1:50 York
This 22-runner Class 2 Heritage Handicap over the minimum trip of 5f89y at York on good ground promises a competitive sprint with plenty of pace on show. The KTB Fit ratings are tightly bunched at the top, headed by West Acre on 67, with Dark Thirty and Dubai Bling both on 66 and the next two not far behind. Several runners drop back to five furlongs while others make their York debut or sport first-time headgear, adding layers of unknowns to a race where the strong pace is expected to play a key role.
How the race shapes up
With two or more habitual front-runners including Dark Thirty, Stratusnine, Lexington Blitz, Gold Star Hero and Candy, the pace shape is strongly positive and a strong gallop looks assured. This should set things up for hold-up performers, with West Acre, Dubai Bling, Erosandpsyche, Corolla Point and several others waiting to pounce late. The key question is whether the leaders will overdo it and collapse in the final furlong, handing the advantage to those coming from off the pace in what is a very large field.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1West Acre KTB Selection67/100Useful performer who arrives in decent form after a solid third last time.
- 2Dark Thirty66/100Useful performer who has won twice from five runs at York and boasts a solid record on good ground with seven wins from fourteen starts.
- 3Dubai Bling66/100Useful performer who has won on good ground and at this trip.
- 4Stratusnine64/100Useful performer who has won once from four runs at York and arrives in decent form after a win and a second on his last two starts.
- 5Erosandpsyche62/100Erosandpsyche is a useful performer with a solid recent record that includes placed efforts in competitive company.
- 6Corolla Point61/100Useful performer who has won four of seven starts at this trip and looks well suited by the drop back to five furlongs.
- 7Stormy Impact59/100Stormy Impact is a fair performer who has shown his best at this track when runner-up here last season.
- 8Lexington Blitz56/100Useful performer who has won four times at this trip and handles good ground well with three wins and six places from ten runs.
- 9Gold Star Hero55/100Useful performer who has won twice at this trip from 11 attempts and arrives in decent form having landed three of his last six starts.
- 10Spartan Arrow53/100Useful performer who has run four times at York without winning, best effort a placed finish over this trip.
- 11Toyotomi53/100Toyotomi is a useful performer who arrives in solid form after a win and a placed effort in his last three starts.
- 12Air Force One51/100Useful performer who has won once from eight starts at this track.
- 13Toca Madera50/100Useful performer who has run well over this C&D twice, finishing third on both occasions.
- 14Naana's Sparkle50/100Naana's Sparkle is a useful performer who has won four times at this trip from 12 attempts and arrives in decent form having won twice and been placed once from…
- 15Apollo One49/100Useful performer who has been around a bit and showed his best form when placed over this trip earlier in his career.
- 16Trefor49/100Trefor is a useful performer who arrives in form after a clear-cut win at Newmarket last time and has already won once from two runs at York.
- 17Against The Wind48/100Useful performer who has run four times here without winning yet has placed once.
- 18Candy47/100Useful performer who has been below form in both starts this year.
- 19Ziggy's Triton46/100Fair performer who has won over this trip and at this track.
- 20Dapper Valley43/100Dapper Valley is a useful performer who arrives in solid nick after two recent wins.
- 21The Man43/100The Man is a fair performer who has won over this trip and at this track.
- 22Another Baar40/100Another Baar is a fair performer who has run three times at York without placing and arrives in ordinary form after a string of uncompetitive efforts.
The contenders
West Acre KTB Fit 67/100
West Acre is a useful performer who arrives in decent form after a solid third last time. He drops back to 5f having won four times at the trip from nine attempts, and he acts on good ground with a win and two places from four runs. The four-year-old is held up, usually producing his effort late, and he makes his debut at York from stall 19. Trainer George Scott has a 10% strike rate at the track from 31 runs while jockey Darragh Keenan fares better with a 13% strike rate from 16 rides.
Dark Thirty KTB Fit 66/100
Dark Thirty is a useful performer who has won twice from five runs at York and boasts a solid record on good ground with seven wins from fourteen starts. He tends to make the running or race on the pace and drops back to an untried 5f today after his latest run over 6f, which asks a fresh question. The six-year-old has course form to his name and the trainer holds a strong 15% strike rate at the track, though the jockey's 8% from 348 rides is more modest.
Dubai Bling KTB Fit 66/100
Dubai Bling is a useful performer who has won on good ground and at this trip. He is held up, usually producing his effort late, and now drops back from 6f with first-time headgear and a big-field draw to contend with while making his York debut. Trainer Hugo Palmer operates at a modest 7% strike rate here from 148 runs, but that is offset by Oisin Murphy's solid 15% record at the track from 325 rides.
Stratusnine KTB Fit 64/100
Stratusnine is a useful performer who has won once from four runs at York and arrives in decent form after a win and a second on his last two starts. He tends to make the running or race on the pace and drops back to 5f today having been placed without winning at the trip previously, while he has won once and placed three times from four runs on good ground. Trainer Hugo Palmer operates at a 7% strike rate here from 148 runs and James Doyle is a solid booking with a 15% strike rate from 318 rides at the track.
Erosandpsyche KTB Fit 62/100
Erosandpsyche is a useful performer with a solid recent record that includes placed efforts in competitive company. He is held up, usually producing his effort late, has won at this trip and shown his best on good ground with two wins and four places from 13 starts. First-time headgear is now tried on his first visit to York while the trainer's small sample here leaves that side unproven, though the yard boasts a 25% strike rate at the track from just four runs.
