While the £1-million Sky Bet Ebor takes pride of place as the unequivocal big betting race of the week on Saturday, the stunning quality of the first three days of the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival reaches its zenith with the final appearance on British soil of the brilliant ENABLE in Thursday’s Gr1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
It’s also Ladies’ Day, the social highlight of the meeting, and how fitting that the race that regularly proves the highest-rated mare and fillies race in Europe includes the country’s outstanding champion, looking to add this to her 2017 triumph.
So far her final season has gone perfectly to plan, victories in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown and the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot rubber-stamping her dominance in the older horse division.
After waiting to see how she came out of her unforgettable clash with Crystal Ocean in the King George, trainer John Gosden put the thousands of racing enthusiasts in Yorkshire out of their misery by green lighting the five-year-old for York, in which she will rub shoulders with the Coolmore challenger MAGICAL who she beat in a memorable Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs last autumn.
After the Yorkshire Oaks, Gosden will chart the Khaled Abdullah-owned champion towards the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on the first Sunday in October, success in which would make her the first three times winner of Europe’s greatest race, and one generally regarded as the best in the world.
York’s five furlongs course is slightly downhill and has attracted the fastest horses in the world in recent years. Friday’s renewal brings with it a tantalising clash between BATTAASH and TEN SOVEREIGNS, winners respectively of the King George V Stakes at Goodwood and the July Cup at Newmarket.
Battaash is trying to end a hoodoo in the Gr1 contest, having been beaten when favourite in each of the last two seasons. The Charles Hills-trained gelding became upset at the start in the 2017 race and his temperament will again be tested by the close proximity of the public at the start.
Ten Sovereigns had become something of a ‘talking horse’ before blitzing his rivals in the July Cup but whilst Battaash is a five furlongs specialist, the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner needs to prove he has the speed in his armoury to be as good over the minimum distance.
The Sky Bet Ebor is the richest Flat handicap run in Europe and heading the market at 6-1 with Hollywoodbets is KING’S ADVICE.
This horse has proved a revelation since joining trainer Mark Johnston, winning eight of his nine starts in 2019, including valuable handicaps at Newmarket’s July Festival and Glorious Goodwood.
But Johnston will have others to ponder on, as he could saddle 12-1 shot BAGHDAD, successful in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot, and Chester Cup hero MAKING MIRACLES.
The dominant front-runner WITHHOLD is another towards the forefront of the betting following his all the way triumph in the Marsh Cup at Newbury. Roger Charlton’s runner has the chance to complete a rare treble as he landed the Cesarewitch in 2017 as well as the Northumberland Plate last season.
Other eye-catchers include last year’s runner-up WEEKENDER, representing John Gosden, and RAHEEN HOUSE, who has been the subject of a persistent gamble for new trainer William Haggas.
In Australia, the first Gr1 feature of the new season will be run at Randwick on Saturday.
Formerly known as the Warwick Stakes, the A$500 000 Winx Stakes will be run at weight-for-age over 1400m and has attracted a top-rate field.
Seven of the 10 runners are already GrI winners and the line-up is headlined by two of Australia’s biggest weight-for-age names – AVILIUS and HAPPY CLAPPER.
The field also includes Winx boss Chris Waller’s three high-class mares VERRY ELLEEGANT, UNFORGOTTEN AND YOUNGSTAR.
It should be a cracker!
South Africa hosts the season’s first stakes feature – albeit a modest one – with the running of the Listed Jockey Club Stakes at Fairview in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth on Friday.
A capacity field lines up for the 2000m contest, with many chasing a final chance to secure that catalogue-page boosting black-type before they retire to their second careers in the breeding paddocks.
The race is run at weight-for-age plus penalties for stakes wins and it is the former Listed Devon Air Stakes winner MERYL who stands out, despite her wide draw. The daughter of Tiger Ridge ran an excellent sprint prep a matter of weeks ago and looks cherry ripe to go out with a bang.
Her major opposition could be the Snaith challenger LIBRA, the mount of top jockey Richard Fourie.
So a lovely four days of racing ahead of us, commencing with the mouthwatering action from York today.
