VC Bet Nunthorpe Stakes Betting Tips

The ground has turned on the easy side of good at York over the past couple of days - it's now officially described as good to soft - which is ideal for Eric Alston's Reverence, an 8/1 chance with the sponsors for Thursday's VC Bet Nunthorpe Stakes over the flying five. From the very day that a book was devised for this race, Irish raider Dandy Man has been all the rage, and understandably so. The three-year-old has quickly made up into a sprinter of the highest order this season and he was drawn on the 'wrong' side when fourth to Takeover Target in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot in June, but for which he probably would have won. Subsequent to then, Con Collins' stable star has underlined his potential with a smart win at The Curragh. However, his improvement has coincided with tackling fast ground. On both occasions that he has raced on going with 'soft' in the description he has been beaten, including when chasing home Moon Unit on his seasonal reappearance at Naas in April. Bearing this in mind, I think that Dandy Man is well worth opposing at a best price of 2/1. Conversely, Reverence will relish the prevailing conditions. He was beaten under two lengths into fourth behind Dandy Man on going which was too fast for him in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket in May. Significantly, not only does he now have the cut in the ground that he needs, Reverence is 7lb better off with Dandy Man. Steenberg is another that could go close with the ground softening. Mark Tompkins' charge has never actually raced over five furlongs before but he was in the lead a furlong out when beating Quito over six on the Knavesmire last time and, with a blistering pace assured courtesy of the speedball Desert Lord, Steenberg's finishing kick will prove to be a potent weapon. Moss Vale was well behind Steenberg in that race back in May, but he was clearly well below par on that occasion, and has subsequently enjoyed a fruitful campaign, winning three times under contrasting conditions. He is a force to be reckoned with in this sphere and is capable of a bold show. However, I'm still inclined to side with Reverence, who has race on ground good to soft or easier on six occasions, and has been beaten just once, when third to subsequent Golden Jubilee and July Cup victory Les Arcs at Redcar in May. Betting verdict - 1pt win Reverence @ 8/1 (VC Bet)