York’s Ebor Festival contains some outstanding contests live on ITV Racing on Wednesday. Even away from the Group 1 action, there are competitive handicaps and juvenile races aplenty. In-house tipster Joe Napier has three tips for you to follow, all at each-way prices.
1.50 York – Symphony Group Handicap
This 5½f handicap is a great way to start a big meeting. Since 2015, this has suited experienced horses, with only one horse under the age of five winning in that span, and no three-year-old victorious. Indeed, four of the last seven winners have been aged seven or above, yet there is just one horse older than four within the top ten of the betting here. Even Group 1 performers Live In The Dream and Twilight Calls were beaten in this as three-year-olds in recent seasons.
The veterans therefore hold sway in the process, and an eyecatcher at a massive price is NEVER DARK for Iain Jardine. On plain numbers he has work to do to be involved, and is 3lb out of the handicap (negated by Alex Jary’s 5lb claim), but there has been some significant encouragement in his displays since the start of July. His win at Nottingham to start that run saw him beat two subsequent winners in the field of seven as well as three others to have finished runner-up since.
He was only mid division in two handicaps at this venue since then, but crucially raced prominently, and the extra half furlong may also suit given he was second over 6f two starts back at Wolverhampton. A repeat of that front-running effort at a track which always favours such tactics, combined with the extra 100 yards, could pay dividends if the trend towards older winners continues.
2.25 York – Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (Group 3)
If the market is to be believed, this is a truly fascinating contest, with two ways to play it: find a winner out of the top two, or the best of the remaining nine. Yet, as a juvenile Group race, siding with either of the extremely well-regarded Ruling Court for Godolphin, or ante-post Derby favourite The Lion In Winter for Ballydoyle, is difficult when there could easily be a fly in the ointment among the remainder, all of whom are priced up at 20/1 or higher in at least one place.
Their form is ominous, but with Charlie Appleby hardly firing on all cylinders and The Lion In Winter needing every yard of 7f to hit full cry, there could be a viable alternative in DIABLO ROJO, who was no less impressive on his debut.
In the hands of Raphael Freire, who looks set to take high ranking among Amo Racing’s ever-growing list of trainers, the son of Pinatubo ran out a convincing winner of a Redcar maiden at the end of July. He was more than three lengths clear at the line, and the fourth, beaten seven lengths, came out and won on his next start. He is a half-brother to San Donato, rated 114 on these shores and a Group 2 winner in Dubai since, and if he takes on some of his sire’s prodigious juvenile talent, he could serve it up to the big boys.
4.10 York – Sky Bet Stayers Handicap
What Samui achieved when winning by a yawning margin at Killarney is up for question, and conceding weight to every rival here is an entirely different ball game. The shortlist is headed instead by Knightswood and DIVINE COMEDY, and having suggested the latter could win the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood before being declared a non runner, it would be disingenuous to ignore her claims here.
Harry Eustace’s mare mostly shades the verdict though due to her ability to race more prominently, whereas Knightswood has often found trouble in-running from the back. At a course like York, he might find similar happens again, whereas Divine Comedy, who herself flew from further back than ideal for second in the Ascot Stakes last time out, can lay up with early pace.
That was shown to full effect when she bolted up at Haydock two starts back and her 5lb claimer Kaiya Fraser gets a good tune out of her. She is a stone higher for that victory, but winning as she did looked a significant achievement, and her second at the royal meeting only continued her trend of improvement, and showed she could handle a quicker surface against this level of opposition. She looks the likeliest in an open field to be guaranteed a part in the finish.
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