Gothic Empire to rule at York

Five-year-old has all the pieces for Jigsaw Sports Branding Handicap

GOTHIC EMPIRE is respected in the Jigsaw Sports Branding Handicap at York.

The James Fanshawe-trained fiveyear-old gelding is only 3lb higher than when he won at Ascot last September and did not run too badly at Yarmouth last month – despite having missed the break.

Fanshawe’s string have really hit form of late and Gothic Empire should relish the forecast fast ground.

This does not look a great race by York’s standards and Fanshawe’s representative could still be overpriced.

BURGUILLOS has an awful lot going for him in the Peter “Sooty” Sutton Memorial Handicap.

Alan King is more renowned as a National Hunt trainer, of course, but he has had a decent spell on the Flat this summer and can make more headway on the Knavesmire.

Burguillos’ last appearance came at York during the Dante festival when he was sent off at odds of 3-1 in a mile-anda-half handicap on soft ground.

The four-year-old chestnut did not win on a surface that would not really have been up his ally, yet he still did well to stick to the task to finish second.

Though that was a creditable run, it is interesting that King has decided to revert to a mile and a quarter with him.

Burguillos did some serious damage over that trip at Leicester on May 9 when he charged gamely clear of Wapping, who won at Brighton earlier in the week and is now on a hat-trick.

King’s inmate is a great deal higher in the weights, but he is clearly still in fine fettle and should enjoy himself on the faster ground and over a shorter distance. SELECTIONS:

GOODWOOD: 6.05 Royal Household, 6.35 Pastoral Player, 7.10 Mudaarab, 7.40 Galactic Prince, 8.15 Gloriosus, 8.45 Cool Team.

YORK: 1.50 Tulip Fever, 2.20 BURGUILLOS (NAP), 2.55 Milton Road, 3.30 Gothic Empire, 4.05 Sainted, 4.40 Monjeni, 5.15 Opposition. DOUBLE: Burguillos and Gothic Empire.