Three selections at York today across the Dante Festival card… sign up for regular golf and horse racing picks.

2:20 — Hammer the Hammer | 8/1 | 6 places | 1pt each-way

An Irish raider that the market may be underestimating. Better than handicap level on his best form, he showed genuine speed at Royal Ascot last year before connections dropped him back in trip. The return to 5 furlongs looks spot on. The key flag here is a recent wind operation — horses returning from wind surgery are consistently underrated by the market and if that has resolved his breathing issues this is a completely different proposition at 8/1.

The one caveat is stall 13 — not ideal given the low draw bias at York this week. We’re taking the risk on the form and the wind op rather than worrying about the draw. At 8/1 with 6 places the each-way value justifies it.

1pt each-way @ 8/1 — 6 places

---

2:55 — Cerulean Bay | 6/1 | 5 places | 1pt each-way

This one ticks almost every box. Was below his best in the first half of last season but improved significantly as the year went on — that trajectory heading into this campaign is encouraging. Handles courses with bends well, which York suits perfectly, and crucially draws a nice stall in 6.

The clincher is the course form — he finished second here over the same distance last year. He knows the track, handles the trip, and arrives in improving form with a favourable draw. Solid each-way proposition at 6/1.

1pt each-way @ 6/1 — 5 places

---

4:05 — Action | 11/2 | 3 places | 1pt each-way

The Aidan O’Brien angle alone commands respect — his runners at big meetings carry stable confidence and are rarely without a chance. But there’s genuine form to back this up. Action has performed well in Group 1 company previously, including against Bow Echo who went on to win the 2,000 Guineas, and is closely related to Lambourn, the 2025 Derby winner. The class is not in question.

The key update is the tongue tie being removed today after issues last time out. Tongue tie removal is one of the most consistently positive signals in racing — if that was restricting him previously, today could be a different horse entirely. Stall 7 is a decent draw with no concerns given the track bias.

The only note is that 3 places at 11/2 makes this more of a win-orientated play than the others — factor that in to your expectations.

1pt each-way @ 11/2 — 3 places

---

Total exposure today: 6pts staked across three each-way bets.

Good luck everyone — updates to follow as the results come in. If you want daily picks and analysis including our AI Golf Bot’s PGA Championship card this week, the Twister Tipster Substack is free to subscribe — link below. 🏇

https://twistertipster.substack.com