Totesport Ebor Tips - updated!

Last year's Ebor hero Sergeant Cecil managed to capture the imagination of the racing public last year and was justifiably crowned 'horse of the year' when the Flat turf season drew to a close. This year, no horse is endearing itself to punters and racing enthusiasts alike more so than Young Mick, who has made a meteoric rise up the ratings this season, and he can land this year's renewal of the totesport Ebor at York on Wednesday, for which he is a 10/1 shot with Blue Square. The four-year-old has been placed with perfect precision by his trainer George Margarson this year, a campaign in which he won a maiden claimer on the all-weather rated 54 back in January, but will be racing off a mark of 94 when his revised mark kicks in. He has twice beaten ante-post favourite for this, Glistening, at Ascot this season, including at the Royal meeting in June. And although Luca Cumani's charge has excuses for both occasions in which he was beaten by Young Mick - and he does have a decent pull at the weights - I am not convinced that he will reverse the placings, because the selection goes from strength to strength and is probably capable of even better than he have seen thus far. Indeed, Young Mick has won his last two races with more in hand than the official winning margins may suggest and while he hasn't raced beyond a mile and a half yet, I am confident that he will stay. This confidence is borne out by the way he has been finishing his races over more galloping tracks. To my mind, if a horse isn't stopping at the end of a strongly-run race over twelve furlongs at Ascot, which is a galloping track, then the horse in question will have few problems staying fourteen furlongs on a sharp circuit like York. To say that this son of King's Best is as tough as teak is the understatement of the century, and he looked he looked a horse potentially capable of mixing it at pattern-race class when making light of top weight to readily see of nine rivals at the Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot on August 12. Another horse that has to be considered closely is the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Book Of Music, who is open to any amount of improvement having had just three starts, will benefit from this stiffer stamina test, and has to be worth a small investment at 14/1 with Blue Square given that he's just got 8st 2lb to carry in this prestigious handicap. Newmarket handler Stoute is one of the most astute trainers in the business. He has clearly laid-out this 200,000gns son of Sadler's Wells for this contest, and he shaped as though screaming out for this sort of trip when staying on to finish three parts of a length second to Dansili Dancer at Sandown last month, form which was franked by that winner who went onto land a competitive and valuable event at Haydock subsequently. Significantly, Book Of Music still holds an entry in the Group 1 St Leger, an engagement which indicates that Stoute thinks he is better than handicap class. Whether he will, however, have the requisite mettle to outgun a rival of Young Mick's stature remains to be seen, but at 14/1 he's worth a saver, that's for sure. In addition to Glistening, Cumani also has Soulacroix entered, and he merits respect, along with Elusive Dream, who has discovered the winning habit the last twice. If further rain were to full on the Knavesmire, Signatory would have to come firmly into the reckoning, while both Geordieland and Foxhaven are ahead of the handicapper at present, and both have solid each-way claims. Verdict - 1pt win Young Mick @ 10/1 (Blue Square) & 0.50pts win Book Of Music @ 14/1 (Blue Square)