My tip for today is a straight forecast bet, with the Godolphin horse coming first and Michael Bell’s Coordinated Cut in second.

Best odds of 9/2 on Coordinated Cut would see a forecast dividend of around 9/1 on the 1-2 – a nice price for a fairly solid bet in my eyes.

Why am I discounting the two horses between Chabal and Coordinated Cut in the betting?

The first, Workforce, has been talked about endlessly as a class prospect but for me that’s all he is. One maiden win does not a Derby winner make, and I think it’s too risky to just go on that race and the horse’s admittedly exemplary pedigree when betting on the race.

The second, Cape Blanco, would probably have featured more in my reckoning a year ago. Two years ago I probably would have been all over him. But the O’Brien stable couldn’t win a raffle at the moment; this is the colt’s seasonal reappearance and again, I think he’s best watched in this race.

It’s far from nailed on – this is a top-quality renewal of the Dante Stakes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Derby winner was on show today – but the Chabal-Coordinated Cut forecast looks too good value to turn down.

Forecast winnings will be the same at all bookies so no need to shop around – my advice here is to open a William Hill account and take advantage of the excellent William Hill Radio service to keep abreast of the latest news from the Knavesmire.

Dante Stakes betting tip

• Chabal/Coordinated Cut straight forecast in the Dante Stakes (2.40 at York)

Compared to the 1/3 or shorter jollies racing this week, the 5/2 about Kingsgate Native looks huge. He’s the standout horse in the field and is well worth a few quid.

My only concern about Sir Michael Stoute’s runner is that he won this sprint in 2007, and you’d naturally – if superstitiously – suspect that lightning can’t strike twice.

But, unbelievably, the horse was only a two-year-old at the time. He was third behind Borderlescott in 2008, when the race was run at Newmarket (arguably making Kingsgate Native the real reigning champion) and, at four years old, he looks to be going from strength to strength.

He comes into this race of the back of a win in the Audi Stakes at Goodwood and most of his contenders have little or no decent form to speak of. Odds of 5/2 are available at Coral and look simply huge – well worth four points of anyone’s money. Grab it now!

We also reckon we’ve found the best priced favourite of the week – and, surprise surprise, it ISN’T the Derby winner or the Oaks winner!

Apart from the 2007 winner, Purple Moon, which went off a well-deserved favourite, the Ebor Stakes has seen some big odds winners. So we’ll ignore Aidan O’Brien’s Changingoftheguard, which carries the hopes of a big stable.

We’ll also pass over any horses aged six or over, and any that haven’t finished in the top three in their last race. Furthermore, let’s remember that this is a quality race – even if there was a 100/1 winner in 2006. Only horses that have won this season make our shortlist.

Furthermore we’ll discount the top-weighted horses – no horse has won carrying more than nine stone four in living memory.

Which brings us to Manyriverstocross, a four-year-old carrying eight stone 13 and the mount of Jamie Spencer, who rode Purple Moon to victory in 2007.

He ticks all the boxes. Last time out he won at Goodwood in another big old handicap that, like this one, was a mile and three quarters in length. That was under Ryan Moore, but Spencer isn’t a bad second choice to have.

Odds of 14/1 seem incredibly generous, and yet they’re available across the board – try BlueSquare, SkyBet or Coral for starters – and go with a couple of points each-way.

Come back later in the week for our next Ebor Festival betting tip – a cracking favourite at unbelievable odds!

York will become Newcastle-on-Ouse for the day as north-east racing fans flood onto the Knavesmire to bet on the oldest commercially-sponsored race in British horse racing. And they’ll all be looking for a betting tip – either to give them the winner or, more likely, to give them somebody to blame. And it has to be said that in this betting life the latter is probably more useful.

As usual in the John Smith’s Cup, there’s no shortage of candidates: the Queen’s Kingdom of Fife, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by champion jockey Ryan Moore, will probably go off favourite and has every chance after beating some very good horses in the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar in May, although his high draw here means he’ll have his work cut out (the effect of the draw on the John Smith’s Cup suits horses drawn in single-figure stalls).

Richard Fahey’s Albaqaa is also sure to be popular given the trainer’s current form on the Knavesmire, but again looks to be drawn too high. Furthermore, this is a race that suits in-form handicappers, and Albaqaa has yet to get a win to his name this season.

But favourites don’t always perform well in the John Smith’s Cup and it’s worth looking for something with a bit more value. Ladies Best, trained locally by Brian Ellison, ticks all the boxes: it’s a five-year-old, with an official rating of 95 and a win and two fourths behind him in 2009. He has a plum draw – stall number one – and doesn’t look to be carrying too much weight.

And with odds of 25/1 available at William Hill, Ladies Best looks well worth a bet. You don’t need to stake a lot at those odds and he looks a great value shout as my John Smith’s Cup betting tip.

(PS don’t forget to cash in on Hill’s great £100 in free bets offer for new customers.)

Selection

• 2 points each-way Ladies Best (25/1, William Hill) to win the John Smith’s Cup.

We were going to tip up Ask, Sir Michael Stoute’s Yorkshire Cup entry, which we felt was head and shoulders above the rest of the field including 2008 winner Geordieland and Italian dark horse Friulin.

As it was, Geordieland didn’t run, Friulin disappointed and Ask won by six lengths at 2/1 (Geordieland’s absence firming up Ask’s favouritism as the ground got softer and softer).

What did we get instead? A bitterly disappointing end to the Mighty White’s up-and-down season and a hangover.

Sorry about that, we promise that it almost certainly won’t happen again. For a while, anyway.