Ben Morgan’s York Ebor Festival 2026 tips – Day 2 – Hawksbill set to soar over Knavesmire

Racing Ahead’s resident tipster Ben Morgan selects his best bets for Day 2 of the 2026 York Ebor Festival action.

York 2.25 – Channon improver looks good value

I can’t quite work out why INNICHEN is 18/1 in this competitive nursery.

Clearly the two at the top of the market are going to be hard to beat given their reputation and form but for a horse drawn on the right side, an unlucky loser in a similar nursery at Goodwood and seemingly improving he looks the bet for me.

Tom Marquand is a strong booking in the saddle also so a repeat of his Goodwood run will see him go close. 

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York 3.00 – Hawksbill and Cerulean Bay can strike in competitive handicap

I thought HAWKSBILL was an unlucky loser in the Golden Mile at Goodwood as he did not get a break until very late in the day and by then he couldn’t finish any better than where he did finish.

However, given his shrewd connections, I presume that race was part of the plan after a couple of quieter runs and that they will be keen to try and gain some compensation here.

Drawn low, racing around a bend everything looks set for another big performance. 

Much like Innichen, I am confused as to why CERULEAN BAY is such a big price given his ability to run to a consistently high class level in these handicaps and his record here at York.

He too has been handed a tidy draw and I will be amazed if he is out of the places. 

York 3.35 – Hauk to swoop to victory back against own sex 

As good as Kalpana looked in the King George I am not convinced she will follow that up as her career has suggested she isn’t one to rely on.

I am not sure she is a better horse than MINNIE HAUK either who was seemingly sacrificed as a pace maker in that King George which was a strange move in my mind.

A really classy 3 year old, she perhaps hasn’t hit those heights this season just yet but she has hinted that she has more than enough quality still and I think she will be primed to defend her crown here.

It’s a good edition but it’s worth remembering she trounced Estrange in this race last year, receiving 9lb or not, that is some effort.

Around the 4/1 mark she looks the value bet. 

York 5.20 – Balding filly to appreciate step back up to 7f

I was slightly confused by the drop in trip for MACHADADORP last time out at Goodwood and she ran much as I expected her to.

I think connections may have misconstrued her previous effort at Newmarket where she was seemingly outstayed by a nice filly but I actually think the winner was just thrown in that day and the selection here still finished comfortably ahead of the rest.

She ran ok last time but I think she was always going quicker than she wanted to and a 6th place finish showed that.

A low draw here and the extra furlong will give her a great chance of capitalising on a lenient handicap mark. 

READ MORE: Andy Newton’s Thursday York Ebor Festival tips: 13/2, 9/4 and 2/1 Wednesday winners