WELL, it can’t be the Derby or the first day of Royal Ascot every day.

Advertised is going to have to reverse form with a few of today’s rivals from their running in a six-furlong handicap at the Guineas meeting at Newmarket if he is going to prevail in the Churchill Tyres Supporting Macmillan Handicap at York this afternoon, but you can easily allow him that run.

He stumbled slightly at the start that day. It wasn’t anything major in one sense, but it was significant in another. It meant that he couldn’t adopt a prominent role, which wasn’t ideal for a prominent racer at a track at which prominent racers are usually advantaged.

He was always playing catch-up after that, at a track at which he may not be fully at ease, and he ended up finishing ninth.

It wasn’t an abysmal run though. He was only beaten a total of four and a quarter lengths.

Grant Tuer’s horse was progressive last season as a juvenile. He won a novice stakes at Newcastle in August and he won a nursery back at Newcastle in October, and he ran a big race on his final run last season over seven furlongs at York to finish a close-up fourth in a valuable contest eight days later.

It looked like he was coming with a run that day that would take him into the lead close home, but he just flattened out inside the final furlong, leaving the impression that he might be better dropped back down to six furlongs. Importantly too, he proved there that he could operate at York.

He did win over seven furlongs at Newcastle last October, but that was in a Class 4 race, and it may be that today’s distance is his optimal trip.

Season debut

He was good on his debut this season in finishing second to Sovereign Spell in a six-furlong handicap at Newmarket’s Craven meeting.

He didn’t handle the Dip too well that day, but he stuck to his task bravely to go down by just a half a length, with the first two finishing nicely ahead of Albaydaa, who has finished second once and won once in two runs since, and who is now rated 3lb higher than she was then.

The son of Advertise has been gelded since his last run at Newmarket, and that could elicit considerable improvement, as could the return to York, where he put up one of the best performances of his career last October.

His trainer’s horses are in good form, and his forward-going style of racing is well suited to York. He is versatile in terms of ground conditions, and his low draw is probably a positive.

This race was won by Harry Three from stall 19 in 2022 and by Quinault from stall 20 in 2023, but six of the last 10 renewals have been won by horses drawn five or lower and, of course, a lot of it is determined by the pace of the race but, generally, on York’s sprint track, you usually want to be drawn more low than high.

Thunder Call is progressive, as is Man Of Vision, who was only just beaten by Ten Carat Harry in that Newmarket race, although he might appreciate a step back up to seven furlongs now.

Go close

Chicago Pope has the pace to lie up with the leaders for a long way towards the far side, Johnny Murtagh’s horse could go close, and First Legion goes well at York and did well for a prominent racer in a three-year-olds’ seven-furlong handicap at York’s Dante meeting, in a race in which the first three home all raced in mid-division or worse early on. It’s a wide open race in which you can make cases for many, but Advertised looks over-priced.

Sandown handicap

High Degree looks a little over-priced too in the Read Meg Nicholls’ Blog At BetMGM.co.uk Handicap at Sandown earlier in the day.

Unraced as a juvenile, William Haggas’ horse was sent off as favourite or joint favourite for four of his six races as a three-year-old last season.

He won just once, but he put up several nice performances in defeat, including when he finished fifth from a wide draw in a competitive 10-furlong handicap at Glorious Goodwood in July.

More importantly, gelded during the winter, he probably put up the best performance of his career to date on his debut this season, when he finished second behind Hand Of God in a 10-furlong handicap at Newbury on Lockinge Stakes weekend.

The winner was impressive, but he is a high-class older horse, winner of the Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot in 2024 and back down to a mark of 96, 6lb lower than his peak, who had already had a run this season. And High Degree kept on well to finish a good second behind him.

He should come on for that run, his first of the season and just the seventh of his life, and he should appreciate the drop back down to a mile. He is another who likes to go forward in his races, an asset over a mile at Sandown, and Tom Marquand can be good and positive on him over the shorter trip. His trainer is operating at a strike rate of 27% these days, and that rate could be further enhanced by High Degree.

Recommended:

High Degree 3.17 Sandown - 1pt win @ 7/2 (generally)

Advertised 3.35 York - 1pt e/w @ 11/1 (generally)