York Ebor Festival Tips: My Banker, Lay and Big Priced Fancy for the Ebor Festival
We are just over a week away from The Ebor handicap but there are plenty of big races before the feature on Saturday 20th August wraps up the York Festival. Some world class thoroughbred action awaits and our man Billy Grimshaw previews the five-day Flat extravaganza on the Knavemire and picks out his banker of the meeting, as well as his best lay, and a big-priced fancy that could outrun their odds...
Banker - Dramatised to win the Lowther Stakes @ 6/5
A clash of impressive Royal Ascot winners awaits in the Acomb Stakes, with two juvenile fillies in DRAMATISED and Meditate both expected to run. Meditate upset favourite Mawj under a cracking Ryan Moore ride at the Royal meeting, going on to win decisively by a length and a half. That form looks particularly strong now considering Mawj has ran since and won the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes from hot favourite Lezoo. In behind Mawj and Lezoo that day was Maylandsea, who had chased home Dramatised last time out in the Queen Mary. She ran too badly to be true in the end in the Duchess Of Cambridge, in the end finishing stone last so the formlines are not to be taken as gospel here.
I am strongly with Karl Burke's Queen Mary winner Dramatised here to confirm her promise and assert herself as the leading Juvenile filly of 2022 in this race. She has pace to burn which should suit a track like York and her finishing effort was sensational at the Royal Meeting, especially considering her rider actually dropped the whip in the last 100 or so yards. Mawj is a worthy rival but on both the eye test and with the figures Dramatised looked a star in the making and I think anything above even money for this daughter of Showcasing makes her the standout bet of the week.
Lay - Royal Aclaim in the Nunthorpe @ 13/8
This could be a lay that leaves me with egg on my face as there is absolutely no doubt ROYAL ACLAIM looked every inch a group standard filly last time out when demolishing the field in the John Smith's City Walls Stakes at this very track. James Tate's stable star is undoubtedly rapid and deserves her place at the head of the market here, but the form of her last race can be questioned. Her main market rival was the seriously inconsistent Winter Power (last year's Nunthorpe winner) and she ran no sort of race. There are plenty of question marks about other runners that day and whether they ran to their best so as impressive as the winner looked I'm still not sure she deserves to be quite so short for a contest like this which will surely attract a stellar field
The standard of opposition is another reason I will be against Royal Aclaim at the prices, with tried and trusted performers such as Flotus and Emaraty Ana lurking at double figure prices further down the market. There are plenty more with solid looking claims in the older horses category but the threat of some out of the ordinary two year olds taking their chance and being handed lumps of weight by their elders, including Royal Acclaim, means she must be taken on. Little Big Bear is an unlikely runner but if he were to come he looked a rocket of a juvenile in the Phoenix Stakes, while the Platinum Queen was one of the winners of the week at Royal Ascot for Richard Fahey and she looks more likely to take on the older horses. If she lines up she will be the bet for me as I can't see anything being able to give her as much weight as they will have to and a beating.
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Big Priced Fancy - Euchen Glen each way in the Ebor @ 16/1
It is not uncommon to see horses come away from Glorious Goodwood with hard luck stories, and the 2022 festival was certainly no exception. The connections of the selection to win the 2022 Ebor can feel particularly hard done by, after EUCHEN GLEN got no run whatsoever when a length and a bit back in third behind Trawlerman in the Coral Summer Handicap. Coming with his customary late run, Jim Goldie's stalwart was completely boxed in and had no chance of catching the leader when a gap finally appeared. Connections were understandably disappointed post race and claimed they thought with a clear run they'd have won, but the Ebor (the most valuable handicap in Europe) is some plan B to have.
Euchen Glen has a strong record on the Knavesmire, winning a Group Three, a John Smith's Cup and of course beating the impressive St Leger winner of 2020 Logician at the course. Of course the Ebor is no stranger to hard luck stories and with Euchen Glen's running style traffic problems could once again hinder his chances. However, the nine year old seems to have lost none of his talent or zest for the game and at odds of 16/1 I think he is a cracking each-way play into the race both now and perhaps when a couple of points shorter nearer race day with extra places on offer.
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