Nunthorpe Stakes 2006 Race Preview

Nunthorpe Stakes sponsors, VC Bet, have opened a book on the five-furlong sprints which takes place at York on August 24, and Irish raider Dandy Man is the clear favourite at 5/2. The Con Collins-trained three-year-old has quickly established himself amongst the upper echelon of the current crop of sprinters, winning the Palace House Stakes and the valuable King of Beers Stakes at The Curragh on either side of a cracking effort in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot. At the Royal Meeting, the son of Mozart was first home on the unfavoured far side, finishing under a length adrift of the winner Takeover Target, which was a cracking effort against his elders. Dandy Man possesses plenty of scope and, given that rate at which he is improving, it's not hard to see why he is a strong ante-post favourite to emulate his sire by winning this Group 1 contest. Last year's winner La Cucaracha is next in VC Bet's list at 7/1, the same price as the Australian speedball, Takeover Target. Marcus Andronicus, Moss Vale and Osterhase are all priced at 8/1. The last-named appears to be at the peak of his powers despite his advancing years, and he was far from disgraced in finishing a length and a half third to Dandy Man at The Curragh on July 2 when trying to concede 5lb to a rival less than half his age. The Tatling and Majestic Missile, second and third respectively in this race last year, haven't looked so good so far this term and are available at 16/1 and 20/1 respectively, while the luckless Benbaun, runner-up in all of his four races during the current campaign, including when a short head second to Takeover Target in the King's Stand, is 14/1. Golden Jubilee hero Les Arcs is a 10/1 chance, while the horse who chased him home in that Group 1 event, Balthazaar's Gift, is 14/1. Also on 14/1 is last year's Stewards' Cup victor Gift Horse and Mark Tompkins' Steenberg.