Richard Spencer books Ryan Moore as Two Tribes goes to war on the Knavesmire in intriguing sprint handicap

In sprint handicaps at York the stalls tend to either be central or towards the stands, but this time they are positioned on the far side so how big an impact will that have here?

The central placement of the stalls in recent runnings has seen the runners stay in one big group in the middle, but there looks to be an abundance of pacesetters in the bottom half of the draw this time and there is a chance the field could congregate to the far rail with the stalls positioned where they are.

More often than not you want to be up with the pace on the Knavesmire, and Dark Thirty (stall three), Commanche Falls (four), Bergerac (five) and We Never Stop (six) are all possible speed angles.

Dark Thirty looks well treated on last year’s Newmarket win off 5lb higher, but he won’t want a repeat of last month’s run when he reared at the start and was slowly away, while We Never Stop has been in good form on the all-weather and will be fine on this quick ground.

However, if there is too much jostling for the lead it could lead to a pace collapse. Topweight Korker, who has Jack Nicholls claiming 7lb, and the in-form Mister Sox could be best placed to take advantage in that scenario.

The fly in the ointment could be Change Sings, who has made all in four of his five wins. He’s drawn widest of all in stall 16 so it will be interesting to see where Charlie Bishop goes on the five-year-old.

If the field splits into two, Change Sings could provide a nice tow into the race for Two Tribes, who was narrowly beaten in a strong race at Newmarket last time and looks a big danger to all under Ryan Moore if getting the breaks.
Analysis by Harry Wilson

What they say

William Knight, trainer of Holkham Bay
He didn’t get the clearest of runs last time at Goodwood so goes there a fresh horse. He likes the track and Oisin Murphy has a good record on him there so we're hopeful. He has a high draw, which isn’t always a plus on the Knavesmire, but he has a few fancied ones around him.

Adam Ryan, assistant trainer of We Never Stop and Bergerac
We Never Stop won on All-Weather Championships finals day and has gone from strength to strength over the winter. I don't think there are any issues with him coming back to turf. He's thriving and goes there in great health. Bergerac is versatile and usually takes a couple of runs to start thriving, so York could be the place to do that.

Chris Wall, racing manager to KHK Racing, owners of Ramazan
He was very consistent last year but seems to have lost his way a little. We're hoping this drop back in trip will help and he can show us something heading into the rest of the season.

Tom Palin, racing manager to Middleham Park Racing, owners of Prince Of Pillo
He’s reliant on a strong pace, which you always get at York, but whether a hold-up horse is what you want there is another matter. Some of his form stacks up, however, and we think he has an each-way shout in a very competitive race.

Richard Spencer: runs Two TribesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Richard Spencer, trainer of Two Tribes
He ran a great race to be third at Newmarket the other day and the plan was to come here after that. He’s threatened to win a nice handicap like this in the past and we’ve booked Ryan Moore, so there’s plenty to like.

Eve Johnson Houghton, trainer of Change Sings
He’s a bonny horse and likes to jump and run, which is an advantage at York. We’re very hopeful of a good run after his second at Newbury. He’s drawn 16, but who knows about the draw there as sometimes you want to be low and other times high.

Steve Brown, assistant trainer of First Folio
He’s been a bit slow to come to hand this year and didn’t run very well at Doncaster last time, since when we’ve switched the headgear around a bit. He has a low draw which will help.
Reporting by David Milnes

Read the rest of Wednesday's previews:

2.10 York: Four-year-olds look to have the call again - analysis and trainer quotes for competitive York handicap 

3.13 York: 'He can develop into a Group 1 horse' - Karl Burke holds strong hand as new jockey bids to rekindle Inisherin's fire 

3.45 York: Why Aidan O'Brien's latest Classic trial favourite Whirl could be vulnerable in an open Musidora 

The Ballydoyle monopoly looks almost impossible to stop - but Oaks trial could provide hope for home guard 

Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.