Ebor Handicap Runners & Riders  

Run during York’s biggest meeting of the season under the same name, the Ebor Handicap is run over 1m6f of the Knavesmire for horses aged four and older. As a handicap, it weights every entrant according to their ability, ensuring many tight finishes over the years, often leading to an immense reaction from the crowd. Here are the runners and riders for this year’s Ebor Handicap.

Runners form and Riders to follow

Who are the Top Three Favourites to Win this Year’s Ebor Handicap?

The Ebor can play host to as many as 22 runners, and is one of the most open betting contests of the flat season. Nevertheless, some favourites are starting to emerge as the likeliest contenders to win this year’s race, run on the 24th August 2024.

We profile the leading three favourites to win the race at this stage here.

Belloccio

Formerly trained in the south by David Menuisier, Belloccio has since moved to Willie Mullins with the primary aim of going movie churdling. He got off the mark in that sphere in facile fashion recently, but stepped up even on that when winning a competitive Royal Ascot handicap on his flat debut for the yard in June.

That win has resulted in a 5lb rise in his mark, but that is not overly harsh, and he may well have further improvement in him.

Harbour Wind

For those who value consistency, Harbour Wind may be an appealing potential selection. Dermot Weld has never won this race, but will not have had as many candidated as primed as this four-year-old.

The son of Nathaniel is yet to finish out of the first two, winning four and finishing runner-up in the other two of his six starts to date. That also means he is relatively unexposed, and is already a dual Listed winner between 1m4½f-1m6f. A mark of 109 may well be that which he carries here and would not be too taxing.

Alsakib

There is only one British-trained runner in the top five of the ante-post markets for the Ebor, which is Andrew Balding’s Alsakib. Another four-year-old, the youngest age at which you can compete in the race, he also scored in Pattern company last time out, snaring the Group 3 John Smith’s Cup over course and distance.

That was his first win in nine months, but he had been competing in high quality races in the meantime and may well be a horse for this particular course.

Ebor Handicap Horse Entries & Selections

Although three-year-olds used to be able to compete, the Ebor Handicap is now restricted to horses aged four and upwards. This rules out the Classic generation, but ensures the older flat horses have their day in the spotlight.

The maximum field size for the race is 22, but entries at the early stage tally 75. It is often a race that is oversubscribed, although they should be fairly whittled down in advance of the off.

It would be a surprise if the field were significantly smaller than 22, making it a significant puzzle to overcome. Our top tipsters Andrew Mount and Matty Sutcliffe will be on hand to find the best value in the race and try and land you the winner.

Which Trainers Have Historically Had the Most Success in the Ebor Handicap?

The most successful trainer in the Ebor’s history also won just the second ever renewal of the contest: Tom Dawson’s Godfrey scored in 1844, and his handler would go on to record four more wins in the race, culminating in Mandrake’s victory in 1867.

The only modern trainer within close touching distance of him is Sir Michael Stoute. He may be without a win in the contest since 1996, but Clerkenwell’s success that year was his third overall. As a handicap, this is not a race targeted as heavily by Aidan O’Brien, but he did still capture Ebor victory in 2001 with Mediterranean, who was also the last three-year-old winner.

This is yet another race in the sport’s history in which Lester Piggott holds the most wins overall. He claimed the race five times with 25 years spanning his first win on Gladness in 1958 and his fifth on Jupiter Island in 1983. Frankie Dettori only managed three victories, but signed off with wins in his last two rides in the race on Trawlerman in 2022 and Absurde in 2023.

Runners & Riders Past Winners

Year	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
2023	Absurde	Willie Mullins	Frankie Dettori	7/1
2022	Trawlerman	John & Thady Gosden	Frankie Dettori	9/1
2021	Sonnyboyliston	Johnny Murtagh	Ben Coen	10/1
2020	Fujaira Prince	Roger Varian	Andrea Atzeni	11/2F
2019	Mustajeer	Ger Lyons	Colin Keane	16/1
2018	Muntahaa	John Gosden	Jim Crowley	11/1
2017	Nakeeta	Iain Jardine	Callum Rodriguez	12/1
2016	Heartbreak City	Tony Martin	Adam McNamara	15/2
2015	Litigant	Joseph Tuite	Oisin Murphy	33/1
2014	Mutual Regard	Johnny Murtgah	Louis Steward	20/1