York’s Thursday opener, the DBS Premier Yearling Stakes, looks a punting minefield. Long-odds winners are frequent, including last year’s market leader who ran no race when backed into 5/2. Today’s favourite, Tasleet, is a ridiculous price of 15/8 thanks to his good second behind Shalaa in Group Two company at Goodwood. His worst performance to date came in his maiden, run on today’s good to soft conditions, and with so many of these two-year-olds open to improvement he should be taken on.
10/1 shot Lathom has progressed into a nice horse, since winning his maiden he’s progressed to a mark of 100 after winning beating 21 home at Newbury. But it’s the horse he beat into second on his maiden, General Alexander, who catches the eye. Raced only three times, all in May this year, he’s arriving fresh and it’s notable his best performance came when chasing Lathom home on today’s good to soft ground. The 80/1 available seems generous and there’s every chance his trainer has been waiting for the right ground.
I’m not too keen on the 1/5th odds and four places offered on the each way terms, so I’d rather back another potential soft-ground specialist, Rantan, to outrun his odds. Only raced twice, one of those was a recent Redcar win on soft and, with conditions in favour today, he could outrun his odds.
Leave a comment