York Tips: Unequal Love can shine in Summer Stakes

There are seven race meetings taking place across Britain and Ireland on Friday, including an afternoon of Flat action at York.

They race on the Knavesmire from 14:05 to 17:30 on a card headlined by the Group 3 Summer Stakes at 14:40. Conditions at York are forecast to be good to soft. Our trio of York fancies includes one for William Haggas in the feature race who has a progressive profile.

14:05 – Yanifer @ 11/1 

A 7f handicap gets things going at York and it's competitive stuff. Last-time-out winners Silver Samurai, Riot and Tolstoy have their merits again, while Quest For Fun looked a bit unlucky in settling for second spot over course and distance in the race won by Tolstoy here last month.

They are overlooked in favour of the Harriet Bethell-trained YANIFER on this occasion.

The Dandy Man gelding has a likeable track record, with seven wins and seven more placed efforts from 22 career starts on grass. Amongst those wins was one over course and distance in October 2022.

He ran only twice last year and returned from 420 days off with a good effort at Chester (7f, good to soft) in May. He hasn't quite built on that in two outings since but is off the same mark of 88 now and has run well in both previous starts at York. He should be competitive at a decent price under claiming rider Oisin McSweeney in this Betfred Extra Place Race (five places).

Extra Place Race - Paying 5 places (1/5 Odds) instead of 4

14:40 – Unequal Love @ 5/2

The feature race of the afternoon is the Group 3 Summer Stakes for fillies' and mares over 6f and a field of 12 are set to face the starter.

Principle among them is UNEQUAL LOVE for trainer William Haggas and rider Tom Marquand in the Cheveley Park silks.

The Dutch Art filly has won two of her three starts this season, scoring in Listed company at Newmarket (6f, good) in May and then adding the Wokingham at Royal Ascot last month over the same trip off a mark of 102, having posted a creditable fifth in a Curragh Group 2 in between times.

That Wokingham win was a strong effort and though she gives 3lb to a host of in-form three-year-olds in this field, Unequal Love may be on track for better things. She is proving herself a prolific winner (6-10) and looks a Group-race winner in waiting for her top connections.

Extra Place Race - Paying 4 places (1/5 Odds) instead of 3

16:55 – The Coffee Pod @ 7/1

No hanging around for this Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Handicap over the minimum 5f and it's a contest in which recent Nottingham winner Never Dark and Muker – a winner at Redcar last month and a previous C&D scorer – will likely prove popular.

One who is perhaps under the radar is THE COFFEE POD for Richard Hannon. The Acclamation gelding scored as a novice over 6f here last season and was tasked with extremely tough challenges in valuable races at Newmarket, Epsom and here earlier in this campaign.

His last two runs at Goodwood and Windsor have been a bit more promising and the booking of Tom Marquand now is a positive for a three-year-old colt who has dipped 9lb in the ratings since May and now carries just 8st 13lb facing these older rivals.

Extra Place Race - Paying 4 places (1/5 Odds) instead of 3