Ebor tips: Sky Bet Ebor Handicap preview and best antepost bets

The Mullins factor...

Where to start when it comes to narrowing down the field for the Sky Bet Ebor? Willie Mullins would seem like a decent forward-defensive to kick us off.

Not content with bossing the jumps world, you won’t need reminding that Mullins has also developed a moreish habit of landing valuable staying handicaps on the level and, after 14 years of looking for a second Sky Bet Ebor success on the back of Sesenta in 2009, Absurde memorably delivered the goods for the NH Champion Trainer under an inspired Frankie Dettori two years ago.

Mullins has three horses inside the top 50 as things stand this time around, that trio headed by market leader Hipop De Loire, who was a huge eyecatcher when fourth to Magical Zoe here 12 months ago and warmed up for a second shot at the big York prize with an 11-length rout in a Galway maiden hurdle late last month.

He’s an eight-year-old and he’s running off a 3lb higher mark than last August, but this is Mullins and picking holes in 7/2 shots from Closutton can often end in embarrassment, no matter how deep the competition would appear to be at first glance.

The form horse…

If you’re happy enough to take on Mullins on value grounds, then perhaps there could be a new name on the trophy and it’s surely a matter of time before Andrew Balding bags an Ebor.

He's had an enviable record in York handicaps for years now and in Plage De Havre the Kingsclere man arguably has the form horse based on recent evidence.

The progressive Plage De Havre went through the grades on the all-weather during the winter and first came onto the Ebor radar with an eyecatching third behind Almosh’her at the Dante meeting in mid-May.

He was given June off before resuming with a striking effort to snare the Old Newton Cup (replay below) and subsequent wins for runner-up Paddy The Squire and third Night Breeze have given the form an added sheen. Even the Haydock fourth Sportingsilvermine almost scored at Yarmouth’s recent Racing League fixture so it's clearly a red-hot race and Plage De Havre’s 9lb rise in the ratings to 101 looks perfectly justified.

The three for Wathnan…

On the subject of Almosh’her, he's one of three in the Wathnan Racing colours who could potentially line up on August 23.

They're all priced at 25/1 and under, with Karl Burke’s four-year-old (now gelded) the outsider of that particular party. Formerly with Charlie Fellowes, Almosh'her made a winning start for the Middleham outfit when seeing off Stressfree to land the Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Jorvik Handicap, after which his new trainer revealed the inexperienced horse could be a bit of a boy at home and in the preliminaries.

Perhaps Royal Ascot was all a bit too much for him last time out, then, finishing down the field in the Duke Of Edinburgh, but that initial promise shouldn’t be forgotten and he remains with potential off the revised mark of 98.

Fellow Wathnan rep French Duke can’t be ignored either as he wasn’t seen to best effect from the rear of the field – or on the slow ground – at Goodwood last time. The pick of his 2024 form, when winning on the Sussex Downs and finishing second to The Reverend at Ascot last September, would make him a player.

The Wathnan armband (and first colours) seems likely to go to the Gosden-trained French Master. His second behind El Cordobes at Newmarket in May seems to look better by the week, that one having won a Grade 1 in the States over the weekend, and French Master delivered for new connections when landing a gamble in the Copper Horse Stakes at Ascot.

The Goodwood Cup didn’t quite go to plan last time but it was worth a try over two miles and he could be the class act if taking up his Ebor entry rather than sticking in Group company for the Lonsdale Cup on Friday week.

The one that could be anything…

‘Group company’ is a familiar concept with a number of the potential Ebor runners, certainly those at the upper end of the weights, and London City’s most recent effort in the Group 2 Curragh Cup is probably worth another look.

Aidan O’Brien's rangy grey clearly couldn’t live with the top-class Al Riffa on the day but just look how close he eventually finished in the bunch for the places, despite Ronan Whelan not getting unduly serious when it became clear all chance of winning had effectively dried up.

