Andy Newton’s York Ebor Festival Tips on Wednesday 19th August, 2026

See Andy Newton’s York Horse Racing tips on Wednesday 19th August – day one of the Ebor Festival. 

There are five ITV races to take in on Wednesday, that are spearheaded by the Group One Juddmonte International Stakes (3:35pm).

Where we’ve a must-see clash York between Ombudsman and Constitution River.

Are you siding with young or old here in the day one York Ebor Festival feature?

Plus on the day, we also get more St Leger clues with the Group Two Great Voltigeur Stakes – with 15 horses doing the double over the years.

So, let’s get cracking.

Andy Newton’s Quickfire York Horse Racing Tips: Wednesday 19th August, 2026:

• 1:50pm: AIR FORCE ONE
• 2:25pm: GENTLE HURRICANE
• 3:00pm: MALTESE CROSS
• 3:35pm: OMBUDSMAN 
• 4:10pm: SMALL FRY

🎙️You can also catch Andy’s views each week on the Final Furlong Podcast here.

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Andy Newton’s ITV York Horse Racing Tips on Wednesday

1:50pm Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Stakes Heritage Handicap 4+ £135,000 5.5f ITV1

AIR FORCE ONE looks to have a great chance of flying home here after a decent 3rd here last time.

He was only 3/4 off the winner Stratusnine that day and meets that horse on 8lbs better terms this time – getting 5lbs the last day and now in receiving 13lbs.

This 5yold is a also a proven course winner here at York and was a close third in his last season – albeit off a 7lb lower mark.

Draw 5 looks good too with 80% of the last 10 winners coming from 10 or lower, while favourites have only won one of the last 10.

Of the rest, the Ed Bethell team are going well at the moment so their consistent Corolla Point is respected too after a good Hamilton win earlier this month.

While last year’s winner Trefor has to be noted too for Charles Hills, who has won two of the last three runnings of this.

Last year’s champ is back off just a 3lbs higher mark and heads here in winning form after a nice victory at Windsor nine days ago.

🥇AIR FORCE ONE
🥈Corolla Point
🥉Trefor 

2:25pm Tattersalls Acomb Stakes Group 3 2yo £175,000 7f ITV1

The Acomb has a been a bit of a graveyard for the market leaders in recent times – we’ve not had a winning favourite in the last 10 years.

Meaning we are either due one or this has just been a race punters have struggled a bit with.

Whichever one of these happens, it’s looking like the Aidan O’Brien-trained Haffner will go off as the jolly.

The yard won this in 2024 with The Lion In Winter and unfortunately that horse didn’t quite go onto fulfill expectations.

Haffner was a good winner of a decent Newmarket maiden in July but the runner-up Al Wathba has knocked the form since – losing at 2/11.

So a chance is taken on the Andrew Balding runner GENTLE HURRICANE, who was a nice winner on debut at Salisbury.

The horse will, of course, need to improve on that, but connections clearly feel he’s okay pitching him into G3 level so soon.

With Andrew Balding wining this with top class sorts Chaldean and Gewan in recent times – Oisin Murphy rides.

Of the rest, Trean for Paddy Twomey and Alfred Wallace are other big players.

🥇GENTLE HURRICANE
🥈Haffner
🥉Trean

ALSO SEE: Andy Newton’s Daily Horse Racing tips and cheat sheet – including NAP, Each-Way picks, Lay Of The Day and Daily Stats.

3:00pm Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes Group 2 3yo £250,000 1m 4f ITV1

15 horses (I think) have won the Great Voltigeur and gone onto land the St Leger and I think MALTESE CROSS can have a big say in being the next.

This year’s Epsom Derby runner-up has improved since Epsom to be a gutsy G1 winner in France of the Grand Prix de Paris.

He needed every inch of that 1m4f that day so you feel this step up to 1m6f for the first time will be perfect.

Trainer William Haggas has only landed this race once in the past (Storm The Stars, 2015) and is yet to take the St Leger. #

Hopefully he can break that duck this season, with Maltese Cross around 4/1 for the final English Classic at Donny in September.

Derby winner Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard are noted too as Aidan O’Brien eyes his sixth Voltiguer to close in on the record haul of Sir Michael Stoute (7).

While the in-form Superior Choice for the Gosden’s is also shortlisted.

🥇MALTESE CROSS
🥈Superior Choice
🥉Christmas Day

 

3:35pm Juddmonte International Stakes Group 1 3+ £1,500,000 1m 2f ITV1

This is all set up to be one of the races of the season, with the new generation and unbeaten Constitution River a huge player of Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore.

He was an impressive winner of the Coral-Eclipse last time and the second A Boy Named Susie has franked to the form to win since – albeit at short odds.

Constitution River also gets a handy 7lbs from his main rival Ombudsman being a 3yold. While O’Brien is the winning-most trainer in this race – landing the pot a record seven times.

But I’m not sure that was a great renewal of the Eclipse.

OMBUDSMAN is also still rated 8lbs higher so just about has the edge here (1lb) and is also the current champ – winning this race easily last season.

He comes here having won his second Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and looks sure to get his favoured quick ground.

Gosden has also won two of the last three (4 in total) and so the call for me here is experience over youth.

With Ombudsman set to become the first back-to-back Juddmonte International Stakes winner since Halling in 1995/96 – who was also owned by Godolphin.

Item is no back number either as he seems to like it here – winning the York Stakes and Dante here this season and is now 2-2 on the Knavesmire.

🥇OMBUDSMAN
🥈Constitution River
🥉Item 

4:10pm Sky Bet Stayers Stakes Heritage Handicap 3+ £100,000 2m ITV1

SMALL FRY looks the safest call in the final York day one ITV race after running a close second at Goodwood over 1m6f and was a fine 6th at Ascot in the Ascot Stakes over 2m4f.

So we know he’ll stay this 2m trip well and last time also met a small bit of traffic to suggest that run can be a tad upgraded.

Yes, a 4lb rise make life a bit harder, but he’s got a consistent profile and the long York straight looks right his street.

Of the rest, Ryan Moore’s mount Kirchner is noted after a good win last time at Ascot – up 6lbs.

I think Ride The Thunder has a bit to prove over this 2m trip, while Valedictory was 5th in Small Fry’s race last time, but could get closer on 4lbs better terms and in the first-time blinkers.

Of those at bigger prices Ghaiyya was 2nd to Kirchner last time at Ascot and can be expected to get closer off 7lbs better terms.

🥇SMALL FRY
🥈Valedictory
🥉Ghaiyya