York Ebor Day 1 Tips & Preview

We’ve got your York tips for everyday of the York Ebor Festival this week. We’ve gone through the cards to give you our preview and free tips all week starting with the opening day which features The Juddmonte International Stakes won in recent years by the likes of Frankel, Sea The Stars and most recently Japan.

Symphony Group Handicap

A tough race to get things underway with a max field of 22 expected to line-up over the flying 5 ½ furlongs. Jawwaal has won his last 2 and has gone up 11lbs in that time and could complete the hat-trick but the suspicion is he could be vulnerable to a well handicapped runner in here.

Justanotherbottle has contested many a big sprint handicap in his time including when twice placing in the Stewards Cup. He comes into this fresh having not raced since June and can go very close here. Just 4 runs ago he finished behind future July Cup winner Oxted and that level of form gives him place claims at worse..

The most likely winner though is Arecibo for David O’Meara and Danny Tudhope. He’s been on the go having raced 6 times since June. In those runs he’s run respectably without troubling the judge which has resulted in the handicapper dropping him 8lbs. He was beaten 5 ½ lengths by Jawwaal at Ascot in July but can reverse that form here now he’s 11lb better off at the weights.

Selection: Arecibo

Acomb Stakes (Group 3)

As expected for these two-year-old races there’s not much form to go off with 8 runners and 7 of these already winners but could see a superstar emerge.

Cloudbridge was very impressive when winning on debut and that form has been boosted with the 3rd winning since and is going to be a popular choice.

There is a lot to like about Royal Scimitar won his sole run to date. He only just did enough when winning at Newbury but he was never really asked any serious questions by his jockey Liam Keniry that day. The form of that run also looks very good and is the tentative pick in this open contest.

Selection: Royal Scimitar

Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2)

Mogul heads the market having won at Glorious Goodwood last time. Before that he finished down the field in the Derby and was beaten by Pyledriver at Royal Ascot. It’s based off those 2 runs that he looks short enough in this so it’s best to look elsewhere.

If Pyledriver missed the Derby it would be interesting to see how much shorter in the betting he would be for this. He has to give weight away all round because of his Group 2 win but he’s capable of doing that and the price just looks too big to pass.

Darain is the only unbeaten runner but is only having his 3rd start and it’s a big step up from Novice races. Berkshire Rocco is also very interesting runner, 2nd behind English King in the Betsafe Derby Trial was followed up by a 2nd behind Irish Derby winner Santiago. This would be very much his minimum trip, but it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to make the running and make this a true stamina test.

Selection: Berkshire Rocco 

Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1)

Six line up for the feature race of the day; The Juddmonte International Stakes and with all due respect to Rose Of Kildare and Aspetar there are probably only four that can win this.

The most likely of those is Ghaiyyath who is a dual Group 1 winner on both starts this year. Those 2 wins have included defeats of Enable and Stradivarius and a reproduction of those runs should be good enough.

Kameko has disappointed since his 2000 Guineas win though excuses can be made for those 2 runs. He gets 7lb off Ghaiyyath which will help his chances but probably needs more. Lord North has improved in every run he has had and was a very good winner at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. He’ll need a career best once more to be involved.

Magical is a top-class performer having won 6 Group 1’s with 2 of those coming this season. This is a much tougher race for her, and she will probably need Ghaiyyath to not be at his best to win this.

Selection: Ghaiyyath

Ghaiyyath can remain unbeaten this season and claim a 3rd Group 1 in a row

York 3:45 2m 1/2f Handicap

Its very tempting to look straight at the runners from the jump’s yards in this sort of contest but its difficult to get away from Make My Day for Ralph Beckett. He has only raced 4 times winning his last 2 including at York last time. He’s stepping up in trip and is saddling 6lb more than his last run, but the suggestion is there is a lot more to come from this well bred son of Galileo. If he stays the trip, he should win.

Off the others, Just In Time should come on for his last run which came after 2 years off. Rochester House was just touched off by Just Herbert last time. They re-oppose in this where Rochester House should be able to reverse the form.

Selection: Make My Day