Monday racing tips: Andy Stephens shares his three best bets

The Sky Bet Ebor Festival at York is always one of the highlights of the year and the cast for this week looks superb. 

It’s been a case of the good (the Derby), the bad (2000 Guineas), and the ugly (Eclipse) for City Of Troy this year and it will be fascinating to see the next chapter of his story in what promises to be a compelling Juddmonte International on Wednesday. 

Before that, we have more racing in Yorkshire on Monday, albeit at a much lower level. I’ve got two fancies at Catterick, live on Racing TV, and an each-way poke at bigger odds at Windsor. 

Birkenhead was well held in a big-field handicap at York last time, but you can put a line through that effort as he had little chance from his high draw and usual front-running tactics were ditched. 

This is a much easier assignment and I imagine he will soon be bowling at the head of affairs from his plum draw in stall 1. 

The seven-year-old had been in fine form before that reverse on the Knavesmire, including when romping home at Catterick in late May. The track plays to his strengths, and he’s won or been placed in four of his five races at the track. 

Paul Midgley, his trainer, also runs Glory Fighter, who scored at Musselburgh last time, but it’s a tip that David Nolan, who rides the bulk of the trainer’s horses, has opted to ride Birkenhead. The other key runner in the race is Macanudo, but he’s becoming hard to win with. 

There’s a big field for the finale at Catterick but most are exposed as bread-and-butter performers and it may pay to focus on the trio of three-year-olds in the field: Sir Garfield, Bulmer Bank and East Bank. 

The most interesting of them is Sir Garfield, who won over course and distance in July and has since continued to run well in defeat. 

Favourite backers have had their fingers burnt on him on his past two starts, especially last time at Ayr when a well-backed 6/5 market leader, but he lost little in defeat behind Braes Of Doune, who had been knocking at the door. 

A draw in stall 8 should be fine, with several of those drawn low usually ridden with restraint. By contrast, several horses in the race who make the running or race prominently are drawn wide. 

This five-year-old is 0/22 on turf, a bit inconsistent and running in a grade much higher than he needs to, but I won’t be able to resist a small each-way play at the early 14/1 on offer. 

He’s caught the eye a few times since last getting his head in front, off a 10lb higher mark at Kempton in February, especially at Leicester last time when looking an unlucky loser under a 7lb apprentice who had previously ridden just one winner. Events conspired against him at the start and the finish that day, and it was a case of what might have been after he was beaten a head and a neck. 

Ultramarine runs off the same mark and to my mind is a winner without a penalty, with Richard Kingscote taking over in the saddle. It’s not as if he is bumping into a raft of in-form rivals, either, with the other 11 in the line-up all having been dropped in the ratings since last being in action.