Haggas and O’Meara hold the key to Clipper
THURSDAY’S card isn’t easy and finding the winner of the valuable Clipper Handicap (3.00pm) certainly won’t be.
The obvious one that punters will side with is ELNAJMM for William Haggas, the Yorkshireman who loves having winners on the Knavesmire.
A gelding operation last summer seems to have worked the oracle as he has been impressive in both his victories this season, firstly at Newcastle and then last month at Ascot.
He is improving rapidly and if he was to win this, you’d have thought it will be his last start in a handicap.
He simply has to be included in any World Pool Quinella or Swinger perms, as he could just be better than these, but his draw in stall 17 is far from ideal.
David O’Meara has won this race twice in the last eight years and he clearly wants to land it again as he saddles six of the 19 strong field.
NEW IMAGE is really interesting with champion jockey elect Oisin Murphy in the saddle.
The gelded son of Frankel has won four times this season since moving to O’Meara from Ger Lyons, including a last-gasp success in the Shergar Cup a couple of weeks ago.
He has to carry a 6lb penalty for that success, which makes life harder, but he has been incredibly consistent and will be hard to keep out of the frame.
The other O’Meara runner to include in the perm has to be course specialist BLUE FOR YOU, who has done CityAM readers a few favours in the past.
His three victories for the yard have all come over course and distance, including two starts back when beating Northern Express who has since won the International Handicap at Ascot with New Image a close second.
They all look solid contenders in the win and place markets, so stick them in a combination Quinella or Swinger.
POINTERS THURSDAY
Elnajmm, New Image, Blue For You 3.00pm York
(Quinella/Swinger)