Check out our panel's thoughts on York's Thursday action

Sky Bet Ebor Festival tips: Who are the horses to follow at York on Wednesday

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sat August 16, 2025 · 4M ago

Our team of David Ord, Tony McFadden and Ian Ogg provide their thoughts on the day-two confirmations for York on Thursday.

Aidan O’Brien supplies four of the six entries in the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks. Can we learn anything new about Minnie Hauk in this?

Tony McFadden: With stablemate Whirl unlikely to run and Estrange's participation also in doubt due to the likelihood of quick conditions, Minnie Hauk will probably be a very short-price favourite. Betting interest is likely to revolve around who can chase her home and complete the forecast.

Ian Ogg: She is taking on her elders for the first time although only Alpinista and Enable have wrestled this race away from the classic generation in the last decade and you won't need reminding of their exploits. The race might tell us more about Estrange and the heights that she can hit - although a drop of rain wouldn't go amiss - and whether she can book her place in the Arc but it's hard to see the other candidates asking too many new questions of Minnie Hauk.

David Ord: I fear the answer is no which is frustrating because along with connections, I'm very keen to discover what her ceiling actually is. As mentioned elsewhere it will be a waiting game over Estrange given the weather forecast seems to suggest the ground is hardly going to ease significantly and the only other non-Ballydoyle runner is Qilin Queen and she's 19 pounds off the favourite on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings. No, they say you never get a penalty kick in a Group One, but this looks very close to one.

Royal Fixation will be a warm order for the Sky Bet Lowther. How do you rate her chances?

IO: The record of favourites - only two of the last 10 have won - should sound a warning but she has, for wont of a better phrase, a favourite's chance. The Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes form is obviously very good and Ed Walker's team are in a good place at the moment and there aren't many of the opposition that you'd be confident of backing against her. America Queen rather stands out having dotted up in her maiden, running to a high standard and is a fascinating opponent.

DO: She has the best form in the book and I really liked the way she came home to shake-up Venetian Sun at Newmarket but America Queen looked exciting at Haydock, Dandana is two from two and improving, comments that also apply to Timeforshowcasing too. Royal Fixation is the one to beat but it's so early in these fillies' career that it would be little surprise to see something take a big step forward and emerge as a major threat.

TM: There are some potential improvers in opposition, but Royal Fixation's second to Venetian Sun in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes looks comfortably the strongest form on offer; indeed, she heads Timeform's ratings by 5 lb. She gave the red-hot favourite a scare in that Newmarket Group 2, pulling a fair way clear of the third, and she features prominently in the pecking order of juvenile fillies this season. Only four two-year-old fillies are rated higher with Timeform.

Big entries in the Galtres and Harry’s Half Million By Goffs. Anything catch your eye in either race?

TM: I'm finding it difficult to form a strong view at this stage, but Jane Temple is likely to be on the shortlist for the Galtres. She's run well to finish placed on her last couple of starts, both in listed company, and there won't be many rivals with much stronger form claims. But it's probably a race to tackle closer to the time.

IO: The cream regularly rises to the top in the Harry's Half Million By Goffs and Tadej has some of the best form on offer. It took a while for the penny to drop as he was beaten on his first two starts before scoring over C&D. The headgear went on for the Coventry and connections were rewarded with a good sixth and he's built on that in two subsequent runs in France, showing good speed and a good attitude to win at Deauville. He's been busy but seems to be thriving and ticks a lot of the right boxes with good course form under his belt.

DO: There's a chance of a Royal winner in the Galtres. Rainbows Edge and Aeolian are at different stages of their careers. The former won a strong Ascot handicap from a mark of 99 in May and while taken off her feet in the Kensington Palace next time, was quickly back on track when second to Sand Gazelle in the Lyric Stakes here at the last meeting. That was over ten furlongs and she looks like she might get a mile-and-a-half but I think it's a trip that Aeolian will relish.

We've only seen her twice, finishing second at Chester on debut in July and progressing nicely to justify strong market support in a Newmarket novice at the start of this month. She's in way deeper here but the way she kicked on three out and stayed on to the line marked her out as a filly who will go onto better things and she'll relish a mile-and-a-half which she'd be getting for the first time on Thursday.

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Finally give us one horse for the Thursday handicaps.

DO: Stellar Sunrise and the highly-regarded Naval Light are on track to make their handicap debuts in the closing nursery. The former came out on top by a length-and-a-quarter when the pair fought out the finish to a six furlong maiden at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and now concedes his rival a pound. However he was very strong at the finish there, suggesting he'll relish the seventh furlong on Thursday and despite the Andrew Balding team also having Sir Albert, chasing a four-timer, in there, Oisin Murphy is already booked to ride.

IO: Circios bumped into one at Chester and goes handicapping off a fair mark (in the British EBF Fillies' Handicap) but she won't be missed given her profile and connections so let's go with Blue For You in the Clipper. He won this race for David O'Meara in 2022 but has run stinkers in the last two renewals and has been more out than in this year. There has been the odd glimmer though, notably on his reappearance and also at York over seven furlongs in June and it wouldn't surprise if O'Meara were able to nurse him back and take advantage of a handicap mark that is as low as it's been since 2022.

TM: Remmooz won by only a neck over this course and distance on his handicap debut last month, but he always looked to be doing just about enough, while the way he cruised through much of the contest suggests there's better to come from this lightly-raced sort who has won three of his four starts. That sole defeat came when only fourth in the Jersey Stakes, but he was by no means disgraced there and he has the potential to outclass his rivals in the Clipper Handicap before making an impact back in Group company.