The historic Ebor Handicap takes place over a mile and six furlongs on day four of the Yorkshire Ebor Festival 2019 and, courtesy to a 100 per cent prize money increase in 2019, is now the richest Flat handicap run in Europe.
The race is run over a distance of one mile and six furlongs and has been run at York since 1843. The word “Ebor” is actually an abbreviation of the Roman word, Eboracum, which was the Roman name for York.
A number of horses engaged in The Ebor in recent seasons have then headed out to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival. Let’s take a look at the trends and statistics for The Ebor based on the last ten years.
Age:
Five-year-olds have won five of the last ten runnings. That signals a positive for backers of: King’s Advice, Weekender, Raheen House, Desert Skyline and The Grand Visir.
Only one horse aged seven or older has won this race in the last thirty years (Litigant 2015). That signals a negative for: Max Dynamite and Barsanti.
Weights:
Antepost favourite King's Advice (9st 7lb) has been a handicap sensation this season, winning eight of his nine starts in 2019 including valuable handicaps at Newmarket's July Festival and Glorious Goodwood.
Mark Johnston is looking for his second victory in the Ebor having scored with Quick Ransom in 1992.
The Middleham handler's other runners include Baghdad (9st 4lb), successful in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot , and the runaway Chester Cup winner Making Miracles (9st 1lb).
The Roger Charlton-trained Withhold (9st 8lb) is popular in the betting after a front-running victory in the Marsh Cup Handicap at Newbury.
Having already landed the 2017 Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket and the 2018 Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, a win in the 2019 Ebor would cap an amazing handicap treble.
Last year’s runner-up Weekender (9st 6lb) will be hoping to go one better while the fourth placed horse in 2018 Mustajeer (9st 3lb), makes the return trip from across the Irish Sea.
Mustajeer has been in cracking form this year, with the pick of his run being his neck defeat by Master Of Reality in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan in April. In his last outing, the six-year-old was a staying-on fifth in the Curragh Cup at the end of June.
Four of the last 10 renewals of the Ebor have been won by Irish-trained horses and the Emerald Isle is once again well represented.
Willie Mullins, who was successful ten years ago with Sesenta, is likely to be double-handed with the dual-purpose horse Max Dynamite (9st 5lb) and the exciting mare True Self (9st 5lb). He is certainly a horse racing trainer to follow in this.
John Gosden saddled the first two home in 2018 and the champion trainer could well achieve that feat again this year. His Weekender is joined by the Duke Of Edinburgh runner-up, Ben Vrackie (9st 3lb).
Ed Dunlop’s Red Verdon (9st 7lb) scored over course and distance in the John Smith's Silver Cup, accounting for Gold Mount and another fancied Ebor runner Raheen House (9st 6lb) in tight finish.
Weekender and Kelly's Dino (9st 4lb) came home in fourth and fifth in the same contest.
Kelly's Dino landed the Old Newton Cup at Haydock Park earlier this season and has since won at Newmarket over 1m 4f.
Other horses of note include the Melbourne Cup third Prince of Arran (9st 5lb) will probably be using this race as another prep for a return visit down under while Wells Farhh Go (9st 7lb) is a Newmarket Listed winner for local trainer, Tim Easterby.
Ratings:
The last ten winners have been rated between 88 and 106 with seven of them between 90 and 103.
Price:
Winners of the last ten runnings have been priced between 5/1 and 33/1 with four of them going off at 20/1 or bigger in the horse racing betting.
Draw:
Eight winners have been drawn between 14 and 22, the two exceptions being stall 10 and 12.
The following horses have a supposedly “favourable” draw: Red Verdon, Desert Skyline, Prince Of Arran, Proschema, Baghdad, King’s Advice, Cypress Creek, Raymond Tusk, Ben Vrackie, Weekender and Kelly’s Dino.
Irish Trainers:
With the race being run over 1m6f some of the National Hunt yards tend to target it, especially those from Ireland.
Since 2009, trainers such as Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Johnny Murtagh and Tony Martin have all tasted success so they are well worth a second look in the market.
Ebor Handicap: Contenders
Raheen House (9st 8lb) holds the claim to fame of being one of only two horses to finish in front of Enable in her star studded career and has been laid out for this race for some time.
Two years ago Raheen House was winning the Group Three Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket for Brian Meehan and is certainly, at this juncture, a much better horse than a handicapper.
Desert Skyline (9st 3lb) is another of interest at a larger price. He is probably not up to Group company these days, but he was eye-catching when third behind King’s Advice at the July meeting when probably given a bit too much to do in the closing stages.
It was only a season since back that he was seen here finishing just a couple of lengths behind Stradivarius in the Yorkshire Cup, so he is definitely one to pencil in.
Another horse dropping down in class for the Ebor is Richard Hannon’s Raymond Tusk (9st 6lb) who is making his handicap debut.
Raymond Tusk started this season with a good second behind Ascot and Goodwood Cup runner-up Dee Ex Bee, before finishing an excellent third behind Crystal Ocean in the Al Rayyan Stakes.
One of the leading Irish contenders is the Willie Mullins-trained True Self (9st 5lb) who was disappointing in the Stanerra Stakes, but who had been progressive before that, winning a pair of Listed contests and finishing runner up in the Pinnacle Stakes.
She won’t however want the ground too quick on Saturday.
Ebor Handicap: Conclusion
888sport suggests: Desert Skyline and Raheen House (e/w).
