The Yorkshire Oaks is the feature contest on day two of
York's Ebor Festival, but the card starts with the Group 2 Lowther Stakes for
juvenile fillies' over 6f. Note there was heavy rain forecast to hit the area
on Wednesday afternoon.
Proud Yorkshireman William Haggas has, at the time of
writing, a 50% strike rate at the track this season and he has kept Sacred
(1.45) back for this race since she finished runner up in the Queen Mary at
Royal Ascot back in June. That may not have been the strongest of renewals of
that Group 2 contest, but it has thrown up several subsequent winners and
Sacred looked ready for another furlong at the Royal meeting.
The filly is 2/1 from 9/4 with William Hill but the stable
have a good record in the race – the yard have saddled the winner twice in the
last eight years – and she is taken to return to winning ways although
significant rain would be a negative for this daughter of Exceed And Excel.
The mile handicap has long been one of my favourite races of
the year but finding the winner has been difficult in recent years with the
shortest priced winner at 8/1 in the last decade. David O'Meara has saddled the winner twice in
the last seven years and Prompting (2.45) did us a favour at Goodwood last
month and a 6lbs rise looks fair. The each way selection – 15/2 with 10bet who
are betting five places – had a plum draw in stall two last time and has been
allocated another good stall today in five. He is another for whom the prospect
of soft ground would be a concern.
Love should add the Yorkshire Oaks to the 1000 Guineas and
Oaks from earlier in the season and is difficult to oppose although if the
ground deteriorated markedly then Manuela De Vega might enter calculations.
Vivionn finished runner up in the Galtres Stakes 12 months
ago and must have a leading chance of going one better, but Sea Of Faith (3.45)
was improving at a rate of knots when last seen in 2019 and she is taken to
make a belated winning reappearance.
The filly won two of her last three starts last term including
breaking her maiden tag on heavy ground and 5/1 is a fair each way price with
Boylesports.
Haggas saddles Meyaas in the 7f nursery and he looks sure to
improve stepping up in distance on his handicap debut, but I hope the same can
be said of Andrew Balding's Bonnyrigg (4.20) who got up in the shadows
of the post to win a Newmarket maiden last time over 6f. The ew recommendation
is 6/1 with William Hill.
James Sullivan comes in for the ride on Lawahed
(4.50) who carries just 8st on this lightly raced three-year-old in the
concluding 7f fillies' handicap. The selection is certainly bred to be better
than her current mark and it could be a red-letter day for Haggas on the
Knavesmire.
At Chester I hope to see Hereby (5.25) leave behind
her underwhelming reappearance in the listed Chester Stakes. The filly is
unbeaten in two starts on the Roodeye and I hope to see her maintain her
perfect record at the track. The ground was given as good to soft at noon on
Wednesday with the prospect of further light rain later in the day.
