Friday horse racing tips: Royal Ascot hopeful True Cyan can impress at York

Our horse racing tipster Paul O’Brien gives his best bets for the final day of the Dante Festival from York.

This is a very competitive fillies race with most of the big English yards represented. Roger Varian brings two strong entries for this race, with stable jockey James Doyle opting to ride True Cyan. The hope is a good performance today will open up a path to a possible Royal Ascot outing.

The daughter of No Nay Never, True Cyan was very impressive on debut at the end of September. Held up before manoeuvring to the inside of the field two furlongs out before taking the lead with furlong left and then winning with plenty in hand against multiple future winners.

She raced to a similar level when fourth in Group 3 company at Newmarket in April on reappearance. She should improve and show her class by beating Devoted Queen.

This should be a very good race with a strong contingent being brought over from Ireland. Both the O’Brien and Mullins yards are targeting this race, but preference is given to a horse trained on home soil by John and Thady Gosden.

Unraced as a two-year-old, Gregory was very impressive on debut at Haydock when winning a valuable Novice Stakes race. He followed that up with a comfortable listed win at Goodwood and improved further still when winning the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.

He disappointed on his final two starts of 2023, coming middle of the pack on both occasions, but clearly has the ability to win races of this calibre and can return to winning ways here. An each-way interest with those bookmakers paying three places.

A very large field for this Class 4 handicap, but the preference is for a horse who has been very busy on the all-weather in the off-season Tropez Power.

Tropez Power slightly disappointing over the mile trip in multiple all-weather performances before moving him back to 7f. Unable to find any room when it mattered at Chelmsford on April 13, he was unable to pose any threat but connections stuck with the distance and it paid off next time out at Southwell when beating Eldrickjones by three-quarters of a length

Now racing on turf, where he has a lower handicap rating, he can confirm his form against the same opponent, who is now remarkably 8lbs better off against him than their last meeting.