Steve Mullington previews the action on the opening day of the 2025 York Ebor Festival.
Wednesday features the Group 1 Juddmonte International – the richest race of the annual York season, ranked as The Longines World’s Best Horse Race in 2024 by International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, an accolade it has also won on two previous occasions.
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The race has been famously won by the likes of Sea The Stars, Frankel, Baaeed and City of Troy.
13:50 York – 5½f Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Handicap
Course and distance winner BERGERAC appears to have been targeted at this race once again and comes here on the back of a decent third in the Scottish Stewards’ Cup.
Kevin Ryan’s seven-year-old is worth an each-way flutter in the Ebor Festival opener.
14:25 York – Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes
GOODWOOD GALAXY was far from disgraced in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood and can make an impact on the Knavesmire this week.
David Menuisier’s charge was actually pretty unlucky in his run at Goodwood, and over this much fairer track, he can ruffle a few feathers at pleasing sports betting odds.
15:00 York – Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes
Dual Derby winner LAMBOURN (NAP) will tackle the 1m4f Great Voltigeur on the Knavesmire before a crack at the St Leger at Doncaster, for which he is the current 2/1 antepost second-favourite.
Aidan O’Brien’s charge Lambourn arrives at York with the ideal combination of Derby-winning class and the stamina, and it will take a good one to defeat him.
15:35 York – Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes (British Champions Series)
Andrew Balding’s SEE THE FIRE can emulate her mother and father, who both won the Juddmonte International.
The four-year-old was beaten a neck by Opera Singer when second in the Group 1 last season, and proved she enjoys York when winning the Middleton Stakes by 12 lengths in May.
After running a fine third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, she did well in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, despite the foul conditions. She can give her esteemed contemporaries plenty to do today.
16:10 York – Stayers Class 2 Handicap
DANCING IN PARIS has been nothing but consistent this season, with the five-year-old deserving a change of fortune to come his way on the Knavesmire.
Ian Williams has been saddling a few winners of late, and Saffie Osborne is a good pick for the ride.
16:45 York – Ire Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Fillies’ Class 2 Handicap
Fairly unknown Irish trainers have made auspicious raids on the Ebor meeting before and have gone home with the spoils, which makes the filly ECLAIRAGE a rather interesting runner.
She’s yet to win on the turf, but ran a cracker last time out at Cork, and can be in the thick of it here under top rider Colin Keane.
17:20 York – Nursery Class 2 Handicap
SAUCY JANE showed us she was a decent type when finishing a decent fourth here in the Listed Marygate Stakes at the Dante meeting.
She ran well in her first handicap over six furlongs at Haydock ten days ago, and can reward her each-way supporters in this contest.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
