The tipsters’ table, York Races, Saturday, June 11, 2016

Who's tipping what: scroll horizontally to see all the picks

Tipster/ race	Dick Turpin	Sun	Times	The Guardian	Daily Mail	At The Races	GG.com	Racing Post
1.50pm	Nayel	Oceane	Yorkidding	Tapis Libre	Nayel	Nayel	Nayel	Yorkidding
2.25pm	That Is The Spirit (Nap)	Secret Hint	Withernsea	Withernsea	Secret Hint	Felix Leiter	Withernsea	Lincoln
3.00pm	Mutakayyef (NB)	Muwaary	You’re Fired	Mindurownbusiness	Mutakayyef	Mutakayyef	Muwaary	Mutakayyef
3.35pm	Dancing Star	Ikerrin Road	Aclaim	Dancing Star	Dancing Star (nb)	Aclaim	Udontdodou	Udontdodou
4.10pm	Normandy Knight	Purple Rock	Terhaal	Normandy Knight	Correggio	Nonchalant	Jacbequick	Eurystheus
4.45pm	Nautical Haven	Final Reckoning	Cajmere	Jacquard	Jacquard	Jacquard	Jacquard	Jacquard
5.20pm	Intisaab	Mon Brav	Escalating	Bop It	Canyari	Escalating	Intisaab	Canyari

He’s the highwayman tipster who has proved to be the scourge of the bookies at Knavesmire.

But what’s this? The usually ebullient Dick Turpin is in remarkably subdued mood about his prospects of giving the turf accountants a whacking at Saturday’s Charity Sprint day (June 11). Even a strong tip about a major gamble has not lifted his spirits.

Under cover of darkness, he clattered into the city centre on Black Bess, with the following note firmly wedged into a cleft stick which he threw in through the open window of YorkMix‘s editorial department high up in an eyrie overlooking Shambles.

Turpin writes:

Racing enthusiasts are in for a true spectacle of the sport of kings on Saturday, but it is with a heavy heart that I say the same will not be true for those of us for whom the wagering is the main attraction.

Three of the races will be the proverbial cavalry charge, each with 20 runners declared (3.35, 4.10 and 5.20). Virtually impossible to pick a winner.

Make no mistake, these will be eye-catching events, but for the hardened gamblers, there are just too many variables to take into account, and I will be placing very modest stakes.

Though I have heard excellent encouraging reports of Andrew Balding’s Dancing Star, going for a three-timer in the showpiece event at 3.35.

My main interest of the day lies in the 2.25, seven-furlong handicap. Using my usual assessment methods, I should happily be advising a modest investment in Felix Leiter, on the basis of a nice win at Lingfield over the same distance, or Richard Fahey’s Withernsea, an impressive second at Haydock last time, or even Mujassam, all with excellent claims.

But then the carrier pigeon arrives from David O’Meara’s Helmsley yard with freshest advices from someone who can not be named.

The scrawled message advises against those obvious choices, recommending me to look closely at That Is The Spirit. The five-year-old gelding is a previous course and distance winner, and has three other York victories to his name.

But that’s the past, and his eleventh out of 12 runners reappearance here 21 days ago quite simply failed to impress. My snout assures me that he always needs a first outing and his second run, as last year, will blow away those preconceptions, especially now David Nolan is in the saddle.

The bookies don’t think much of him either, with overnight quotes of 10-1 or more. So what does Turpin do? The form? Or the information?

He does what he always does, and goes Nap on the ‘outsider’. Information is information, and he sniffs a betting coup.

Mutakayyef (3.00) is taken to finally make his mark after connections have shown such faith in this handsome son of Sea The Stars.

The tipsters’ table, York Races, Friday, June 10, 2016

Who's tipping what: scroll horizontally to see all the picks

Tipster/ race	Dick Turpin	Racing Post	Sun	Mirror	Times	The Guardian	Daily Mail	At The Races	GG.com
2.00pm	Franca Florio	Computable	Computable	Computable	Dundunah	Computable	Computable	Franca Florio	Rubiesnpearls
2.35pm	Pandora	Forgotten Hero	Pandora	Darrington	Muhaafiz	Muhaafiz	Forgotten Hero	Pandora	Forgotten Hero
3.10pm	Major Cornwallis (NB)	Melaniemillie	Zebspear	Baltic Beau	Major Cornwallis	Melaniemillie	Major Cornwallis	Nazik	Zebspear
3.45pm	Normandy Barriere	Regal Dan	Regal Dan	Big Time	Big Time	Big Time (nap)	Regal Dan	Normandy Barriere	Normandy Barriere
4.20pm	Giddy	Mehronissa	Alqubbah	Tumblewind	Mayfair Lady (nap)	Mehronissa	Giddy	Alqubbah	Mehronissa
4.50pm	Sign Of A Victory (Nap)	Sign Of A Victory	Sign Of A Victory	Shrewd	Sign Of A Victory	Sign Of A Victory	Sign Of A Victory	Sign Of A Victory	Sign Of A Victory
5.20pm	Kip	I Am Not Here	Kip	Itlaaq	Kip	Kip	Kip (nap)	Viserion	Tamayuz Magic

It’s little wonder that YorkMix tipster Dick Turpin hasn’t been seen in the city since his unprecedented tipping performance at the last Knavesmire meeting.

Five winners in one day was a money-making triumph. Three Win selections, and two Longshots made it first past the post for Turpin to have his best-ever day at the track.

Word reaches us that he is relaxing with underworld pals on Hispaniola for much of the summer, with occasional returns to God’s own county to glean the gossip from the county’s training yards.

His latest parchment of tips for Friday (June 10) has just arrived at the YorkMix office. Here’s what our roguish highwayman has to say…

Turpin writes:

Just my luck to go elsewhere in search of summer sun when I hear it’s a heatwave back home. But I’be buried my booty from the last meeting and I’m staying put here for the time being – though I still have good information for you.

I have had a very strong word from my spies at Nicky Henderson’s Lambourn yard. Not usually my patch, Berkshire, too many soft southerners for my liking.

And Nicky’s more of a jumps man usually, but they have great faith in the well-named Sign Of A Victory in the 1m 6f handicap for four-year-olds and upwards (4.50).

This impressive hurdler was awkwardly positioned when favourite at Ascot last month, and his fifth place was commendable under the circumstances. Jamie Spencer won’t let that happen again, and this pair get the Nap vote.

In the six-furlong sprint (3.10), Major Cornwallis gets the Turpin seal of approval too. The Hanagan/Fahey charge impressed on debut. Finishing fifth at Haydock, there was enough in the performance to suggest the gelding learnt much from the experience.

The extra distance here should make all the difference, and he is my sporting ‘next-best’ selection to beat the likely favourite Melaniemillie.

If I could have a second Nap choice, it would be for Normandy Barriere in the 3.45 handicap over seven furlongs.

This good-looking Rock Of Gibraltar descendant looks to be at the start of a tremendous summer run of victories, clearly signposted by a gutsy win at Ascot last month.

The 5lb penalty for that performance is a slight concern, but I don’t think the handicapper has got remotely close to pegging him back yet.

Take it carefully today. I’m not expecting a flurry of long-priced winners, and it looks as if you won’t go far wrong just backing favourites and second favourites.

That’s not the case on Saturday, and I’ve heard a whisper about a betting coup that I plan to stand and deliver to my loyal followers.