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The legendary Sea Pigeon won the Ebor in 1978
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Outstanding jockey Lester Piggott won the Ebor a total of five times
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Record breaking trainer Mark Johnston has never landed the prize
Run on the last day of the annual York Ebor Festival at York Racecourse, The Ebor remains Europe’s richest flat handicap, worth more than double any other flat handicap in Britain and in 2021 will be run at its 2018 prize money level of £500,000.
The race itself has been won by some household name stayers over the years.
The great Sea Pigeon won the Ebor in 1978 to go with his two Chester Cups and two Champion Hurdles, with other notable winners including Further Flight, Purple Moon and Sergeant Cecil.
This famous Class 2 Handicap is open to runners aged four or older and is run over one mile and five furlongs.
Ebor History
If you were wondering where the name “Ebor” comes from then look no further.
Ebor is short for Eboracum, the Roman name for York and the earliest known record of Eboracum can be traced to around 100AD, which is about 60 years after the Romans invaded these shores.
The Ebor Handicap itself was introduced in 1843 by clerk of the course, John Orton, and was initially run over two-miles before it was eventually shortened to a 1m6f contest.
It is a popular race in Great Britain for horse racing tips.
Ebor Handicap Trends
Here are some Ebor trends ranging from 50% to almost 100% probability from the last 20 renewals:
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18/20 – Aged 6 or younger
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17/20 – Carried 9st 5lbs or less
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16/20 – Had won over at least 1m4f before
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15/20 – Won from a double-figure stall
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13/20 – Winning Distance - 1 length or less
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12/20 – Carried 9st 1lb or less
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12/20 – Aged either 4 or 5 years-old
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11/20 – Had 3 or more runs already that season
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10/20 – Unplaced favourites in the horse racing odds
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10/20– Had run at York before
Ebor Handicap Weights, Ages & Form
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Eighteen of the last 20 winners of the Ebor carried 9st 5lb or less.
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The two exceptions were in 2018 when Muntahaa was assigned a weight of 9st 9lb and still prevailed for John Gosden and Jim Crowley, whilst the latest was just last year when Fujaira Prince lumped 9st 8lb to victory for Roger Varian and Andrea Atzeni.
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Here are some of the main statistics relating to Ebor weights, age and form in the York race:
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The only winner to carry a higher weight in the modern era was in 1979 when Sea Pigeon was successful under 10 stone.
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Nineteen of the last 20 winners were also aged 6 or younger with the seven-year-old Litigant (33/1) bucking the trend in 2015. The handicap is open to runners aged four and above with the 4-6 age bracket being a particularly sweet spot to follow for those betting online.
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There were numerous three-year-old winners back in the day but they are no longer able to enter the race.
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Four of the last four winners have been aged six – Mustajeer, Nakeeta, Heartbreak City and Fujaira Prince.
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The last four-year-old to win was Tiger Cliff in 2013.
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Five of the last 11 winners have been Irish-trained.
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Nineteen of the last 20 winners had between one and four career wins on the turf and all 20 had made the frame within their last three starts.
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Seventeen of the last 20 had won a race in their last five starts.
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Course form has not been particularly significant with just 10/20 winners having had a run at York before.
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Five of the last 20 winners were last time out scorers.
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Attention should be given to horses that ran at Ascot, Goodwood or Galway last time out. These runners seem to be in the mix more than any others.
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Fourteen of the last 20 winners have been drawn in stall 10 or higher.
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Three-quarters of the winners in the past two decades have come from stall 14 or higher so it definitely pays to be aware of the draw for this race as a punter.
Previous Ebor Handicap Winners
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2020 – Fujaira Prince (11/2)
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2019 – Mustajeer (16/1)
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2018 – Muntahaa (11/1)
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2017 – Nakeeta (12/1)
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2016 – Heartbreak City (15/2)
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2015 – Litigant (33/1)
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2014 – Mutual Regard (20/1)
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2013 – Tiger Cliff (5/1)
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2012 – Willing Foe (12/1)
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2011 – Moyenne Corniche (25/1)
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2010 – Dirar (14/1)
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2009 – Sesenta (25/1)
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2008 – All The Good (25/1)
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2007 – Purple Moon (7/2 fav)
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2006 – Mudawin (100/1)
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2005 – Sergeant Cecil (11/1)
Most Successful Ebor Jockey
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Lester Piggott won this race a total of five times: Gladness (1958), Primera (1959), Die Hard (1961), Tintagel II (1970) and Jupiter Island (1983).
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In recent times, Jamie Spencer has been the most successful jockey over the past 20 years with two wins and eight places from 16 rides. His victories came aboard Purple Moon in 2007 and Dirar in 2010.
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The second most successful jockey currently race riding is Frankie Dettori with a win (Willing Foe 2012) and three places from 11 rides.
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Jim Crowley and Tom Queally both have a win and a place apiece, while John Egan has a win and three places from his four previous rides in the Ebor.
Most Successful Trainer In Ebor History
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Tom Dawson is the most successful Ebor trainer, saddling the following five winners: Godfrey (1844), Mark Tapley (1850), Pax (1860), Makeshift (1862) and Mandrake (1867).
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Fast forward to the last twenty years and the leading trainer has been Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor, who has secured two wins (All The Good 2008 and Willing Foe 2012) and five places from 14 runners.
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Willie Mullins is the second most successful trainers at the Ebor since the turn of the century, with a win and two places from 11 runners to his name.
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Brian Ellison, Amanda Perrett, John Gosden and Aidan O’Brien have all been on the score sheet too.
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Surprisingly Mark Johnston is winless over the past 20 years, despite running 21 horses in the Ebor, while Sir Michael Stoute (15 runners) and Hughie Morrison (11 runners) have failed to hit the board.
In the UK, most of the York races, including the Ebor Handicap will be covered by the broadcasting channel ITV. Keep your eyes peeled for plenty of ITV Racing Tips throughout the York Ebor Festival on this blog.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Seth Wenig / Pool via AP*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 11th August 2021
