Appleby To Be On Point In The Nunthorpe

The three-year-olds have lit up the opening two days of York’s Ebor meeting but Friday is the turn of the older generation over varying ranges with the 5f Nunthorpe Stakes promising to be a fascinating watch after Stradivarius goes for the £1m bonus.

Appleby to be on Point
Sole Power won the Nunthorpe at odds of 100/1 famously back in 2010 and winners at 20/1 and 40/1 since then with just one winning favourite in that time will give bookmakers plenty of confidence going into the Group 1 sprint on Friday.

Battaash is one of the fastest horses on the planet and he proved that again at Goodwood earlier this month but Royal Ascot form could be franked here.

Blue Point won the Gimcrack at this meeting two years ago and the King’s Stand Stakes winners is back over 5f today after being outgunned by U S Navy Flag last time out in the July Stakes.

Battaash is a favourite bookmakers will be willing to take on

…as the occasion can get to him and he had a winning sequence that was ended in this race last year.

These sprints can often throw up different results with so much needing to go right for a horse in a short space of time but Blue Point could be better over five furlongs than he is over six and on the Ascot run Battaash has a length and three quarters to find so that won’t be easy at a track where Blue Point has been successful before.

The 4/1 about Charlie Appleby’s charge is the bet in the feature on day three at York.

Boys in Blue of interest in First too
It could be a good afternoon for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby at York today as First Nation stood out in the opening race.

The four-year-old ended last season by winning the Old Rowley Cup at Newmarket and after a delayed start to this season he looked like a horse that would come on plenty when returning at Ascot in July. It looks like he hasn’t been the most straightforward but First Nation may still be on the right side of the handicapper here.

This mile and a half trip looks to be where we’ll see him at his best and First Nation looks to be taking on some more exposed rivals here whereas there could well still be more to come from this son of Dubawi who has plenty of experience in even more competitive races than this.

Recommended bets:
First Nation (11/2) – 1.55 York
Blue Point (4/1) – 3.35 York

*Pries correct at time of publication