Heading To The York Ebor Festival

Hi all,

James Doyle’s Windsor Mishap Leaves Punters Fuming

Before diving into the excitement of York’s Ebor Festival, let’s address some controversy. James Doyle’s ride on No Retreat at Windsor on Monday has sparked outrage among punters. Doyle seemed to ease up too soon, resulting in a narrow defeat by a short head. The stewards accepted his explanation that the horse jinked, forcing him to regain control. To my eyes, Doyle had stopped riding, thinking he had the race won, and that’s when the horse shifted left

To many, this decision feels like a slap in the face. It undermines confidence in the sport’s integrity. Doyle had a lead, and if he hadn’t eased, he would have won.

Punters are rightly frustrated. Racing relies heavily on its betting audience, and when top jockeys aren’t held accountable, it sends the wrong message. While some called for a severe penalty, I believe a shorter ban would have sufficed. It would’ve shown that the sport takes these incidents seriously.

York’s Ebor Festival Kicks Off in Style

Now, let’s turn our attention to York’s Ebor Festival, which starts with a bang today. The highlight is the Juddmonte International Stakes (3:35), boasting £1,250,000 in prize money. City Of Troy, the Derby and Coral Eclipse winner, leads the lineup, aiming for a record-breaking seventh win for Aidan O’Brien.

But can anyone stop City Of Troy? The race has seen surprises before—remember Golden Horn’s upset by a 50/1 shot in 2015? While recent winners have been well-fancied, this year’s race is wide open. Ambiente Friendly, the Derby runner-up, could thrive with the drop back to 1m 2f. Then there’s Alflaila, a dual C&D winner, who’s never been out of the top two in four starts at York. And we can’t ignore the international contenders from France and Japan. Oh, and Maljoom is interesting stepped up to 1m 2f and will appeal to each way players.

Earlier on the card, City Of Troy’s stablemate and Irish Derby winner, Los Angeles, faces five rivals in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes (3:00). The Group 3 Acomb Stakes (2:25) features a clash between next year's Derby hopefuls, Ruling Court and The Lion In Winter—two colts with bright futures.

The seven-race card also includes three heritage handicaps and a competitive nursery handicap. It’s a perfect blend of Group races and big-field handicaps, showing why this meeting is the best summer festival outside of Royal Ascot.

Join the Action

My York Ebor Festival Day 1 preview and selections have already been sent to Victor Value subscribers. If you want in on the action, you can get them here for just £9.99.

There are plenty qualifiers from the micro angles I gave you on Tuesday and here’s one from the Ralph Beckett and could be worth an each way play.

2:25 – Mr Chaplin.

I'll be back on Saturday.

Good luck with your York Ebor Festival bets!

John