The York Ebor Handicap is open to horses aged four years or older and is contested over a distance of one mile, five furlongs and 188 yards on the Knavesmire.
Held on the final day of York's Four-Day Ebor Festival, the Ebor Handicap is the most valuable Flat handicap in Europe, and with all that prize money on offer it never fails to attract a hugely competitive field.
Let’s take a look at the 2024 antepost protagonists for the race:
In the form of his life and a winner here on July 27th, six-year-old Ziggy for the Harry Eustace stable has to be in with a live shot of taking top honours.
Currently trading in our horse racing betting at 16/1, this son of Sixties Icon has risen from a mark of 92 in April up to 101 after his victory at York last month.
Winner Market -
Sandwiched between those runs was an excellent showing in the Duke Of Edinburgh at the Royal Ascot meeting where he was 2½ lengths behind Crystal Black. His profile is the perfect fit for an Ebor winner and I can see him running an almighty race.
Dermot Weld’s Harbour Wind will prove popular in the betting on the actual day of the race and if you are tempted to punt on him now he’s a 10/1 chance in our betting.
The Nathaniel-gelding has never finished out of the top two in any of his six career starts to date and he is effectively the proverbial “Group horse running in a handicap” when you read through his form figures.
Only last season he was just touched off by Double Major in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay at the Arc meeting, without there being the slightest inclination that twelve months later he would be turning out in Europe’s richest handicap.
If Harbour Wind can deal with the hustle and bustle of a large field then he has to rank as a major player in the Ebor.
Andrew Balding’s Fairbanks went into many a notebook after the four-year-old just missed out on winning the Summer Handicap over 1m6f at Glorious Goodwood.
Another son of Nathaniel, the George Strawbridge-owned gelding won a competitive handicap on the Newmarket July course prior to Goodwood and even at a young age, he has got plenty of experience at running over the Ebor trip.
Fairbanks has certainly got to be on any shortlist for the York feature.
Just a few weeks ago we found out Willie Mullins was targeting the Ebor and Melbourne Cup with his impressive Royal Ascot winner Belloccio.
Heading our antepost betting at 8/1 the six-year-old now has decent form over both codes having won a maiden hurdle over two miles back in May.
The grey gelding is every inch a stayer, but he also possesses a touch of pace when racing on the flat which you need to win a prestigious contest like the Ebor Handicap.
Having won last year’s race with Absurde, ignore Willie Mullins at your peril.
Recommended bet: Ziggy 16/1 (E/W).
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
