York Placepot tips: Paul Kealy's perm for the £200,000 guaranteed pool on the first day of the Ebor meeting

The York day one Placepot features three big-field handicaps, so will be far from easy to solve, not least because the Group races are also potentially tricky.

Jordan Electrics and Jm Jungle are my main two in the opener (1.50), but this does need coverage. I'm adding Vintage Clarets, who wasn't beaten far in this last year off a slightly higher mark, and the three-year-old Shagraan, whose jockey Tom Marquand has one of the best sprint strike-rates at York.

Two runners dominate the Acomb (2.25) betting, but they're only maiden winners running on very fast ground so I'm only going with one, with Aidan O'Brien's The Lion In Winter marginally preferred over Ruling Court. Mr Chaplin is an outsider who could run very well.

Los Angeles is favourite for the Voltiguer (3.00), but it won't be easy in a small field under his penalty, and King's Gambit, who nearly beat course specialist Alflaila here last time is preferred. Derby fourth Deira Mile should not be underestimated.

There's no doubt City Of Troy is the one to beat in the Juddmonte International (3.35), but it's a competitive field and there's not much quality pace on. Zarakem and Alflaila are added in case he flops.

Knightswood ought to run well if he doesn't find trouble in the stayers' race (4.10), while Forza Orta won it last year off a higher mark and Divine Comedy looks the solid one at the top of the weights.

That just leaves the 5f fillies' handicap (4.45), and Designer's record fresh means she's well worth including on her bid to win it for the third year on the spin, while Jumbeau is better than her last two finishing positions and she's the last selection in a fair-sized perm to small stakes.

York Placepot perm

1.50
2 Jordan Electrics
8 Shagraan
12 Vintage Clarets
16 Jm Jungle

2.25
3 Mr Chaplin
7 The Lion In Winter

3.00
3 Deira Mile
5 King's Gambit

3.35
1 Alflaila
8 Zarakem
12 City Of Troy

4.10
2 Divine Comedy
10 Knightswood
13 Forza Orta

4.45
1 Designer
8 Jumbeau

4x2x2x3x3x2 = 288 lines

Tote World Pool

All races at York on the first three days of the Ebor meeting will be World Pool races. Typically, the best opportunities lie in the shoulder races, and away from the win pools.

The opening 5½f handicap (1.50) is fiendishly difficult. It feels perverse to try and land an Exacta or Trifecta. The Swinger gives a little more leeway, needing only two of the first three in any order, and is the sensible choice here.

Stick to the low stalls, as there is a little more pace on that side and it was not so long ago that this side was said to be favoured generally. A shortlist of four from the first eight stalls would be Democracy Dilemma, Shagraan, Kylian and Jm Jungle. All are double-digit odds with bookmakers at the time of writing, so getting any two in the first three would draw a nice payout.
Keith Melrose

1.50 York
1 Democracy Dilemma
8 Shagraan
11 Kylian
16 Jm Jungle

1pt ToteSwinger (six bets total)

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