Tanya Stevenson
Tanya's Blog
When York opens its gates for the first time at the start of each season, it’s serene, sunshine enters our lives and all seems well in the world of racing – well almost. Yesterday walking around the empty grandstand and watching preparations for today, the course looked immaculate. Dogs were being treated to their daily walks in the middle of the course, I’ve never seen tails wag harder and even a picnic or two was being enjoyed amongst the daisies in what today will be a mammoth and mobbed car-park.
The sun has broken through, blue is the majority colour of the sky, time for a yawn, a stretch of the arms, a flick through the papers, check the market movers on the internet. There’s a fair spread of business, at the time of writing, 9.30am no horse has appeared in oddschecker.com movers twice, well not yet anyway. On the walk to the course I was angered and frustrated due to the lack of Weekenders for sale in the newsagents it doesn’t help on the homework front, there is an outside chance of a couple for sale on the racecourse.
The big screen diluted by sunlight has just gone through a replay of all the races from Warwick yesterday and is now on to Beverley. Quite handy for picking future winners. York press room is oh so quiet, not even Mac! Although they have been a bit ambitious with the chairs there seems 100 stacked up.
There’s a brisk wind making the BlueSquare flags flutter vigorously, Graham Dench has just walked in remarking on how tremendous the course looks. Lush, green and not a blade of grass out of place.
There is so much going on this weekend, Sawgrass starts tomorrow, or should I say the Players Championship, I have a skim through once we are off air today and come back to you tomorrow with selections.
Last night a group of us huddled round a television and watched the first semi of the Eurovision song contest, big betting business you know! Five pre-qualify including Blue representing us, Germany represented by last year’s winner and 7-4 favourite, France. The French entry will be Marmite to most my generation will love it but will the voting populous? Me thinks a song to take on. Thoughts from the first semi, the cutesy Azerbaijan couple, the young woman comes from Enfield, can’t sing a note, but they seem popular. Georgia are scary and should be 500-1, Finland got a huge round of applause, but I don’t think the lad has reached puberty yet. Russia went for the clean cut leather jacket, lad from Grease the movie look, but he didn’t have the stage presence. Serbia look like extras from Austin Powers and should be 500-1, Lithuania brought her song out of theatreland and a musical plus she showed off an enormous cleavage! Greece are lurkers, hip hop mixed up with a Michael Buble type character, it all depends on their performance on Saturday. Hungary should be favourites, she projects herself so well has a great voice and played her joker by using the minimum of material for her dress. Then there is my selection SWITZERLAND, sweet song, great charisma from a pretty lady singer, great voice, hope she is drawn well in the final something in the late 20s, I have backed her at 300-1 to all rates down to 100-1 so far. HUNGARY would be my saver but wait until semi number two on Thursday.
On to York today you must be drawn low in the Duke Of York Stakes, plus it helps to be in good form. GENKI is both and a reliable sort, he surprised all with his authorative display at Newmarket and I am siding with him again. Something keeps bugging me about ARLEQUIN in the first drawing me to back him, he runs in the first. Jeremy Noseda’s box was the one I followed in and he has MONNOYER so he would be my final selection of the day.
POINTERS
YORK 1:30
Seven of the last ten winners were aged four
Seven of the last nine winners carried 8-13 or more
Of the last ten winners none had won on their previous start
In the last ten years, there have only been two winning favourites, two horses priced in double-figures and the biggest priced winner was 16-1
The last four winners were all Newmarket-trained
Darryll Holland has been beaten on his last 49 rides at York
YORK 2.00
Seven of the last ten winners carried 8-13 or less
The last ten winners had the benefit of at least one run that season prior to his/her victory at York, four of which had won.
York 2:30 MUSIDORA STAKES
Ryan Moore has won on all of his last four rides for Aidan O’Brien
Aidan O’Brien has had six winners from his last12 runners
Seven of the last ten winners were Newmarket-trained
Only one of the last ten winners were priced bigger than 4-1
YORK 3:00 DUKE OF YORK STAKES
It is 21 years since a horse won from a double figure stall
Only three horses older than 5 have won the race in the last 20 years
Eight of the last ten winners had either run in the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket (Genki, Inler, Prime Defender) or the previous season’s Sprint Cup at Haydock Park (Markab, Genki, Regal Parade)
Rose Blossom has won two of her four races at York
Hamish McGonagall has won three of his nine races at York
Steve Drowne has won Genki 22 times to six wins and six seconds
Pat Cosgrave has ridden Markab 18 times to seven wins and three seconds
David Allan has ridden Hamish McGonagall 34 times to eight wins, six seconds and five thirds
