This morning the news broke that the fantastic Franklin D who won the hearts of the punters at Goodwood has sadly broken a leg and has had to be euthanised. Michael Bell who trained him and his owners Bill and Tim Gredley are said to be in shock after he broke his hind pastor on the gallops at Newmarket this morning. A truly special horse that will be sadly missed from the racing fraternity.
Elsewhere today the York Ebor Festival starts, all the biggest trainers and horses are attending, we will be giving you a taste each day of what’s running and the best prices for the day.
Starting with today’s big race at York, The Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes which is a group 2 race for Colts and Geldings, Aidan O’Brien has three horses in this race, Idaho, HousesofParliament and The Major General. Out of a six-horse race, he really would be unlucky not to be in the top three here somewhere, today's favourite with the bookies is Idaho of course, with odds of 4/6 with most bookies including Coral. Now, out of six starts, Idaho has only had one win, but he’s had two-second places and two third places, which when you look at it like that, is not too shabby and he’s a favourite for that reason.
Second favourite is the sir Michael Stoute-trained horse, Across the Stars, he came first on his last outing at Royal Ascot so big things will be expected today and Sir Michael is always quite successful here at The York Ebor, so watch this space. Odds for Across the Stars today are 5/1 with Bet365.
Third favourite is Aidan O’Brien’s HousesofParliament. He did well on his last outing, coming first at Newmarket and today he has good odds with a price of 10/1 with Paddy Power, surely a good each way punt.
Running up the tail in fourth is Imperial Aviator, this Roger Charlton horse had a bit of a nightmare when he last raced at Chantilly in France and obviously did not travel well because he is so much better than that. All his races previous to that were top three finishes. Let’s hope he can get back to winning ways today, with odds of 10/1 with William Hill, he could be the one to back if he’s in form.
Back tomorrow with more racing news from the York Ebor festival and Good Luck today.