The coveted Sky Bet Ebor Handicap is the flagship contest of the season on the Knavesmire with twenty two thoroughbreds competing for a prize pool of £1,000,000, making it the most valuable flat handicap in Europe. The contest was inaugurated in 1843 and has recently seen two Cheltenham Festival winners take the prize, with the race becoming a good target for some high class dual purpose types to add an extra layer of depth to deciphering a notoriously tricky puzzle.
Market Contenders
Hipop De Loire
Willie Mullins landed the Ebor for the second time with Absurde in 2023 to add to his success with Sesenta in 2009, and Hipop De Loire has dominated the betting of late to go four places better this time around. The American Post gelding was given a lofty enough mark of 103 on his flat debut for new connections, but he travelled throughout the race like a well handicapped animal prior to finding repeated trouble in running to be beaten four lengths into fifth. He was put away for the remainder of the season and made an eye-catching comeback in listed company at Roscommon earlier last month, staying on well to be beaten three lengths into fourth. He then went to Galway and bolted up eleven lengths in a Maiden Hurdle to confirm his welfare, and this race has evidently been on the agenda all season. He’s 3lbs higher which makes life a touch tricker, but he’s likely to be bang there under Colin Keane once more.
Ethical Diamond
William Buick will have to work some magic to get Ethical Diamond into a good early position from stall twenty one, but high draws have been a positive in this contest in recent seasons and the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes winner still looks well treated off a mark of 104. The son of Awtaad is similar to connections’ Absurde given he’s a classy hurdler albeit not quite reaching the same heights, and this race will likely have been in the back of their minds for some time. He was well backed at Ascot and overcame a keen grip throughout under Ryan Moore to win going away by two lengths. He’d need to settle a bit better to see his stamina hold up over this trip, but he shapes as if he’ll stay and there mightn’t be all that much between him and his stablemate.
Shadow Dance
Almanzor gelding Shadow Dance took a competitive handicap at this meeting last season in good style and connections will have immediately thought about this contest. He then went to the Mallard Handicap at the St Leger meeting and nearly backed up his York effort, staying on well to be beaten half a length. He only made his seasonal debut late last month when held up in the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood, staying on late to be beaten six lengths into ninth. He might want it a bit softer underfoot, but he has the progressive profile required to land a race of this nature and a mark of 100 looks workable.
London City
Aidan O’Brien hasn’t landed the Ebor since Mediterranean in 2001, but London City looks well placed to see O’Brien recapture this valuable prize. The Justify colt is still entirely unexposed in handicaps with just two attempts, with the first coming here last May when cosily winning off a mark of 93 at the Dante meeting. He failed to stay two miles when keen on seasonal debut at Curragh in June, but there was plenty of promise to take out of his six length fifth in Group Two company there when not give the most strongest of rides, suggesting another target was in mind. A mark of 104 looks workable, and he has to be considered given his course success from last term.
Ascending
Henry De Bromhead took this last season with smart hurdler Magical Zoe and while Ascending still remains a maiden in that sphere, he’s still rated 131 and has ran some solid races in defeat. Originally with Clive Cox, he’s evidently enjoyed a return to the flat this season having landed a Dundalk handicap off a mark of 82 in November, prior to landing a competitive Cork handicap off 93 in May and then taking the Ascot Stakes off 95 by a neck. That was a serious performance given how keen he was early on, and he travelled through the race in menacing fashion to suggest he was way ahead of his mark. A 4lbs rise looks workable, and this drop back in trip is of no concern given the turn of foot he displays.
Outsiders to Consider
Siege Of Troy
Johnny Murtagh won this with Sonnyboyliston in 2021 and Siyouni filly Siege Of Troy looks to have a strong chance of reclaiming the Ebor crown for the yard. After landing a Curragh maiden and finishing second off 88 in a Curragh handicap last season, connections went for black type with her and she was only beaten a length in group three company at Cork prior to finishing third in a valuable listed contest at Keeneland. She put two below par efforts behind her when fourth behind Ethical Diamond at Ascot last season, and she backed that effort up in group three company when beaten a length into third at Leopardstown. She’s been put up 3lbs for that, but it was a respectable effort in good company and her proven ability to handle big fields makes her a worthy candidate under 7lbs claimer Patrick McGettigan.
Majestic Warrior
Perhaps the most interesting of runners is Majestic Warrior, who overcame a 698 day absence to land a Thirsk handicap off 89 by four lengths in April off top weight. Despite evident freshness, the son of Churchill made a mockery of his opening mark to take his record to three wins from four runs and with a proven record fresh, he has to be considered as one with plenty of upside.
Charlus
The Mullins spanner in the works could be Charlus, who had form figures of 1112 on the flat in France prior to making a successful hurdles debut in January. He appeared to be outclassed in the Triumph hurdle and that was the same case at Ascot in the Copper Horse handicap, but there was some promise to take from his third at Galway behind a runaway winner who took the same contest last season, and if coming on for those efforts he could still be well handicapped off a mark of 94.
Verdict
The Irish trainers have dominated almost everything on the British scene in both codes and Mullins, De Bromhead and Murtagh all have strong chances to continue that success, but James Tate’s unexposed MAJESTIC WARRIOR can keep this prize on home soil and emulate his half brother Fujaira Prince’s 2020 Ebor success. The yard have been patient with him, but it certainly looked to have paid off when bolting up at Thirsk and a subsequent 9lbs rise mightn’t be enough to prevent further success.
Shadow Dance can follow the selection home, as he caught the eye at Goodwood under a quite ride and his whole season looks to have been catered around this contest after landing a valuable handicap here last season.
Hipop De Loire can be the first of the Mullins trio home as he’s another who will’ve been primed for this, but while he was unlucky in this contest last season a 3lbs higher mark might be just enough to prevent him from getting much closer.
Ebor 1-2-3
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