York Friday Preview - 13/05/22

The first selection of the afternoon comes in the Listed Marygate Fillies' Stakes over five furlongs and we are taking a chance on the very likeable Carmela for David Loughnane.

The juvenile daughter of Tasleet was bought for £37,000 as a yearling and made an emphatic debut at Yarmouth on quick ground over 5f when landing a seven runner maiden.

Carmela ran out an easy winner by close to three lengths, showing plenty of scope and the form has since been franked with the second since winning easily next time out and she opposes her again here.

Big player if improving, but this race is very tough from a punting perspective.

Another tricky affair on the Friday card is the Listed Oaks Farm Stables Fillies Stakes over a mile and Perfect News for William Haggas takes the eye.

One of the more experienced runners in the field is the three year old daughter of Frankel, Perfect News, who was seen five times last term, running her first three races over 6f and she got off the mark at the second time of asking.

Moved up to 7f in September at Newmarket she revelled in the extra distance to beat a nice type for Edward Bethell and then on her final start last term was a good third in a Group Three over the same C&D.

This season she made her comeback appearance in the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket and she was a close fourth behind the 1000 Guineas winner Cachet.

That is some superb form on offer and if coming on for her first run of the term and revelling in the extra furlong, she looks the value.

Day three of the Dante meeting looks a tricky one for punters and another race that could go a lot of ways in the betting is the Class 2 Handicap over 1m2f.

At a price we are taking a chance on the Roger Fell trained Cockalorum who looks to do his best work on the Knavesmire and he is very much proven at this trip where some others in the race are not.

Losing his way off a career high mark in his final three races last term, before that he was a force to be reckoned with placing over C&D behind the talented Migration and Sinjaari and also putting up some other good runs at Goodwood and back at York in better races than this.

Second in the John Smith's Cup over C&D in July, he is now only on a 2lb higher mark and getting his preferred good ground he should go close.

The feature race of the afternoon is the Group Two Yorkshire Cup over 1m6f and we are taking on the favourite Stradivarius with Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song.

A superb horse for Dermot Weld over the years over staying distances he looks to have a lot going for her in this race and with the favourite now being eight years of age and maybe not the horse of old, we are happy to take him on.

Search For A Song is a Group One winner that is consistent majority of the time having form behind Trueshan, Scope and Kyprios in G2 and G1 races in the last few years.

Having performed well last season winning a Group Three event over two miles at the Curragh by close to 10 lengths, she then finished a fair fourth of 12 in France in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak.Making her season debut this term in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes over 1m6f at Navan, she only found the talented Kyprios too good on the day for the same owners.

Having had that run she should be primed for this event and we think he is big value at 7/2.

One of our best bets of the afternoon comes in the Class 3 Handicap over 1m4f and Wild Crusade for Charlie Appleby is a thorough stayer that should be very tough to beat if improving for his first start on turf.

Needing his debut in December at Wolves over 9.5f, he then went up in trip at Kempton over 1m3f and finished a good second behind a nice type for Marco Botti.

This year the penny has dropped massively with him getting off the mark over 1m4f at Kempton in January when seeing off his extremely smart stablemate Nahanni.

He made it back to back wins last time out over the same course and distance when landing a Class 4 handicap and only 5lb higher he still looks to be ahead of the handicapper and should go well.

The final event of the afternoon sees the Class 3 Handicap over five furlongs and we have two each way selections in this event that could go close.

The first is the Owen Burrows trained Meredif who was a £110,000 purchase by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and has been seen three times to date.

She looked to learn a lot for her first two experiences at Wolverhampton and Nottingham, so much so on her third and final run to date she got off the market in emphatic style.

The filly managed to see off a good field of 16 at Nottingham over 5f, winning with a fair amount in hand and now making her handicap debut off 79, she should be much better than that mark.

Another at a price that could out run his odds is the Alice Haynes trained Josies Kid who has only one once in his career to date and it came over 5.5f at York.

For the most part of his career he has been consistent, winning once and placing in another five events and off the back of both his runs this term, he looks to have been primed for this contest.

Only beating one home on his seasonal reappearance at Nottingham it looked a pip opener for the gelding but last time out at Wolves he had come on for the run and finished a very close third at Goodwood behind some quick horses.

Should progress again.