Our resident tipster Ben Morgan selects his best bets from days three and four at the Ebor Festival
York 3.35 – Walker has a strong hand in open Nunthorpe
I’m really sweet on Ed Walker’s fillies, MGHEERA and CELANDINE, and am hopeful both can run big races. The former looked a classy filly earlier in the season with the switch to Ed Walker’s seemingly improving her no end.
A flat fast 5 furlongs looks to be right up here street and although she can be ‘tardy’ from the gates I think they should go quick enough here for her to latch on to the pack in the final furlong.
Punters may be put off her run at Curragh last time out but she had a far from ideal run in that and the winner got away on the front end.
Everything looks in her favour today so she rates my number one hope.
Stablemate CELANDINE was touched off at Chester last time out when again the winner and Chester specialist got away on the front end.
Her earlier run here at York was a fine reappearance run, and she certainly looks to have trained on having won the Lowther here last year.
That obvious preference for York bodes well for her chance here, and I expect her to be up with the pace here as she does stay further.
I have been backing her at 66/1, but as of this morning, there is 40/1 still available, which I think is a stonking each-way bet.
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York 4.10 – Wonder to be the Star of the show
I was disappointed that WONDER STAR couldn’t reel in Ashariba last time out at Goodwood and am hopeful the booking of Tom Marquand today can change her fortunes.
I’m pretty sure she is lurking on a very good mark and she certainly looked well weighted last time out but the winner toughed it out from the front and is a good mare in her own right.
This race looks slightly easier and I will be bitterly disappointed if she isn’t up to winning this off 84.
York 4.45 – Naval to Light up Knavesmire in strong Maiden.
NAVAL LIGHT is arguably the best, if not one of, maidens in the country and I’m sure connections would be stunned if you had told them after his debut that he would still be a maiden after 3 runs.
I think they are now running him over the correct trip having looked tap for toe over 5f and 6f already this season.
The form of the Goodwood maiden he was second in last time out is working out well with the winner going in again here yesterday.
His experience will surely count for a lot here and I personally can’t have him beat. Strong chance.
Saturday
York 3.00 – The City Of York Stakes is run as a Group 1 for the first time this year and it has attracted a field of some of the best 7f horses around which is great for York.
Rosallion and Never So Brave seem to be popular in the market with their form in the book marking them a class above on paper.
However, races aren’t run on paper and I fancy a bit of an upset here. I said after his last victory here, which was his 3rd York victory from 3 starts, that QUINAULT is a Group 1 horse here on the Knavesmire.
Strong call, but his free going running style tends to catch him out at the top level at most tracks but here at York, it seems to give him a huge advantage.
I expect him to go hard from the start and I think you will see a few jockeys starting to push at the 3f pole to try and reel him in but previous experience tells us this is harder than it looks.
At 22/1 he looks a great each way bet.
York 3.35 – Varian’s improving stayer to emerge from the Shadows
Only if you had backed SHADOW DANCE for the Ebor would you have taken strong notice of his run at Goodwood, where he stayed on strongly from an unpromising position over an inadequate 1m 2f.
It looked like the perfect prep run for this race, which has undoubtedly been his target since the back end of last season.
Roger Varian is a very underrated trainer in terms of targeting certain races, and I have no doubt he will have him spot on for this assignment, where he looks to have an obvious chance.
York 5.20
It would be great for Sir Busker to go out with a win here, but I do think he’s got his hands full off his current mark.
I’m firing a couple of darts at the board with the hope of landing a final winner of the 2025 Ebor Festival, and first up is DAIN MA NUT IN.
Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore saddle their first Ebor runner since they took out a joint licence, and this fellow looks to have been laid out for such an assignment.
His form of his Hamilton win last time out couldn’t have worked out much better, and the short break and booking of Danny Tudhope, who would have had the choice of a few here, suggest this race has been the plan for a while. Priced up at 14/1 currently, I think he could be the value bet in an open race.
My other, more speculative dart is RON O, who I’m hoping bounces back to his best now running over his best trip.
His stable debut for David Thompson was very encouraging, but he ran a sort of race on his next start at Newcastle before running over an inadequate 7f at Thirsk last time out, which was surely a tee-up for this.
He has plenty of top-level York form, and I see no reason why he can’t bounce back here at a juicy price.
