Europe’s richest handicap, the Ebor at York, takes centre stage on Saturday afternoon with a highly competitive field set to do battle at 3.35pm.
Ante-post punters who backed EMIT at 25/1 a few weeks ago are already sitting in a strong position heading into the race.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained four-year-old has since shortened considerably in the market, with a current best price of 7/1 available for the York showpiece.
That early 25/1 represents excellent value compared to where the horse is trading now, with the colt firmly in the mix as one of the market leaders.
Ryan Moore takes the ride on Emit, and the horse holds leading claims off the same mark as when finishing fourth at Ascot on his most recent outing.
Willie Mullins’ LOVE ME TENDER is also worth serious consideration as an each-way saver for punters looking to cover more of the field.
The horse has arrived from Germany, having won his first two starts and finished last season with a good fourth place finish in the Listed Grand Prix du Nord on testing ground at Chantilly.
Mullins has won the Ebor twice in the last three years, and Love Me Tender looks set to be given every chance off what could prove to be a lenient handicap mark.
Connections had another horse entered in the race which they have since pulled out, and that move suggests they hold Love Me Tender in particularly high regard ahead of Saturday.
Turning to the day’s opening contest, the Group Three Strensall Stakes at 1.50pm, GERYON looks worth an each-way bet at 11/2 on the York card.
He caught the eye on his last start in the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, but failed to see out the final stages of that mile-and-a-half contest as strongly as the winner.
Crucially, Geryon now drops back in trip to a distance over which he won a Group Three at Leopardstown on his penultimate start, giving him strong claims here.
The combination of a return to a more suitable trip and his solid recent form make him an interesting each-way proposition at an attractive price for Saturday’s card.