Davis – Jockey: Kevin Stott
PERSIAN DREAMER played a big part in launching Amon Racing’s exciting band of juveniles with her impressive debut triumph at Newmarket. The daughter of Calyx can get the better of Gaiden to book her ticket for the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.
Race 2 No7 SILVER LADY
Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick
SILVER LADY is a beautifully-bred filly who looked the real deal when powering clear up the final hill on her debut at Newmarket. She holds some fancy engagements ahead, and in this Listed race can put paid to the claims of Queen For You and Stormy Sea on the way to even better things.
Race 3 No8 MAJESTIC (Each Way)
Trainer: Jack Channon – Jockey: Ronan Whelan
Whelan is an interesting booking for MAJESTIC, whose cracking run in the Lincoln was followed by an underwhelming one at Newmarket where he never threatened to repeat his triumph in last year’s Cambridgeshire. The selection is worth forgiving that rare blip and can bounce back with a big earning run here.
Race 4 Boodles Yorkshire Cup (Group 2)
No2 BROOME
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien – Jockey: Ryan Moore
A second attempt to campaign BROOME as a Cup horse bore fruit when he beat Siskany in a tight finish to the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan. The now seven-year-old travelled well throughout and picked up to grind out a fully deserved success in the desert, and can now confirm his superiority over his closest victim. Quickthorn finished sixth on that occasion and will improve, though the ground is drying all the time and that will not assist him.
NEWMARKET
Race 5 No4 LAOISMAN
Trainer: Sean Woods – Jockey: Harry Davies
LAOISMAN shaped well on his Pontefract introduction and though opposed by a number of horses with good form to their names is the most likely to go forward. The son of Night Of Thunder can open his account at the main expense of Merlin The Wizard.
Race 6 No9 HIROMICHI (Nap)
Trainer: Jack Channon – Jockey: George Bass
HIROMICHI has been a quiet money spinner for his owners, recording his successes at smaller courses away from the limelight. The grey switches to racing’s HQ in the form of his life, and with his tail up can make it a third success from five attempts this year.
NEWBURY
Race 3 No1 BAHEER (Nap)
Trainer: Richard Hannon – Jockey: Pat Dobbs
Mehmas colt BAHEER has shown up well in his preparatory work for this maiden and looks well worth supporting to deliver at the first time of asking for a trainer who tends to unleash his best juveniles at this course.
Race 4 No2 RESOLUTE MAN
Trainer; Roger Varian – Jockey: Jack Mitchell
RESOLUTE MAN has the points on the board with a Yarmouth success last autumn that has worked out. The Dubawi colt can preserve his unbeaten record against fellow scorer Good Karma.
Race 5 No1 TROON
Trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton – Jockey: Charles Bishop
TROON is a horse I was looking forward to backing at Salisbury, only for the card to be abandoned. The Gleneagles colt has shown himself to be potentially smart in his recent work, having opened his account at the first time of asking at Kempton last October.
Race 8 No10 SAINT COLETTE (Each Way)
Trainer: Henry Candy – Jockey: Trevor Whelan
SAINT COLETTE did us a good turn when making a winning return in first time cheek pieces at Wolverhampton. She knuckled down gamely to take the spoils, showing she had improved through the winter. She’s now in a numerically strong handicap with 19 opponents, but should take away a cheque of some kind.
AINTREE
Race 4 No2 SOARING GLORY
Trainer: Jonjo O’Neill – Jockey: Jonjo O’Neill Jr
SOAARING GLORY lost his way last season but the former Betfair Hurdle winner is still young enough to pick up the thread. My guess is that his trainer will pot hunt through the summer in handicap hurdles before putting him back over fences in the autumn.
Race 5 No6 LOUNGE LIZARD (Nap)
Trainer: Henry Daly – Jockey: Harry Cobden
Cobden gelled with LOUNGE LIZARD at Taunton and the combination need to be taken seriously on this class jump, where if getting into a good rhythm in the jumping department hold good claims to complete a fine hat-trick.
Place Accumulator Perm (Races 1-7)
1 x 1, 6, 3 x 3 x 2, 1, 3 x 6, 1, 2 x 4, 2 x 2, 14, 13
R162
