Daily Pointers - York Saturday Run over a mile and a furlong at 1.55, the Group 3 Strensall Stakes is a good introduction to Ebor day at York, the fourth and final day of a festival which has given us memorable displays from the likes of Logician, Japan, Mums Tipple and Enable. Sir Michael Stoute found himself denied in a photo finish when Crystal Ocean was edged out by the narrowest of margins in Wednesday’s Juddmonte International, but he could be set for a winning start here with his Zaaki the mount of Ryan Moore. The gelding was disappointing when dropped in distance at Glorious Goodwood, but today’s step back up in trip could very well help him rediscover his early season form which yielded wins at both Ascot and Epsom. Newmarket man Sir Mark Prescott saddled a ‘cross the card’ double on Wednesday, and with his string in good heart prepares to saddle his sole runner of the entire Ebor Festival in today’s 2.25 York, with Land Of Oz carrying an each way chance in the Melrose Handicap at 2.25. Four wins in the space of 36 days have seen the Australia colt’s handicap rating shoot up from 58 to the 82 off which he competes today, coming up against a plethora of in-form rivals from top stables. Nonetheless, Prescott isn’t known for tilting at windmills and his chance should be respected. The 116-rated Laurens typically comes good in the second half of the campaign, a trend endorsed by her back to form victory in Deauville’s Group 1 Prix Rothschild at the end of last month. Today she bids to add the 3.00 York, the seven furlong Group 2 City Of York Stakes, in which she meets nine rivals. Conceding weight to all bar two of her opponnets won’t be easy, but she’s a six-time Group 1 scorer very much entitled to be a strong favourite against this opposition. A handicap in name only, the race after which the entire Festival is named is the jewel in the crown of the fourth and final day at York, with the million pound Ebor in focus at 3.40pm. A field of 22 runners are due to chase this vast prize, and on his second start since a wind op perhaps the name inscribed on the trophy in 2019 could turn out be Roger Charlton’s Withhold. From a stable in great form, the talented six year old has been restricted to just five starts in the last two and a half years, but they include victories in the Cesarewitch and Northumberland Plate, plus an authoritative strike at Newbury last time out. Due off at 4.10, there’ll be no hanging about in race five on the card at York, the listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes over the flying five furlongs. Joseph O’Brien crosses the Irish Sea with Glorious Goodwood second Alligator Alley, a very fast colt who won his only other start at the minimum distance when scoring at Navan in July. The penultimate race of the 2019 Ebor Festival is the 4.45 York, a tough to call, 17-runner, 10 and a half furlong handicap. One especially eye-catching declaration is no less then Tony Martin’s Tudor City, the horse jumps racing aficionados will instantly recognise as last month’s Galway Hurdle winner. Switching codes here for his ever-shrewd trainer Tony Martin, the seven year old has the assistance of veteran pilot John Egan and receives weight from all bar one of his rivals. And then there was one! The stars of tomorrow get a chance to shine in the final race of York’s Ebor Festival, with a five furlong apprentice handicap set to bring down the curtain at 5.20. Seemingly always in demand at present, Cieren Fallon claims three pounds as he partners Tony Carroll’s Recon Mission, a three year who goes well at York, popping up here with a 20/1 victory over six furlongs back in June. By Tom Lee racing fan and broadcaster Charity Bet Selected by FansBet Racing ambassador Rab Havlin, today’s day four Racing Welfare £100 York Ebor Festival charity bet: No. 3 Laurens, £100 win, 3.00 York.
