Elarqam is the 3/1 favourite for the Group 2 York Stakes this Saturday, but Sir Michael Stoute’s Regal Reality offers much better each-way value at twice the odds.
Regal Reality looks a bet to nothing in York Stakes
The Group 2 York Stakes is the highlight of the nine-race card on Saturday at the Yorkshire course, and Elarqam is the +300 favourite in the ante-post betting at Bovada. However, at twice those odds, Regal Reality offers the better value. Nine horses have been declared to run, and online bookmakers will pay out to three places if at least eight of those make the final field, in which case Sir Michael Stoute‘s horse looks a bet to nothing in the each-way market.
Elarqam is the best runner on the latest Official Rating (OR) in this race for horses aged three and older over one mile, two furlongs and 56 yards. The race has a good recent record for favourites, as four top fancies have won the race in the last six years. Since 2010, nine winners have been in the first three in the betting. No double-figure runner has prevailed in the last 12 renewals, while average OR of the past 10 winners is 109.
This year’s favourite fits the betting trends but has a higher OR than the typical winner over the last decade. Elarqam has run to a mark of 119, which puts the horse on par with the 2018 York Stakes winner, Expert Eye. In fact, in terms of ratings across the board, the 2020 renewal is one of the strongest this century. Elarqam is a worthy favourite, but Regal Reality has produced some efforts that give the horse a chance to oblige at more rewarding odds.
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