Raceolly’s Ebor Festival Friday Tips

Derry Lad has been very eye catching lately, first over a mile at Naas which was clearly too short a trip and he caught the eye flashing home late to finish a close third. He bettered that effort then next time out at Epsom when a very unlucky loser after being badly hampered at a crucial time and the race being over before he got a clear run, that form has been franked many times since and the booking here of Tom Marquand also catches the eye.

Trainer Kevin Thomas Coleman has a great record when coming to these shores boasting a 28%-win rate over the last five years and this season he’s sent 10 runners here with only two finishing outside the places.

Billboard Star would have been a lot closer last time at Goodwood when getting squeezed out at the finish and finishing upsides the reopposing The Strikin Viking yet he’s five times the price of that rival here. Before that he chased home Whistlejacket at Newmarket, who went on to win a Group One and the third also went on to win a Group Two next time out.

Even the novice he won before that has been franked and the winning time was very fast, over a second faster than the three-year-old handicap later on the card. It’s always worth noting when trainer Eve Johnson Houghton sends a two-year-old to these top tracks over the last five years she has a 29%-win rate here at York with her two-year-olds.

Zarabanda has been highly tried this season racing predominantly at listed level and proved herself up to that when a good fourth over course and distance last month. Her only run in a handicap this season came at Ripon back in May where she was badly hampered in her run at the finish and was still only beaten a length in fourth.

Now only 2lbs above the last win mark from last year when winning very well at Hamilton and only ran in a handicap once since then.