York Tips: Three to follow closely on Saturday

There are eight UK and Irish race meetings to choose from on Saturday and there is a seven-race card taking place at York which catches my eye.

Below you will find my York Tips for Saturday, July 12.

14:35 York - Jm Jungle @ 4/1

This Class 1 handicap looks to be an interesting contest on Saturday. Eight runners have been declared for this 5f trip. There are a couple of players to consider but it's JM JUNGLE who gets my backing.

The five-year-old has shown that he is a reliable sprint handicapper, winning the Dash at Epsom in June and gave a strong account of himself when he placed second over C&D on his last appearance. He has placed on all five starts this season, so trainers John and Sean Quinn should be proud of his progress.

This does feel like a belated first outing in a Listed race but he looks as ready as he'll ever be. Jm Jungle has good form backing him up and he is well-travelled over this distance, so I'm expecting him to be a strong contender - as do the bookies.

15:10 York - Archivist @ 3/1

ARCHIVIST is preparing to contest his first trip over 1m 2f after triumphing here on his handicap debut over 1m on June 28. This was preceded by a victory at Leicester over the same distance and so he is bidding to complete a hat-trick on Saturday.

There will be more asked of the three-year-old in this step up in trip and there are differing opinions on how he will handle it. He took time to settle last time but had a very strong finish. A troublesome start may be costly here, but if he gets off smoothly, he will once again be a strong option to prevail.

There's a 5lb penalty to consider but Archivist and trainer William Haggas, who has won this race three times since 2011, can take this in their stride on their swift return to YO23.

The two have been paired up for a couple of months since a change in yard but it is so far having positive effect.

15:45 York - Al Qareem @ 13/8

AL QAREEM returns to York to contest this Listed race which he placed second in a year ago, losing out to Alsakib by one-and-a-half lengths. This Class 1 Stakes race over 1m 6f is set to feature six runners and this popular six-year-old stands out above the rest.

He has posted two Listed successes this year, the latest being an superb showing over C&D last month. The Karl Burke-trained star also has three Group race triumphs in his career to back up his credentials, and he is looking to be in much better shape ahead of this race than last time.

It may be a short field but it is going to take something special to beat him on current form, and I think it would be foolish to bet against him in this current mood.

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