After the glitz and glamour of Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood , we’re heading north this week for another summer spectacular at York’s Ebor Festival . Four fabulous days of racing on the Knavesmire kicks off with Juddmonte International Day , which also features Group-class action in the Great Voltigeur and the Acomb Stakes .
Here are our York Ebor Festival Wednesday tips for the first five races on ITV:
13:50 Tip
13:50 STRATUSNINE @ 9/1
Continues to run with credit despite edging up the weights and he might find things a bit easier here than when second in the Stewards’ Cup last time out. Hugo Palmer’s four-year-old has a win and three seconds to his name at York and even though Stratusnine is off a lofty mark of 104, he looks guaranteed to run well.
14:25 Tip
14:25 ALFRED WALLACE @ 6/1
Looked smart when coming with a well-timed run to score at Ascot last time and while others may have more scope further down the line, he seems a two-year-old at the top of his game right now.
Ed Walker’s Dubawi colt is beautifully bred, being out of top-class racemare Snow Lantern , and he showed a potent turn of foot to beat the promising Silver Dominion , who was second in a Group race in France at the weekend. Against a field which does not look to be hiding a superstar, Alfred Wallace should make a bold bid in the Acomb Stakes.
15:00 Tip
15:00 PIERRE BONNARD @ 11/4
The Group Two Great Voltigeur Stakes sees a rematch between the first two in the Derby with Christmas Day and Maltese Cross clashing again, but both have to shoulder a 5lb penalty. With that in mind, this might be the day Aidan O’Brien’s Pierre Bonnard delivers on the promise he showed last year.
All the paddock watchers were in awe of him when he turned up at Newmarket last autumn for the Zetland Stakes , which he duly won. He went on to follow up in Group One company in France , beating A Boy Named Susie by two lengths in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud , form the runner-up has continually franked.
Well fancied for the Derby through the winter, he did not look the same horse when beaten in two trials at Leopardstown and finished only midfield at Epsom . However, he ran stablemate Benvenuto Cellini to two lengths in the Irish Derby , where Christmas Day was only a neck ahead on level terms, and Pierre Bonnard might just be coming to the boil.
15:35 Tip
15:35 OMBUDSMAN (NAP) @ 10/11
The Group One Juddmonte International is being billed as a big dust up between two of the best 10-furlong horses in Europe , but Ombudsman is a strong fancy to see off Constitution River . John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old won this race 12 months ago in fantastic style from another O’Brien-trained three-year-old in Delacroix , and a similarly dominant display could be in the offing.
Just like Delacroix , Constitution River won the Eclipse on his last outing and there is no denying he was very impressive in doing so. However, in beating A Boy Named Susie by three lengths, useful though that one is, he has achieved nowhere near what Ombudsman has.
Our selection looked exceptional at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes , where he beat Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk by four lengths, with Longchamp hero Daryz another length and three-quarters away in third. Ombudsman should just be reaching his peak at five and those on the Knavesmire could see something special in a race previously won by the likes of Frankel , Sea The Stars , Baaeed and City Of Troy.
16:10 Tip
16:10 SMALL FRY @ 5/2
Joseph O’Brien has been the man to follow in staying handicaps this season and his five-year-old is fancied to go well in this two-mile contest. Sixth behind stablemate Kizlyar in the Ascot Stakes , he was then an unlucky loser at Goodwood when second to Hopewell Rock and stepping back up in distance should suit.
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York Ebor Festival Betting Tips
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