Best of the rest: eyecatchers in the supporting races on the Knavesmire

The £100,000 Coral Sprint Trophy is the highlight of York's card, but we pick out a handful runners it could pay to note in other races.

Appleby sweet on Big Country

Had things panned out as connections had hoped, Big Country might have two of Britain's best handicaps on his CV.

As it is, he has none, but a repeat of his fine course-and-distance second in the John Smith's Cup gives him a wonderful chance in the Download The Coral App Handicap (2.05), according to trainer Mick Appleby, who reckons plenty was against the four-year-old when he was midfield in the Cambridgeshire last month.

"I don't think the track suited him at Newmarket in the Cambridgeshire," said Appleby.

"I think he's better on flatter, more galloping tracks and he didn't really handle the undulations at Newmarket and was probably a bit too far back as well. He's in good order and I think he should go very close; on his second in the John Smith's Cup I'd think he'd win this on that form."

No ground worries for Shabaaby

The ITV cameras also screen the coral.co.uk Rockingham Handicap (2.40), which Owen Burrows is optimistic of winning with Shabaaby.

Dane O'Neill's mount, who runs in the colours of Hamdan Al Makotum, impressed with a fluent win at Doncaster's St Leger meeting and has leading claims on officials ratings.

"I was very pleased with him at Doncaster even if he had only three to beat and the favourite didn't run his race," said Burrows.

"The way the handicappers rated it, they obviously think the second and third did run their race, so I hope they're right rating my horse 109.

"This seemed a nice opportunity and I don't think he needs soft ground. He hasn't got a soft-ground action. It was quick enough when he ran first time at Salisbury and you couldn't say the ground was an excuse as he was beaten by two good fillies.

"It's just worked out he's been on soft since then, but I haven't been praying for rain and I can't see why he shouldn't be effective on better ground.

"He's pleased me since Doncaster and this will be it for the year, so it'd be nice to pick this up and look forward to 2018."

Haggas double-handed in Rockingham

William Haggas will not, however, be letting Burrows have it all his own way in the Rockingham (2.40). He fields Kempton novice winner Barton Mills and Island Drive, who also won at the Sunbury track but was well beaten at Nottingham in August.

"Barton Mills is an interesting one," said Haggas. "He's well bred and Martin Harley has been very keen to drop him back in trip. That is coinciding with an upgrade in class but he should run a good race, he's not a bad horse. I'm just not sure about the draw [12].

"Island Drive won very well first up and then ran awful in heavy ground in a race, which has actually worked out extremely well, but she was beaten a furlong. She seems well but she's an outsider and we're just trying to nick a bit of black type if we can."

Cards and betting for York

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