Racing Lee's Ebor Festival Wednesday Tips

He’s five from six and carried all before him last season.

He returned with a disappointing effort in the Guineas, but powered home to win the Derby at Epsom, and again showed his worth in the Eclipse last time out. It wasn’t a pretty watch for favourite backers as he had to pull out all the stops, but looking back on the race now puts things differently. The runner-up has since bolted up in a Grade One in Germany and fourth was beaten a neck in a Grade One at Glorious Goodwood.

He looks special and can confirm that with a big win here.

This well-bred colt looked special on debut. Sent off a warm order having cost €2.3 million, he made the best start possible at Sandown by winning by over five lengths. He has plenty of good entries, and the form of that race is franked already with the third bolting up since. He can take this as a stepping stone to better things.

The Geoff Oldroyd yard isn’t the biggest set-up, meaning Pocklington may go off a bigger price than he should. His sire is Blue Point, the multiple Group One winning sprinter, and the selection kicked off his career on the same style by winning his first two starts. Both coming at Newcastle, the second of which he ran off level weights against a horse (Mount Athos) who had been runner-up in the Group Two Coventry at Royal Ascot behind River Tiber. He beat him fair and square that day, before stepping up to Listed level in a strong race at Newbury.

The winner at Newbury was Elite Status (won Group Three after), the second was Relief Rally (won Group Two last season), Adday In Devon was third (won two Listed races this season), Room service was sixth (won Class Two off top weight since), and the 11th was James Delight (a Listed winner since). The selection was fifth that day, beaten by five lengths on just his third start, only fading late on over the six furlongs.

He went to Royal Ascot on his latest and ran a huge race in the Group One Commonwealth Cup. He travelled well again until fading late on, and now drops back half a furlong, on his suitable quick ground, and should go well off this mark having shown his class prior.