City Of York Stakes Tips: Audience To Confirm Goodwood Form
The Ebor Festival wraps up with a sparkling Saturday card at York and while the main event comes 35 minutes after this race, the 2024 City Of York Stakes looks to be a race to savour and certainly no side dish. Billy Grimshaw has been converted by the favourite and makes the case here...
#AD 18+ New customers only. Bet £10+ on pre-match accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get 4x £5 Horse Racing Free Bets and 50 Free Spins using code BETGETRACING, valid for 7 days on selected bets and games only. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Let me preface this piece with a note of caution. I have a rotten record when tipping up favourites who I have doubted in the past due to their inconsistent profile only to have been turned from doubter to believer with a second run reaffirming their class. I've lost count of the horses over the years I've decided won't back up a perceived 'fluke' win, they have duly won next time out and then third time around when I support them as they have to all intents and purposes proved their ability, they blowout.
With that in mind, perhaps take what I'm about to say with a pinch of salt, but I can't see past AUDIENCE in here. There is a school of thought that he has been flattered in his wins in the Lockinge when given a freebie off the front and then when chasing Art Power for most of the race in the Lennox before powering clear of that one who ended up in second place. While it may well have been true at Newbury, I don't see how the rest of the field's riders underestimated this Gosden beast at Goodwood and am fairly certain he won the race on merit.
Often in racing we dismiss a horse who wins a race when given a perceived easy time of things off the front end, but Audience is simply a new horse this season to my eye and the fractions he is setting out in front or at least up with the pace just mean those in behind cannot live with him. He is a seven furlong specialist and while Kinross will undoubtedly get closer, he looks to have been on the wane a touch this season and I'd be surprised even if he runs his race a touch closer to the pace if he has the boot to get past the favourite.
#AD 18+ New customers only. Bet £10+ on pre-match accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get 4x £5 Horse Racing Free Bets and 50 Free Spins using code BETGETRACING, valid for 7 days on selected bets and games only. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Bearing in mind my new found respect for Audience, I could put no one off putting him to beat Art Power again into a forecast bet - especially if the rain comes for the horse he beat by four lengths into second at Goodwood. Vafortino has gone forward in the past and Breege is often handy, but I don't think either will be able to go the gallop with Audience if their connections try to run the sting out of the market leader.
The fly in the ointment here could well be Lake Forest the three year old, who has only been beaten by two very smart animals this year in Inisherin (at Royal Ascot) and Elite Status (in a Newbury Group 3). In both races he has done his best work late on and so this step up from six to seven furlongs could bring about further improvement, however getting to Audience's number of 124 last time out would be a mighty display for a three year old.
Shouldvebeenaring has a good record at York, albeit his worst performance here came when trying seven furlongs on soft ground so any rain will do his chances no favours, while Fivethousandtoone is the rank outsider and looks to have a mighty job on his hands.