The horse racing broadcaster offers up his five selections for the opening day of the 2026 York Ebor Festival.
The opening day of York’s Ebor meeting and for the first time in a while, there is the prospect of some material rainfall in the forecast from Tuesday night through to Thursday. Whether this impacts the ground in any significant way remains to be seen but with the majority of the form this season (Derby weekend the notable exception!) taking place on fast ground, be prepared for things to turn around markedly over the next few weeks if this is not just a one off couple of days of wet stuff.
The meeting opens with a big field sprint where the usual York template is to find a low drawn prominent racer ideally with course experience. THE MAN 5/1 (13:50 York) looks the one to best fit the bill having finished second in the race last year off a 3lb higher mark to Trefor, who reopposes here. Trefor has a tricky draw in 20 however and has also been pushed a little higher in the weights after a recent Windsor victory. The Man made a belated return this season and just seems to be brought to the boil gradually and hopefully a return to the Knavesmire will see him take another step forward. Expect him to be ridden more prominently this time, with his stable companion Candy amongst those who can lead him in on the far side group.
The first juvenile race of the season is the Group 3 Tattersall Acomb Stakes and the clear form pick looks to be HAFFNER 6/4 (14:25 York) after his second at Goodwood in a Group 2. Recent winners of the race in The Lion In Winter and the ill-fated Gewan have proved above average, but this does not look such a strong renewal. Unless one of the last time out Novice/Maiden winners takes a major step forward, Haffner looks to set a high enough bar to their prospects. Gentle Hurricane heads that list having bucked the trend this season in winning first time out for Andrew Balding (just 4/47 A/E 0.66) and given the yard have used the race for both Chaldean and Gewan, it may reflect the regard in which he is potentially held and so he is respected most of the group.
Next up is a Leger trial in the Great Voltigeur, which for the second year in a row has attracted the Derby winner in CHRISTMAS DAY 9/4 (15:00 York) and this time also the horse that chased him home in Maltese Cross – who has since won the Group 1 Grand Prix De Paris despite meeting trouble in running. It was a rare tactical misjudgement by Coolmore to elect to come stand side when Christmas Day was beaten into third in the Dante, but he relished the conditions at Epsom and then backed it up on a quicker surface in the Irish Derby. The more rain the better for his chances and with half the field from the O’Brien yard, they have the opportunity to dictate how the race plays out far more than Tom Marquand on Maltese Cross.
The feature race is an excellent renewal of the Juddmonte International and a clash between OMBUDSMAN 1/1 (15:35 York) and three-year-olds Constitution River and Item. John Gosden’s Ombudsman was very impressive at Ascot when winning The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes for the second year running and he is looking to do the same here. He was given a very lofty official rating off that victory of 132 and whilst he has to give weight away to the three-year-olds that is meant to reflect the difference in physical development, so to add it to their official ratings is flawed unless you believe the weight for age scales to be incorrect to a significant degree. Constitution River is the standout three-year-old middle distance colt but at this stage he looks priced on potential rather than the actual depth of his form, coupled with the high regard in which the stable hold him. This would not be the first time however that such comments have reflected commercial expediency rather than him being the best horse to ever pass through Coolmore, though if he were to lower the colours of Ombudsman this would go some way to backing up those claims. Item can’t be completely discounted but as mentioned above his Dante win partly reflected his positioning on the track and rain may also count against him given his Epsom performance, though conditions were unusually gruelling that day.
Finally, the stayers handicap can go to the progressive KIRCHNER 9/2 (16:10 York) whose stable seem adept at getting continued improvement out of horses joining the yard. Kirchner was purchased in France last July but took a while to make his stable debut, not being seen until May of this season. Whilst he won at Ascot last time in a small field Brown Jack, it was his runner-up effort in the Northumberland Plate that looks to be the line of form that highlights his chances here. It was his first run at 2m and whilst he was well placed tactically, he is still very much unexposed at this trip and his tactical speed can once again be an asset with no obvious front runner here either. He is well drawn in stall 5 to sit handily and could well be tough to get by up the home straight.
Visit Betway’s horse racing betting page.
