Ajman can Bridge eight-year Ebor gap for Cumani
Luca Cumani is widely-regarded as one of the best trainers of middle distance horses and he can prove the point by landing a fourth Ebor tomorrow afternoon (3.45pm).
The Newmarket-based handler last won Europe’s richest handicap with Purple Moon in 2007. This time AJMAN BRIDGE looks the perfect horse with whom to go to war.
This five-year-old son of Dubawi won his first two career starts, but has failed to find the net in almost two years.
That only tells half the story, however, as he’s been a model of consistency and only just failed to reel in Arab Dawn in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot.
This 1m6f trip should be right up his street and he might just have too much speed for the National Hunt horses. The 12/1 on offer with Betway is a very fair each-way price.
Aidan O’Brien’s Fields Of Athenry is the fly in the ointment as he could realistically go on from this and win the St Leger.
It’s very rare for three-year-olds to get into this race these days, but O’Brien was the last trainer to win this with a horse from the Classic generation back in 2001.
He’s respected, although he’s short enough, and the same can be said of Quick Jack and Clondaw Warrior, who will need one to come out early this morning.
Tomorrow’s opening race is the Strensall Stakes (2.00pm) and there’s plenty to like about MONDIALISTE.
Having started the season with a narrow defeat in the Betway Lincoln, Mondialiste was not disgraced in his next three starts at Newmarket and Ascot.
Yet it was his recent romp at Pontefract that really caught my eye and the €190,000 French import is now beginning to prove his worth.
His nearest rival, the 109-rated Short Squeeze, was a full 10 lengths back. There’s every reason to believe he can produce another winning performance tomorrow.
There’s not many better than David O’Meara at eking out improvement and, being by Galileo, the extra furlong will suit too.
With a full field of 20 runners contesting the Melrose Stakes (2.35pm) it is a typically competitive affair. But WONDER LAISH jumps off the page for me off just 87.
After breaking his maiden at Lingfield in emphatic style, William Haggas, a trainer who loves nothing more than winners on the Knavesmire, has given the lightly-raced son of Halling a three-month break.
Haggas has already bagged a few winners this week and will have had this race in mind for some time.
▀ Pointers…
MONDIALISTE 2.00pm York (tomorrow)
WONDER LAISH e/w 2.35pm York (tomorrow)
AJMAN BRIDGE e/w 3.45pm York (tomorrow)