The rest of the field
Corolla PointKTB Fit 61/100
Corolla Point is a useful performer who has won four of seven starts at this trip and looks well suited by the drop back to five furlongs. He is held up, was placed on his only visit to York and has solid form on good ground with two wins from three starts.
Stormy ImpactKTB Fit 59/100
Stormy Impact is a fair performer who has shown his best at this track when runner-up here last season. He is held up, drops back to 5f today having won twice at the trip earlier in his career, and he acts on good ground with two wins from six runs while stepping up in class.
Lexington BlitzKTB Fit 56/100
Lexington Blitz is a useful performer who has won four times at this trip and handles good ground well with three wins and six places from ten runs. He tends to make the running or race on the pace, showed only poor form on his one previous visit to York and is now fitted with first-time headgear from stall one.
Gold Star HeroKTB Fit 55/100
Gold Star Hero is a useful performer who has won twice at this trip from 11 attempts and arrives in decent form having landed three of his last six starts. He tends to make the running or race on the pace, is now fitted with first-time headgear after a patchy recent record that includes two poor efforts and makes his debut at York.
Spartan ArrowKTB Fit 53/100
Spartan Arrow is a useful performer who has run four times at York without winning, with his best effort a placed finish over this trip. He is held up, has won six times at today's distance, handles good ground well and is now fitted with first-time headgear.
ToyotomiKTB Fit 53/100
Toyotomi is a useful performer who arrives in solid form after a win and a placed effort in his last three starts. He is held up, drops back to 5f having already won at the trip and has shown he can be competitive on good ground.
Air Force OneKTB Fit 51/100
Air Force One is a useful performer who has won once from eight starts at this track. He is held up, drops back to his winning 5f trip today having been running over 6f and is now fitted with first-time headgear.
Toca MaderaKTB Fit 50/100
Toca Madera is a useful performer who has run well over this C&D twice, finishing third on both occasions. He is held up, drops back from 6f having been out of form on his last two starts.
Naana's SparkleKTB Fit 50/100
Naana's Sparkle is a useful performer who has won four times at this trip from 12 attempts and arrives in decent form having won twice and been placed once from her last four starts. She is held up, has placed three times from six runs on good ground and is now fitted with first-time headgear.
Apollo OneKTB Fit 49/100
Apollo One is a useful performer who has been around a bit and showed his best form when placed over this trip earlier in his career. He settles in midfield, has never won or placed in four runs at York and his recent form has been patchy at best.
TreforKTB Fit 49/100
Trefor is a useful performer who arrives in form after a clear-cut win at Newmarket last time and has already won once from two runs at York. He settles in midfield, has solid form on good ground and has won over today's 5f trip in the past though he is now dropping back from 6f from a wide draw.
Against The WindKTB Fit 48/100
Against The Wind is a useful performer who has run four times here without winning yet has placed once. He is held up, recent form has been patchy and he has never figured on good ground from stall 18.
CandyKTB Fit 47/100
Candy is a useful performer who has been below form in both starts this year. He tends to make the running or race on the pace, has a win on good ground but is now 0-7 at this trip on his first run at York.
Ziggy's TritonKTB Fit 46/100
Ziggy's Triton is a fair performer who has won over this trip and at this track. He is held up, has been out of form for a while with a string of poor runs mixed in with the occasional better effort, is stepping up in class and is now fitted with first-time headgear.
Dapper ValleyKTB Fit 43/100
Dapper Valley is a useful performer who arrives in solid nick after two recent wins. He is held up, has already won twice at this trip and acts on good ground though his record from a single run at York was poor while stepping up in class.
The ManKTB Fit 43/100
The Man is a fair performer who has won over this trip and at this track. He is held up, has been out of form this year with five runs producing no better than sixth, has failed to win or place in four starts on good ground and is now fitted with first-time headgear.
Another BaarKTB Fit 40/100
Another Baar is a fair performer who has run three times at York without placing and arrives in ordinary form after a string of uncompetitive efforts. He is held up, has won six times at this trip but his record on good ground is modest and the first-time headgear is a significant unknown at this level.
KTB verdict
West Acre is the KTB Selection. A useful performer in decent form, he drops back to his favoured 5f where he has won four times from nine attempts and boasts a win and two places from four runs on good ground. His hold-up style should be ideally suited by the strong pace that is likely to materialise, and the combination of trainer and jockey reads at York offers encouragement. The main dangers are Dark Thirty, who has a fine record at the track and on good ground though the drop to an untried 5f poses a question, and Dubai Bling, who brings first-time headgear, a big-field draw and the booking of Oisin Murphy. Stratusnine and Erosandpsyche are others with strong claims if the race sets up as anticipated.
KTB Selection West Acre
This is the narrative read of the 1:50 York. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the York racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is dropping back to 5f having won four times at the trip?
West Acre, who has won four times at 5f from nine attempts.
How many wins has Dark Thirty recorded at York?
Two wins from five runs at York.
Which runners are making their York debut?
Dubai Bling, Erosandpsyche, Gold Star Hero, Naana's Sparkle and Candy.
Which horse has the strongest trainer strike rate at York among the principals?
Erosandpsyche's trainer has a 25% strike rate at York from four runs.
How many horses are wearing first-time headgear?
Nine horses are fitted with first-time headgear: Dubai Bling, Erosandpsyche, Lexington Blitz, Gold Star Hero, Spartan Arrow, Air Force One, Naana's Sparkle, Ziggy's Triton and The Man.
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