David Ord column on future of Sky Bet Ebor

Roaring Lion set the tone on Wednesday with his emphatic rebuttal of the notion the Classic generation are not up to scratch with a Juddmonte International rout of Poet's Word et al.

Sea Of Class and Lah Ti Dar emerged from Ladies’ Day as two fillies thundering towards the top of the middle-distance rankings. At this stage they are heading to separate autumn targets – here’s hoping their paths cross sooner rather than later.

Battaash took the preliminaries in his stride for the Coolmore Nunthorpe but then the Batmobile – gold shoes and all – backfired. We were still served up a treat at the finish though as Alpha Delphini and Mabs Cross swept past the post separated only by a flared nostril.

The judge's verdict meant Graham Lee became the first rider to complete the Jump Jockeys’ Nunthorpe and Coolmore Nunthorpe double in the same year. He may well be the last, too.

Stradivarius landed the Weatherbys Hamilton £1million bonus with victory in the Lonsdale Cup. It may not be the strongest staying division we’ve seen but his consistency and domination of it was richly – and deservedly – rewarded.

And then onto the Sky Bet Ebor. A handicap – not being restored to former glories but starting a fresh chapter under new sponsorship.

Next year the pot swells to £1million but as far as starters for ten go, Saturday’s £500,000 renewal served up a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come.

Ten pounds separated the field, the 20 runners who were declared on Thursday lunchtime all turned up to the dance and champion trainer John Gosden saddled a one-two.

Sea The Lion came close to landing the fairytale success for Jarlath Fahey and his small, family-run operation while Willie Mullins and the Stratum team returned to Closutton licking their wounds after a luckless passage.

They’ll be back- and so will the Ebor, bigger and better in 2019. But without a three-year-old in the race – which just doesn’t sit right.

Take Cross Counter for example. He went down all guns blazing after a private duel with stablemate Old Persian up the York straight in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur.

He now heads to Melbourne for a tilt at the world’s richest handicap – the Emirates Melbourne Cup – but couldn’t run in Britain’s most valuable one. His age group are barred.

I understand the principle – protect the Pattern – but surely there has to be an acceptance of changing times here and let the connections decide. It might be that Godolphin would have had no interest in pitching him into handicap company in the UK – but with £96,407 to the winner in the Voltigeur and £311,250 for this year's Ebor I’m sure the Darley accountants would have been voting yes at the team meeting.

To get into this year’s race a three-year-old would have needed a rating of at least 112 to stand a chance – but Cross Counter would have made it.

What of Dee Ex Bee? OK, ground conditions may have eventually ruled him out but connections have been struggling to find a suitable target for him pre-Doncaster for some time. Would they have been tempted?

Then there’s Wells Farrh Go – he ran in the Voltigeur but was tapped for toe. He wants the Ebor trip and screams as the sort of horse to thrive in such a race.

Cross Counter is missing two pieces of equipment deemed compulsory for male Leger horses but Dee Ex Bee and Wells Farhh Go aren't. They’re bound for the the race – and surely if the Voltigeur is historically the key Leger trial, there’s no significant timing issue in heading to Doncaster after a race only three days later.

The re-invigoration of the Doncaster Classic in recent years has been a significant shot in the arm for the staying division. Under the Ladbrokes, and now William Hill, umbrellas it’s re-established its central position in the autumn calendar. You have a Leger horse – you head there - simples.

But if you have an Ebor horse surely you should be able to head there too? It’s proving virtually impossible for three-year-olds to get into heritage handicaps nowadays – and you’re talking a very small pool being in the frame for the York showpiece every year.

But their presence would bring so much to the race. A different angle, a new dynamic. It would feel fresh. And what would be fundamentally wrong if a Leger colt or filly took in a handicap en-route to Town Moor rather than a pattern race?

The Voltigeur would survive – and still provide the platform for most Doncaster-bound horses – but if we’re serious about races like the Ebor acting as incentives to keep staying horses in training and beef up the programme – let’s allow the next Cross Counter have a shot at it.

There’s an argument too that you could guarantee the presence of a member of the Classic generation by making an age-restricted contest one of the Road To The Ebor races. Ghostwatch became the first horse guaranteed a place in the 2019 renewal by landing Saturday’s Sky Bet Melrose.

But what about a race in July instead for the age group? It would mean they qualified for a race the following month, rather than 12 months down the line? That’s probably impractical – what if it’s won by a horse rated in the 80s? You’d potentially be asking them to run 25 or 30 pounds wrong with the way it’s currently set up. A tweak here or there though...

But after such a successful week it’s nice to be pondering what the future may hold from a position of strength.

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