'This was always the plan' - who is fancied in a red-hot sprint handicap?

Churchill Tyres Handicap | 4yo+ | 6f | ITV4/RTV

Yorkshire folk are extremely generous hosts but that does not mean they enjoy watching visitors make off with their money.

This 6f handicap has been won by a horse trained in the county in seven of the last eight runnings and it looks set to stay at home again this year as only two of the 22 taking part are based elsewhere.

That is not to decry its competitiveness; far from it. Yorkshire is to sprint handicappers what Ballydoyle is to Derby colts: horses based in the county have won the Wokingham in four of the last nine years, the Ayr Gold Cup in five of the last ten and the Stewards’ Cup in the last two seasons.

Ayr Gold and Silver Cup winners Bielsa and Staxton both ran in this contest last year and it promises to offer plenty of clues to future big races once again 12 months on.

Bielsa is back and trainer Kevin Ryan is also hoping to bid for a sixth Ayr Gold Cup with Bergerac, who needs to go up in the ratings to make that field yet showed he is on the up when running a career-best in first-time cheekpieces at Newmarket and is likely to show further progress.

Fellow four-year-old Nomadic Empire (David O'Meara) came within 1lb of matching his best Racing Post rating when third on his reappearance at Ripon, which was a huge effort considering he was racing over only five furlongs, had to wait for a clear run and did really well to finish as close as he did.

He had run a blinder when fourth off 9st 7lb in the Coral Sprint here as a three-year-old and looks to have improved again for a close-season gelding operation.

The Richard Fahey-trained nine-year-old Mr Lupton has done his improving but his win in this race last year was his fourth on this course. He has slipped back to a 3lb lower mark now and should never be ignored in a big field of sprinters at York.
Race analysis by David Carr

Mr Lupton (nearest): won this race last yearCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Another bargain buy

Antony Brittain has done extremely well with cheap cast-offs from Shadwell and he has found another bargain in Asadjumeirah.

Brittain has won six races and more than £113,000 with King's Stand Stakes entry Mondammej, who was bought for just 4,000gns unraced from the late Hamdan Al Maktoum's operation, and Asadjumeirah has already repaid the 10,000gns he cost out of Owen Burrows' yard last autumn nearly nine times over, winning five times and earning more than £90,000.

"We buy them with David McGreavy Bloodstock and he's been a great little horse for what we paid," Brittain said.

The way he overcame a slow start and trouble in running to catch Ghathanfar, who won next time out, at Thirsk last month suggests he still has untapped potential.

The four-year-old races off a mark only 2lb higher here and his trainer said: "He did well to get up last time and everything should suit him here but it's ultra-competitive and we're just hopeful."

What they say

David O'Meara, trainer of Summerghand and Nomadic Empire
Summerghand didn't get on that well in Dubai and might have needed the run at Newmarket. Gelding Nomadic Empire has settled him down a bit and his reappearance at Ripon was full of encouragement as he travelled really well and was a shade unlucky not to have won.

Kevin Ryan, trainer of Bielsa and Bergerac
Bielsa has come back as well as ever. Six furlongs is his trip and he wants decent ground. Bergerac ran a fantastic race at Newmarket and the cheekpieces helped him concentrate. This was always the plan.

Bielsa (near): won the Ayr Gold Cup last seasonCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Michael Dods, trainer of Dakota Gold, Pendleton and Woven
For all three we wouldn't be hoping for the ground to dry up much at all, they would be better on good to soft. Pendleton and Woven definitely need easier ground, and Dakota Gold too but they're all in good form. Woven has run some really good races and we're pleased with him, I'd prefer to be in the middle than where we are out on the stands' rail.

John Quinn, trainer of Mr Wagyu
He likes the track and ran a decent comeback race at Newmarket, he's in good form and we expect him to run well.

Steve Brown, assistant trainer of Makanah
We were pleased with his comeback run. In the past he's been effective at York. We thought we would try him over six furlongs instead of five, because he looked as though he might appreciate the extra furlong. He's in very good form.

Tim Easterby, trainer of Count D'Orsay, Premier Power and Devilwala
Count D'Orsay likes juice in the ground but we've wanted to run him over a fast six furlongs so we're going to try it. He was unlucky at Chester, drawn ten and beaten a short head. Premier Power is a lovely little horse, he hasn't run for us yet but he's a good horse. He wants juice in the ground. Devilwala is the same and he ran okay at Ripon.
Reporting by Harry Wilson

York day one previews:

1.50 York: 'The plan is to take him to Royal Ascot' – opening handicap quotes and insight

3.00 York: 'He's one of the best I've trained' – top trainers on their Duke of York runners

3.35 York: can Oaks contender Emily Upjohn make a big impression in the Musidora Stakes at York?

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