Hi all,
Inside you’ll find my thoughts on the final day of York’s Ebor Festival.
I hope you're enjoying the Ebor Festival as much as I am. We’ve reached the final day of what’s been a thrilling meeting so far. Today promises more top-class action with the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap as the main event. Alongside the York, we also have notable races at Goodwood, the Curragh, and Windsor, making it a packed Saturday of racing.
A Quick Overview of Today's Racing
The Sky Bet Ebor Handicap, one of the richest flat handicaps in Europe, takes centre stage on the final day at York. Epic Poet and Queenstown lead the betting, but with a race as competitive as this, there are plenty of contenders to consider. Earlier in the day, Audience is well-fancied in the Sky Bet City Of York Stakes (3.00) after his recent win in Goodwood’s Lennox Stakes.
Goodwood features two Group races, including the Group 2 William Hill Celebration Mile Stakes (2.40), while over at the Curragh, the focus is on the juveniles. With so much quality racing on offer, it’s shaping up to be an exciting day.
The weather forecast for York has changed slightly for York in the past 24 hours. Now 3mm is being forecast mostly for Saturday morning.
York: Race-by-Race Breakdown
1:50 – See The Fire looks hard to beat if she can reproduce her form from when she finished runner-up to Opera Singer at Goodwood.
2:25 – Champagne Prince was unlucky at Ascot last time and has a strong chance here. Spaceport, who improved for the step up to 1m 6f, should also be in the mix at a track that favours prominent racers. Don’t discount Wild Waves, who had no chance after stumbling last time and was progressive prior to that mishap.
3:00 – If Audience fails to fire on the Knavesmire, Lake Forest could be the one to capitalize. However, Lake Forest would prefer quick ground.
3:35 – Sky Bet Ebor Handicap:
Aidan O’Brien has dominated this week, and Queenstown, who has been pacemaking for Kyprios in his last two starts, could be well-treated on his handicap debut. Top-weight Relentless Voyager, ridden by Oisin Murphy, is a strong contender, though I slightly favour his stablemate Fairbanks. Irish challengers Hipop De Loire and Magical Zoe are also intriguing on their handicap debuts. Epic Poet has the credentials to win a race like this, provided he stays the 1m 6f trip. Naqeeb is in with a shout after a solid second at Newbury.
Of those at the front end of the betting, Fairbanks and the seemingly well-campaigned Epic Poet look the pick.
For those seeking big-priced outsiders, Chillingham, Kihavah, and Crystal Delight are interesting contenders, given their affinity for York.
Can Summerghand Land The Hat Trick?
4:10 – Summerghand, a two-time winner of this race, is too well-handicapped to ignore but always needs luck in running. Apollo One deserves to win a big sprint handicap, and this track could suit him perfectly. Elmonjed is an improving 3-year-old at the right end of the handicap who might be capable of an even better performance after his Windsor win. Dare To Hope is respected after last Saturday’s win in the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon. Commanche Falls, in the first-time blinkers, is another to seriously consider.
4:45 – Mr Lightside is the one to beat on quick ground, but if there’s any ease, Make Haste could perform well over a 5f that could suit. Archie Watson won the Nunthorpe with Bradsell on Friday, so Vingegaard is worth noting. Whilst Mr Lightside tops the RPR’s, the yards runners are not doing as well as they were at Goodwood.
5:20 – Have Secret looks like he can win a race like this. Oviedo, last year’s runner-up, should be in the mix again after a break. Bystander wasn’t seen to best effect at Goodwood last time but can surely win on turf to add to his three all-weather successes. Dual Identity hasn’t had much luck in the run recently, but a well-run race could see him close.
Final Thoughts
Today’s action at York is not to be missed, with the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap providing a fitting finale to the festival. Whether you're watching from the stands or tuning in from home, it’s sure to be a day packed with excitement.
I’ll be back on Monday with my review of York’s Ebor Festival.
Good luck with your Saturday bets!
John