York racing tips: Cambridge can give Ancient Wisdom food for thought in Dante Stakes
![Ancient Wisdom and William Buick](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.planetsport.com%2Fimage-library%2Fland%2F700%2F498173_ancient-wisdom-william-buick-14-october-2023.webp&w=3840&q=75)
York’s feature race is the Festival’s eponymous Dante Stakes, with the small field made up for by the high quality of the seven runners contesting the biggest prize of the prestigious meeting.
15:45 York: Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes (1 miles 2¼ furlongs)
The bookies understandably have Ancient Wisdom and William Buick as the team to beat here, and their favouritism appears justified after winning four out of five two-year-old outings with room to spare, and finishing third in the other.
Planet Sport Bet Daily Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Ancient Wisdom wins, get a £5 Free Bet
His final juvenile appearance was a Group 1 success in the Futurity Stakes in heavy conditions at Doncaster, so Charlie Appleby would expect his colt to relish this longer trip on his reappearance from a seven-month break.
Suggested best bet: Ancient Wisdom in the 15:45 at York
- Tip advised by The Wise Old Man on Tipstrr
That solitary failure at Ascot in July might leave an element of doubt over Ancient Wisdom’s short price here, especially as one of the two to beat him was the reopposing Al Musmak, who went one better next time out and also looks capable of tackling the extra distance in this renewal.
Caviar Heights and Economics both hold claims after already claiming early-season successes during the last month, while the Gosden-trained God’s Window is given a quick opportunity to make amends for a bad start from which he never recovered in the Dee Stakes at Chester a week ago.
Most intriguing of all, however, is to find Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore charge Cambridge available at tasty double-digit odds in such a small (albeit high-class) field.
The Dubawi colt came a modest third of eight on debut last August, but the introduction of Moore to the saddle spared a maiden win at Salisbury a month later, when he landed the odds by a short head, with the front two well clear of their other ten rivals.
Possible each-way punt: Cambridge in the 15:45 at York
Unsuitable heavy ground could be offered as an excuse for his runner-up spot under ben Coen in his last juvenile appearance at Leopardstown in October, while the one-mile trip appeared too sharp for him on his three-year-old debut in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket four weeks ago.
This longer trip on decent ground should tick all the right boxes for a more impactful performance, and although those above him in the betting hold obvious claims, a cautious each-way dabble could well prove fruitful if Moore is able to ask the right questions.
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