Key Points
- Heās had two runs to blow the cobwebs away and heās ready to strike
- Todayās betting tip is back down to his last winning mark
- His prominent running style suits this track as does his low draw
Today is the opening day of the Dante Festival at York racecourse and we are in for three fantastic days of action there. My betting tip today comes in the second race of the Festival, the 16-runner 6f Handicap, and I think this horse can strike for the third time at the track.
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Betting advice
- 14:42 York -
Bergerac
@17/2 (5 places) -
0.75pt each way
Back Bergerac with Betfred!
At the time of writing, Bergerac is available at 9/1 with one other bookie. But my recommendation is to take the 17/2 on offer with Betfred. This is still a fantastic price and they also have five places on offer. However, what makes them stand out is their new customer sign up offer, which is fantastic value. If you
bet Ā£10, youāll get Ā£50 in free bets. That more than makes up for the small difference in the odds.
Returning to The Knavesmire, Bergerac can win again!
Bergerac knows York racecourse very well having run here nine times already and it is a track that suits him. I think his 10th run at the track can provide his third win and there are multiple other reasons to think this as well.
Heās blown the cobwebs away and now itās time to strike!
After a 118 day break, Bergerac returned for his 2025 campaign at Newcastle in March but he finished last of seven. He pressed the winner but lost his position when short of room and he wasnāt helped by being hit on the nose by a rivalās whip over 1f out. Between the issues suffered and returning from a break, he faded out of the race tamely.
Last month he came back out at Southwell and pressed the leader, before again losing his position over 1f out and weakening inside the final 110 yards. Whilst his finishing position of eighth was worse, his RPR from one performance to the next improved from 82 to 89, so it was a step forward.
With those two runs under his belt, he should have no excuses fitness wise and should be stronger at the finish now. As a result of those two runs, he has also seen his mark drop from 91 to 88, which certainly helps his cause.
He is back down to his last winning mark, so heās handicapped to win!
Interestingly, his revised mark of 88 is the exact mark that his latest win came off at Newcastle back in June of last year. In addition to that, five of his seven career wins have come off marks of 88 or higher - 88, 88, 93, 90 and 88. Therefore, we know he can be very competitive here off this mark.
Bergerac ran at York three times in 2024 as follows: -
- 16th May 2024 - sixth of 17, beaten 2.75 lengths off a mark of 91
- 27th July 2024 - fifth of 14, beaten 2.5 lengths off a mark of 92
- 21st August 2024 - sixth of 22, beaten 2.5 lengths off a mark of 91
These three runs came over trips of 5f, 6f and 5.5f showing his versatility and arguably his best effort of the three was the middle effort over this 6f trip.
When you consider how close he got off marks 3-4lb higher, he must have an excellent chance of at least hitting the frame off todayās mark of 88.
His prominent running style suits The Knavesmire and he can record win number three here!
As a general rule in these 6f sprints at York racecourse, you want to be drawn low and also race prominently and Bergerac should tick both of these boxes. He certainly ticks the former as he is drawn in Stall 5 of 16.
In his two course and distance wins he has raced prominently and kept on well to fight off the challengers, so hopefully Tom Eaves fires him out of the stalls tomorrow with the same plan in mind.
The other horse who likes to lead is We Never Stop who is ironically drawn next to Bergerac in Stall 6. I definitely think thatās the right part of the track to be on in this race. I just hope that the pair of them donāt go too fast and effectively ruin one anotherās chances. However, as they are both trained by Kevin Ryan, albeit for different owners, you would like to think that wonāt happen.
Can Bergerac beat his 15 rivals and land this Ā£60,000 race?
All aspects considered, I think Bergerac has a fantastic chance of winning this 6f handicap and with five places on offer, he looks a superb each way bet in my eyes.
As well as the points already covered, he has two wins and one place from nine runs here and he has also had some excuses for his other runs, such as being drawn the wrong side of the track. For example, in his latest run here he was drawn the wrong side of the track, but he actually beat his nearside group.
I also really like the fact that off this mark of 88, he has a lovely racing weight of just 8st 11lb. As this is a wide open 16-runner race, we are gambling on the low numbers being the place to be drawn (track biases can vary). We need Bergerac to build on his two efforts this season to win this, so Iām trimming the stake on this one down to 0.75pt each way. However, at 17/2 with five places on offer, I feel he is well worth the bet.
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