Afsare, Planteur leading the field in Saturday’s Sky Bet York Stakes
The punters will it difficult to pick and choose in Saturday’s Sky Bet York Stakes, as Afsare and Planteur battle it out for favouritism at York. There will be 11 horses in the Group 2 meeting, but the Newmarket duo holds an obvious chance of dominating the proceedings.
Planteur, trained by Marco Botti, was quite disappointing on his previous outing last month. The audience at Royal Ascot saw him finishing seventh behind So You Think in the Group 1, 150th Anniversary of Prince of Wales's Stakes (British Champions Series).
The 5-year-old took keen hold early on, but failed to carry forward his good work. He was outclassed a furlong before the wire, and since he failed to quicken in the final stages, it was very difficult for him to get a notable place on the table.
Danehill Dancer’s son started off this season with a couple of fine efforts. He was third behind Monterosso in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline at Meydan. After a decent effort in the mega event, he continued his good work to ensure another third place.
In the Group 1 Prix D'Ispahan at Longchamp, the Mohamed Albousi Alghafli-owned shared the podium with Golden Lilac and Cirrus Des Aigles. Bred by Dayton Investments Ltd, he has been struggling since winning two consecutive races in April last year. However, the upcoming event is a good chance for him to come out of his lean patch.
On the other hand, Afsare is full of confidence after a recent strike. The 5-year-old was an easy winner in the class 1 Ambant Gala Stakes at Sandown, where he beat Songcraft by two and a quarter lengths.
The highlight of his 2012 journey was an excellent performance at Capannelle, where he was second to Crackerjack King in the Group 1 Premio Presidente Della Repubblica Gbi Racing. After two fine acts, Luca Cumani's trainee is in good position to have a cracking show this weekend.
Afsare will be mounted by Kieren Fallon, while Planteur is due to run under Adam Kirby. There are a many powerful horses in the line-up, but an exciting battle between the aforementioned runners is on the cards.
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