Hi all,

Inside today’s main piece I’m beginning a two part review of last week’s Ebor Festival.

York Ebor Festival Review – Part 1

It was another exciting four days on the Knavesmire with plenty of good performances for racegoers and TV viewers to enjoy. I had two days at the meeting and despite the size of the crowd I enjoyed both.

The ground was as quick as it’s been for a big summer festival this season and that includes Royal Ascot.

With the ground as slick as it was it was hard to make up ground from off the pace last week. With that mind it should pay to mark up those horses who made their effort from rear.

The first three days betting wise were poor. However, I did manage to find the last three winners on Saturday which was my personal punting highlight. I managed to talk myself out of two winners Designer & Warm Heart.

I had been waiting Albasheer to get on quick ground. Well, he got his favoured underfoot conditions and I had advised him at 18/1 on Friday for Saturday’s valuable 6f handicap.

Sadly, he had to share the spoils with one of other fancies in the race Summgerghand. As they crossed the linein real time I thought he had prevailed. But as they showed the slow motion, I was getting worried that Summerghand had put his nose down at the right time. In the end I was happy to take a share of the spoils.  I didn’t have dead heat all last year, but I have now had this August.

Saturday

Thirty five minutes before Saturday’s feature Ebor Handicap Frankie Dettori was milking the crowd after a comfortable success on Kinross in the Group 2 City of York Stakes.

It was back to back successes in the race for Kinross who must have some constitution. A winner of the Lennox Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on his previous start. Horses who had gone close on testing ground at Goodwood had struggled on the Knavesmire all week.  With those who finished within 3 lengths of the winner at Goodwood producing 1 winner from 33 runners. That winner being Kinross.

Would that be Frankie’s last winner at York?  As it turned out it wouldn’t.

It’s Absurde

This year’s Ebor lacked the quality of the last two seasons when you needed a horse rated 100+ just to make the line-up. This year an Official Rating (OR) of 95 was good enough to get into the race. Despite that I think the form of the race is as strong as it was for the last two year’s

Frankie Dettori has steered Trawlerman to success in last year’s race and he did it again this year on the Willie Mullins trained Absurde.

Absurde took it up on the stands rail 2f out but a furlong out it looked like he was going to be swamped by favourite Sweet William and top weight Live Your Dream. Somehow Frankie managed to galvanise his mount to win by ½ length from Sweet Willam with Live Your Dream a further ½ length back in fourth.

Both the runner-up and third ran good races. The difference between the winner and runner-up was track position and a jockey riding on the day with extreme confidence.

The third put in a Group level performance under 9-12 but just found the concession of 5lb to a smart staying performer too much. 

Absurde can now head down under to run in the Melbourne Cup. He will be joined on the plane by Vauban who beat him at Royal Ascot.  Frankie has yet to add the Melbourne Cup to his illustrious CV but maybe he can put that right in his retirement year.

The 10-year-old Euchen Glen ran a stormer to finish fourth. This was the old boy’s fourth run in the race and his best finish.

Friday

Electric Dream

The Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes over 5f is a race for speed horses. This year’s provided another shock result with Live In The Dream winning at 28/1.

There was no fluke about his win either. He might have been officially rated 107 but Live In The Dream’s gate speed is phenomenal in that respect he’s like an American sprinter. He pinched a couple of lengths on his rivals in Friday’s race. It proved decisive in the context of this year’s race. Given how the track was playing all his rivals were having to play catch-up and it improved impossible for the likes of last year’s winner Highfield Princess and Bradsell.

The pace the leader set looked to have set the race up for Highfield Princess. She got a good tow into the race, but she couldn’t peg back the winner. It was a good effort in defeat, and she will do no doubt head for the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh a race she won last year. Hw

I thought Bradsell ran a cracker in third. The 3-year-old was having his first start since winning the King Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and wasn’t quite as well drawn as the two who finished in front of him. A stiffer 5f would have suited him better and the Flying Five would seem an ideal race for him.

I saw Live In The Dream win a handicap at Pontefract in April. Little did I know I was watching a future Group 1 winner in action.

The owners of the winner were certainly living the dream on Friday evening.

Earlier on the card

Coltrane got his day in the sun when winning the Lonsdale Cup. Runner-up in the Gold Cup at Ascot and third in the Goodwood Cup gained a well-deserved success the Group 2 contest. He had to be brave to hold of Courage Mon Am and Giavellotto.

The return to quick ground suited the Ascot Gold Cup winner and he couldn’t give 3lb to the winner. He just didn’t have the pace to get to Coltrane inside the final furlong.

Yorkshire Cup winner Giavellotto just lost second to Courage Mon Ami close to home but put in a career best effort in defeat.

Quickthorn a runaway winner of this race 12 months and more recently the Goodwood Cup. For whatever reason the 6-year-old didn’t dominate the race like he had at Goodwood and was disappointing. A combination of fast ground and a quick turnaround after a hard race at Goodwood likely contributed to his performance.

Lake Forest was a surprise 16/1 winner of the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes. The William Haggas trained juvenile won what looks a below standard renewal of the race. It will be interesting where he goes next. The son of Non Nay Never has a Group 1 Middle Park Stakes entry but I don’t see him being up to that standard.

Runner-up Johannes Brahms looks the better long term prospect of the pair. However, even he looks a class below the best of Aidan O’Brien’s colts.

The third home King’s Gamble a winner of his sole juvenile start was well supported prior to the race. He made his effort from the far side of the group compared to the two colts who finished in front of him. He also lacked the experience to win a race like this stage of his career.

Monday Preview

It’s a Bank Holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland today so there are more meetings than normal. The best of it is at Ripon where the highlight is the Listed Champion Two Year Old Trophy Stakes (3:35).

Ralph Beckett sends up Task Force a well bred son of Frankel out of 1000 Guineas winner Special Duty for the feature race.  The colt made a winning racecourse debut at Salisbury 30 days ago. He holds a Champagne Stakes entry, and a Group 1 Middle Park entry so is evidently well regarded. He won’t be much of a price looking at the bookies early bird betting.

Seven Questions won a novice over C&D (soft) two starts back and completed a hat trick on nursery debut on good to firm at Leicester 15 days ago. His experience and C&D form could turn out to be very useful.

Shagraan was a Windsor novice winner last month before finishing runner-up in a Listed race at Newbury. He didn’t seem to appreciate heavy ground in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood 26 days ago. Trainer Clive Cox had a good juvenile winner at York last week, so he needs respecting back on better ground.

Task Force is the one I'm interested in but I can't put him up as bet at 6/4.

In Tuesday’s column I will conclude my look back at York’s Ebor festival with some eyecatchers.

Good luck with your Monday bets.

John