The pick of the prices on Day 1 at York....

Wednesday, 16th May 2023

The pick of the prices on Day 1 at York….

Tomorrow is Day 1 at York’s Dante meeting….

As you know, I like to go out 24-hours early with my opinion on the big field handicaps….

…. with the objective of bagging the best price possible about my selections….

The ground at the track is described this morning as good….

There’s a chance of showers later in the day – but not sufficient to be too detrimental to the racing surface….

…. at least that’s my reading of the meteorological data….

Let’s get down to business….

• In the Jorvik….

The William Jarvis-trained CRYSTAL DELIGHT did nothing wrong at Newmarket earlier this month….

…he simply bumped into Andrew Balding’s Teumessias Fox – a Group horse in the making – and found that one too good….

He won’t always bump into a Group horse – and he’s both good enough and progressive enough to land a big handicap pot this term….

Tomorrow’s Jorvik Handicap at York (1.50) offers a solid opportunity to do just that – and at 14s he’s a nice price for backers….

He’s only had three goes on turf to date and is yet to pass the post in front….

…. but he’s been progressive across the winter on the AW and the performance at Newmarket demonstrated that he’s in good heart….

He used up a lot of energy early-doors that afternoon – running way too keen….

…. and it turned into a tough race with the field getting strung out late on….

…. but he kept his head down, gritted it out and ran all the way to the line for Jim Crowley – and there was plenty to like about the performance….

He’s gone up 3lb for it – and it’s never ideal going up the rankings on the back of a loss….

…. but he’s still rated just 90 and he’s going to prove better than that….

The 4yos have won the last 10 renewals of the Jorvik and – whilst he’s not the only runner from that age group in tomorrow’s race….

…. the other likely types have been found by the market and – at the prices – Crystal Delight is my preferred option….

• In the Churchill….

I’ve got to stick with SPIRIT OF LIGHT in the Churchill Group Handicap at 2.25….

I backed him in the Howden at Newmarket and he ran down the field….

…. but the rain-softened ground would not have helped him that afternoon and I’m giving him another chance….

I like the drop back down to 6f – as I said heading into the Newmarket race – given how he caught the eye on a first-time go over the trip at Meydan in March….

…. and I also see it as a positive that the two horses that beat him home at Newmarket in April won and finished 3rd in Saturday’s Victoria Cup at Ascot – albeit both those races were run over the 7f trip….

I want to see him have a crack at tomorrow’s trip, in a big-field, with the pace full-on, and a decent surface underfoot….

…. and at this morning’s big each-way price of 28s & 25s I can’t let him run without carrying my money….

• The last word….

That’s all for today….

I’ll be back tomorrow with my selections for Day 2….

Meantime – contact me direct at nick.pullen@oxonpress.co.uk  

And remember – win, lose, or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned.

Against the Crowd