That was a lovely sighter, on the back of a rusty-looking comeback run under a big weight in June, and it’s well worth underlining the one time this horse has travelled to the UK he won a 12-furlong handicap at York, successfully giving a stone in weight to Align The Stars who won three of his next four starts.

The cleverly-campaigned filly…

O’Brien will have a deep team for the Ebor Festival, so too proud Yorkshireman William Haggas whose Caviar Heights and Santorini Star both warrant a mention. The former was bought out of Karl Burke’s yard (Sheikh Mohammed Obaid) for 520,000 guineas and did his new owners proud with a gallant effort in defeat behind Windlord in the Listed Gala Stakes at Sandown last month.

Winning rider Colin Keane went over the permitted limit that day so you could argue that makes Caviar Heights’ performance all the more meritorious, especially as it was his first run since last September.

The mile and three-quarter trip is a big question mark for him though (entered in the G3 Royal Whip this weekend as well as Champion Stakes), and of the Haggas stablemates I prefer the look of Santorini Star who may also have the option of a two-mile alternative next week.

She’s part-owned by Tony Bloom which is never a bad thing in these premier handicaps and, on paper at least, it just looks like a York plan may have been hatched following this filly’s back-to-back handicap wins at Brighton (1m2f) and Goodwood (1m4f) in the spring.

She’s been a fraction outpaced and just below that Goodwood form in Listed and Group 3 races since, but the latest effort in Fairyhouse had shades of ‘decent prep’ about it and the very well-bred daughter of Golden Horn could still be ahead of her mark (97).

The 100/1 shots...

The Ebor hasn't been a great race for those wishing to take a flier on an outsider since the prize-money boost resulted in better-quality horses being lined up, Litigant in 2015 the only winner at 33/1 or bigger since Mudawin defied 100/1 nine years earlier.

Trading at triple-figure odds at the moment we have Charging Thunder, who was formerly with David O'Meara but, in light of a recent Racing League success over the tough La Pulga at Wolverhampton, has seemingly found a new lease of life since switching to James Owen's yard.

The 4lb penalty he picks up for that sees him at number 42 on the Ebor acceptors so he'll need a few to come out but it's worth remembering how much the race cut up last year (the 86-rated Forza Orta made the final field).

Charging Thunder likes quick ground and a strong pace to chase, while if the seven-year-old were to line up it wouldn't be a shock to see Owen keep the faith with promising apprentice Mason Paetel who looks excellent value for his 5lb claim at the moment.

The aforementioned Stressfree is also 100/1 in places including with the sponsors. There are obvious caveats with him too (hence the price) but at least he's in the top 20 and O'Meara has had a few Ebor runners perform well for the same owners in recent seasons, including last year's fourth Epic Poet (10/1) and 2022 fifth Get Shirty (16/1).

Stressfree would seemingly prefer some cut in the ground so the forecast doesn't look ideal at the moment but he was fifth in that Haydock race behind Plage De Havre last month having put in a cracking effort to win at the same venue at the end of May.

He's got to find a bit more off his current perch (101, 1lb wrong) but with York form of 0322, he's not the worst antepost investment if the weather happens to turn over the weekend.

The most underestimated…

And there we have it - the Ebor shortlist, for all that it is an admittedly drawn-out affair at this stage.

Last word - though whether he's consequently top of the list is open to debate - goes to Majestic Warrior who is trained by James Tate and one wonders whether he'd still be on offer at a general 25/1 were he housed in one of the slightly more fashionable Newmarket yards.

Clearly fragile and limited to just four public appearances thus far, the five-year-old has won three of those and simply bounded clear of his rivals in the manner of a horse miles ahead of the handicapper on his return from a two-year layoff at Thirsk in April.

He went up 9lb and hasn't been seen since but he's a fascinating project if this is indeed the plan, not least because he's a full-brother to Fujaira Prince who won the Ebor as 11/2 favourite for Roger Varian just five years ago.

Published at 1600 BST on 11/08/25

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