Bonus podcast this week with our York Dante Festival Preview so here’s Tom Stanley to summarise the best podcast bets from Sam Turner, Steve Jones and Micheál Deasy…
It’s a week of top-class racing at the York Dante Fesrival and, most importantly for the Matchbook podcast, competitive racing providing plenty of betting opportunities.
Big field handicaps by and large and some very interesting Classic Trials across the first couple of days are previewed below
Look out for our weekend podcast this Thursday at 12:30 where we’ll be covering York’s Friday card and Saturday’s highlights including the Lockinge at Newbury.
York Dante Festival Day 2:@STurnerTipster @sjracingmedia & @mdeasy85 share their Best Bets with @_tomstanley_ for tomorrow's live racing 📺
Time Stamps below!
Watch: https://t.co/MlBfGy8hV5 👈https://t.co/l0nO7svtD5
— Matchbook Betting Exchange (@TeamMatchbook) May 11, 2022
13:50 Thursday – ‘Making Flat Less Flat’ Handicap
Deasy unearths another big price here in the form of Alligator Alley, win and place. Sam is with course and distance lover Copper Night though his main play is Digital. Steve thinks Bedford Flyer is the value at 11.0, back at the scene of his last success.
- Steve – Bedford Flyer
- Sam – Digital / Copper Knight
- Deasy – Alligator Alley (w/p)
14:25 Thursday – Middleton Fillies’ Stakes
Small field but very competitive and three different selections from the guys. Deasy is with last year’s Musidora second Noon Star whilst Steve likes the other Stoute filly in a race he sees as relatively straightforward. Sam is going to chance Lilac Road having another go in Group 2 company.
- Steve – Ville De Grace
- Sam – Lilac Road
- Deasy – Noon Star
15:00 Thursday – Hambleton Handicap
Isla Kai is the safe bet for Deasy whilst Sam wants a couple on side. He makes a very solid case win and place for Brunch and is also backing course and distance winner La Trinidad. There’s 21.0 available about Steve’s selection Ataser at the time of recording.
- Steve – Ataser (w/p)
- Sam – La Trinidad / Brunch – small (w/p)
- Deasy – Isla Kai
Bet Now
15:35 Thursday – Dante Stakes
Everyone is against the favourite at the prices and Deasy and Sam make him a lay at 3.0 or shorter. Sam feels El Bodegon has a better chance than his 5.5 price suggests whilst Steve is with Magesterial after his impressive Leicester win.
- Steve – Magisterial
- Sam – El Bodegon
- Deasy – Lay Desert Crown (max 3.0)
16:10 Thursday – Westow Stakes
No prices here when previewed so enthusiasm must be tempered a little. Two shouts for Get Ahead whilst Sam gives a tentative nod to King Of Bavaria.
- Steve – Get Ahead
- Sam – King Of Bavaria at a push
- Deasy – Get Ahead
Best Lays
- Tom – No lay
- Steve – No lay
- Sam – Lay Desert Crown (max 3.0)
- Deasy – Lay Desert Crown (max 3.0)
Best Bets
- Tom – Brunch w/p (15:00 Thursday)
- Steve – Forza Orta (13:50 Wednesday)
- Sam – Ravenscraig Castle (17:20 Thursday)
- Deasy – Samburu (16:10 Wednesday)
13:50 Wednesday – Jorvik Handicap
Interesting opener with Gassee heading the betting for last year’s winning connections. Sam wants him and Forza Orta on side. Steve’s best bet of the meeting is Forza Orta so it looks worth having something on him at 8.5 at the time of recording. Deasy likes Dark Jedi at 15.0 win and place.
- Steve – Forza Orta (w/p)
- Sam – Gaasee / Forza Orta small win
- Deasy – Dark Jedi (w/p)
14:25 Wednesday – Churchill Tyres Handicap
A typically competitive York sprint handicap and the guys are looking at the single-figure stalls. Steve likes speedball Mr Wagyu whilst Sam’s vote goes to Nomadic Empire who won over course and distance at the back end of last year. The biggest price of the lot is Deasy’s Strike Red and Sam saves a positive mention for him too.
- Steve – Mr Wagyu
- Sam – Nomadic Empire
- Deasy – Strike Red (w/p)
15:00 Wednesday – 1895 Duke of York.. Stakes
Two votes for the exciting Minzaal who won here last year and didn’t have the ideal preparation ahead of Ascot at the end of the season. Steve thinks Dragon Symbol has the potential to develop into one of the best sprinters around.
- Steve – Dragon Symbol
- Sam – Minzaal
- Deasy – Minzaal (win)
15:35 Wednesday – Musidora Stakes
Sam makes Emily Upjohn the one to beat but not necessarily a bet given those she’s up against. It’s perhaps more competitive than the market has it and he’ll save a bet for Luna Dorada. Steve doesn’t want to play the favourite at odds-on and thinks Life Of Dreams is the value.
- Steve – Life Of Dreams
- Sam – Emily Upjohn / Luna Dorada small win
- Deasy – No bet
16:10 Wednesday – ‘Here For The Craic’ Handicap
Team steam here in the form of the lightly raced Samburu. The point made by the panel is that although short at the top of the market, he has a Group 1 entry and this is a path John Gosden has gone down before with future top-level winners. He should be too well treated and too good for these.
- Steve – Samburu
- Sam – Samburu
- Deasy – Samburu
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