Ben Linfoot free horse racing tips for York Dante Festival day two

The Verdict tips: Thursday May 18

1pt win Mondammej in 1.50 York at 16/1 (bet365, Coral)

1pt win Stay Alert in 2.25 York at 9/1 (General)

1pt win Eilean Dubh in 3.00 York at 12/1 (General)

1pt win Astro King in 3.00 York at 22/1 (Hills, 20/1 General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

It looks a really informative renewal of the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes at York on Thursday with a posse of progressive colts taking each other on and a significant Derby clue can be expected.

Military Order is top of the Epsom pecking order at present and it will be interesting to see if his price contracts further if stablemate Flying Honours wins, while White Birch brings a line of Irish form over following his Ballysax win.

Dear My Friend and Liberty Lane are the interesting ones at bigger prices, the latter having given 7lb to Lingfield runner-up Waipiro when running with the choke out at Newmarket and it would be no surprise if Karl Burke’s horse settled better in this higher grade.

With so much potential on show, though, it looks a race to watch, especially with the Sky Bet Hambleton Handicap offering up a tempting puzzle with 20 runners going to post.

Burke has a big player in this, as well, with EILEAN DUBH, who is going for his third mile handicap win at York from three goes and odds of 12/1 look fair.

He won a 20-runner Sunday Series handicap at this track 12 months ago and then struck again in the John Smith’s Racing Handicap in August where he was a cosy winner from Blue For You, the pair a length and a quarter clear of the rest.

Blue For You has franked that form several times since and is 9lb higher now, so Eilean Dubh actually gets a 7lb pull for his last York win and he’s had three runs this spring to run the rust out of him.

He wouldn’t have liked the ground in the Lincoln or at Thirsk last time, but he ran well at the latter track considering conditions and he’ll be much more at home on faster ground back at York.

I want to go into the race double-handed with him and ASTRO KING at 22/1 who looks well handicapped for his stable debut for Daniel & Claire Kubler.

Formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, he has twice finished placed in the Royal Hunt Cup including off a higher mark and he was third off 3lb higher in the Clipper Logistics Handicap at this track at the Ebor meeting.

The Kublers do well with recruits from higher-profile yards – even improving one from William Haggas’ a few years ago – and this newly-gelded son of Kingman will love the ground. He looks a big price.

The Verdict: Back EILEAN DUBH and ASTRO KING in the Hambleton

If Free Wind can win the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Stakes over 10 furlongs she could well be a Group 1 winner in waiting, but she has had one run in the last 20 months and ideally wants further, so she is worth taking on.

The one to beat her is Hughie Morrison’s STAY ALERT under Oisin Murphy, a filly with a fine record fresh who showed rapid improvement at Newbury in two starts this time last year.

Her standout win, though, came back at Newbury in September where she won the Group 3 Legacy Cup despite finding all sorts of trouble in-running, the way she got David Egan out of bother with a late burst an indicator of her high level of ability.

She can improve again under Murphy and this looks a good opportunity for her to take the next step up the ladder.

The Verdict: Back STAY ALERT in the Middleton Stakes

The opening Lindum York Handicap over five furlongs looks like being run at a real good clip and it could be worth taking a chance on MONDAMMEJ at 16/1.

It is, admittedly, fraught with danger backing a hold-up sprinter on this track, but I’d expect Copper Knight, Regional, Lord Riddiford, Clarendon House, Mountain Peak and Bedford Flyer to make this a hell-for-leather test.

Mondammej is just the sort of hold-up performer who could take advantage of a pace collapse and he is well-treated now on 97 having been rated 100+ for the bulk of last year.

His second to Royal Aclaim in a Listed race at this track last July gives him a winning chance off his new rating and I thought his Ripon return was more than respectable on soft ground that doesn’t suit.

The Verdict: Back MONDAMMEJ in the opening sprint handicap

Preview posted at 1645 BST on 17/05/23

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