Frankel has been kept busy since retiring and is the sire of half of the field for Wednesday’s Great Voltigeur at 3pm, including the current favourite Cracksman, who has finished placed in both the Derby and Irish Derby.
At a slightly bigger price, another Frankel makes more appeal, however. Mirage Dancer was still in need of experience when finishing third in the Hampton Court at Royal Ascot last time and looks set to be well suited by the step up in trip here.
He doesn’t have much to find on ratings with the favourite and looks the best bet on day one of York.
The Darley Yorkshire Oaks at 3.35pm is the feature on day two (Thursday) and contains the second-biggest sporting certainty of the week, the biggest being Floyd Mayweather dispatching Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Enable is available at a bigger price to win the Yorkshire Oaks, and given that her opponents are fellow racehorses (and not UFC fighters), this is probably fair enough. She has 8lb in hand over her nearest rival on Timeform ratings, and should punch through for the win.
In the following race on Thursday, the listed 4.15pm Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes, Mori can hopefully carry the same green, pink and white colours to victory. She was second in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot but did nothing wrong that day in defeat and should be able to return to winning ways now back down in grade.
‘Mori’ means death in Latin, and she’s surely a dead cert in a race her yard won last season.
The Nunthorpe Stakes takes centre stage on Friday at 3.40pm, but things look fairly tight at the top between Lady Aurelia and Battaash, and a better bet can be found in the Lonsdale Cup earlier in the day.
Dal Harraild didn’t seem to have many excuses after being beaten in the Hardwicke Stakes last time, but had been progressing nicely prior to that, winning a listed race at York in May with plenty in hand. He is worth another chance at this level upped to a trip that should suit.
Another runner who could richly reward those willing to forgive one run is Coventry Stakes second Headway, who has a big chance in Saturday’s 3pm Gimcrack Stakes.
He had no chance to land a blow on Barraquero in the Richmond at Goodwood last time given the positon on the track he found himself in, and represents a yard who have taken three runnings of this race since 2006.
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