Tim Easterby, fresh from winning a jackpot juvenile prize at Redcar last Saturday with Body And Soul, can bookend tomorrow’s York meeting by saddling the first and last winners on the seven-race programme.

The Great Habton trainer saddles highly-rated juvenile Bachotheque in the opening TSG Nursery and last month’s Ayr winner is fancied to follow up in the hands of David Allan.

Having previously got off the mark at Carlisle, Bachotheque was hardly winning out of turn that day, having been placed to such horses as Blaine, the subsequent Gimcrack winner, and Rosdhu Queen, who went on to land the Lowther Stakes and Cheveley Park, in his earlier races at York and Ripon.

There was plenty to like about Bachotheque’s Carlisle successs and even more about his Ayr victory when he scored with authority. Although the handicapper is closing in on him, the likeable Bachotheque is selected to win.

Easterby can also lift the Future Cleaning Services Gentleman Amateur Riders Handicap with nap selection Maven, the mount of his teenage son, William, who is no stranger to the horse.

Easterby junior has won both times he’s ridden Maven, at Wolverhampton last December and at Newbury in May this year. The four-year-old filly, also a winner on this course, has kept her form well and finished a good fourth in a classified race at Doncaster on her latest start. She will be hard to beat back in handicap company in a race which may not take a lot of winning.

Richard Fahey also has double prospects with a brace of juveniles, both of whom will be partnered by Paul Hanagan.

Anderton is the first to go in the Brittains Maiden Stakes over an extended five furlongs. A respectable fourth on his debut at Thirsk, Anderton looked sure to win at Beverley next time, but threw away his chance by swerving violently across the course in the closing stages after establishing a clear lead. Provided he is on his best behaviour this time, Anderton may gain compensation.

Gabrial The Thug can be another for Fahey and Hanagan in the Download The Fee Racing Plus App Maiden Stakes.

The Malton colt finished second on his debut at Chester to stablemate Gabrial’s Kaka, who has since followed up at Epsom. That was an encouraging start from ‘the Thug’ and he is taken to go one better.

Model Pupil is not to be underestimated in the Garbutt & Elliott Conditions Stakes, despite his lengthy absence. Charlie Hills’s colt, a Newmarket winner last autumn, failed by only a nose to bet Mickdaam in the Group 3 Chester Vase in May and has not been seen since.

It was on Knavesmire in August that Sir Henry Cecil and Tom Queally contributed to an unforgettable triumph with the mighty Frankel in the Juddmonte International.

Natural Bloom is not in the same league, of course, as Frankel, but she sauntered home by six lengths at Folkestone last time and promises to be hard to beat off a mark of just 72 in the Parsonage Hotel And Spa Handicap.

At Wolverhampton’s evening meeting, three North Yorkshire horses are worth noting, starting with Fahey’s Gabrial’s Wawa (5.40), closely matched on form to York selection and stablemate Gabrial The Thug, and an unlucky loser at Musselburgh last time.

Recent course winners Iceblast (6.45), trained by Mick Easterby, and the Brian Ellison-trained Tiradito (9.15) are also included in the short-list.

 

Racing selections

York (tomorrow)
2.00 Bachotheque, 2.30 Model Pupil, 3.05 Green Howard, 3.40 Anderton, 4.15 Natural Bloom, 4.50 Gabrial The Thug, 5.20 Maven (NAP).

Wolverhampton (tomorrow)
5.40 Gabrial’s Wawa, 6.15 Manazel, 6.45 Iceblast, 7.15 Enrol, 7.45 Singzak, 8.15 Christingle, 8.45 Spithead, 9.15 Tiradito.

Tomorrow’s other meetings
Bath, Carlisle and Newton Abbot.

Today’s meetings
Ayr, Exeter, Kempton and Worcester.