The Ebor Festival is a four-day racing festival that takes place this week at York Racecourse (Weds 21st August – Saturday 24th August). It was first established in 1843 with the inaugural running of the Ebor Handicap.
Originally a 3-day race meeting, but now a 4-day one, the Ebor Festival features the Juddmonte International, the Yorkshire Oaks, Nunthorpe Stakes and of course the Ebor Handicap itself which attracts plenty of horse racing betting.
Today the Ebor Festival is one of the biggest meetings on the UK racing fixtures calendar and the race meeting is regarded as York racecourse’s flagship event. Each of the four days has a multitude of feature races.
As one of the last major race meetings of the UK Flat racing season, The Ebor Festival attracts racegoers from all over the UK and overseas and of course the best horse racing trainers and jockeys.
Juddmonte Day (Wednesday)
Day 1 features the Juddmonte International, Great Voltigeur Stakes and Acomb Stakes. In recent years the 1 mile 2 furlong Juddmonte International has been won by some of the best middle-distance horses in Europe: Sea The Stars, Authorised and Frankel.
Crystal Ocean, who finished runner-up to Enable in the King George, heads the betting and is as short as evens in the betting.
Elarqam has been supplemented at a cost of £75,000 by Mark Johnston, while Queen Anne winner Lord Glitters steps up in trip.
Aidan O’Brien’s St Leger prospect Broome is leading the betting in the Great Voltigeur. O’Brien also has Barbados, Cape Of Good Hope, Constantinople, Il Paradiso and Norway entered in the one and a half mile contest.
The Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Huraiz will be a popular choice in the Acomb Stakes following a facile win at Newcastle.
Ladies Day (Thursday)
Day 2 of The Ebor Festival at York Racecourse is Ladies Day, and a day that combines top fashion in the grandstands with the racing excitement on the track. The feature races on Ladies Day are the Lowther Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks.
The Yorkshire Oaks takes on added significance this year as the wonderful Enable will probably be seen for the last time on UK shores in this race before she heads to France for an unprecedented third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe success.
Enable’s old adversary Magical has been supplemented for the 1m4f Group One contest and the pair of them are sure to serve up yet another cracker.
Anapurna is still engaged at this stage but she may be rerouted to the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp next month instead.
John Gosden could also run Lah Ti Dar, while O'Brien may also send South Sea Pearl into battle.
Improving filly Liberty Beach, who is four from five this season, will be heading to the Lowther Stakes with a strong reputation.
Winner of the Molcomb Stakes last time at out Glorious Goodwood, the John Quinn-trained runner will be will be stepping up in trip on the Knavesmire but connections do not envisage it will be a problem.
Nunthorpe Day (Friday)
Day 3 features the Nunthorpe Stakes, Gimcrack Stakes and the Lonsdale Cup. The Nunthorpe Stakes is where the world’s best sprinters compete, while the Yorkshire Oaks attracts some of the best thoroughbred fillies in training today.
Battaash and Ten Sovereigns are all set to clash in the fastest race of the week, the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes.
Battaash is understandably the favourite for the race based upon his third straight King George Stakes win at Glorious Goodwood for, but his poor record at York is there for all to see and there will be plenty of others hoping to step in for the £227,000 first prize.
Ten Sovereigns was well touted for Classic honours this season, but after his fifth to Magna Grecia in the 2000 Guineas he has now gone down the sprinting route.
The Michael Dods-trained Mabs Cross went on to land the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp after just getting touched off in a photo finish in the Nunthorpe last year she showed herself to be in fine fettle once again when she finished fourth to Blue Point and Battaash in the King's Stand Stakes.
Spartan Fighter will be a popular choice in the Gimcrack Stakes. Trained by Declan Carroll, the Dutch Art colt beat the subsequent Norfolk Stakes and Prix Robert Papin winner A’Ali on his second start which is a pretty decent benchmark.
Stradivarius is on target to scoop yet another £1m bonus for owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen, having won at York, Ascot and Goodwood already this season. After taking last year's Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million a follow up feat looks extremely likely.
Ebor Day (Saturday)
Day 4 is Ebor Day featuring the famous Ebor Handicap and the Strensall Stakes. The Ebor Handicap is the focus point of the whole Ebor Festival when many top horses compete to add their names to the roll of honour of this famous handicap – horses such as the great Sea Pigeon.
The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Accidental Agent could well be turned out quickly again in the Strensall Stakes.
Last year's Queen Anne winner was beaten a nose Kick On in the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury the other day and is clearly in good heart.
After King's Advice won his eighth race from his last nine in the Summer Handicap at Glorious Goodwood he was immediately installed as the favourite for the Ebor Handicap, and rightly so.
The five-year-old is the winning-most British-trained horse of 2019 and he may not have stopped hitting the jam stick first just yet.
At a longer price, the 2017 Doncaster Cup winner Desert Skyline looks too big a price at around 33/1 with most betting sites and should be considered each-way.
The best of luck with all your York Ebor Festival bets this week!
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
