Six York Ebor Festival horses-to-follow
There were so many great headline performances across last week’s four days of the superb York Ebor Festival, but in an attempt to highlight those that may well pay their way during the closing third of the Flat season, I have highlighted the following horses who caught the eye without making the winner’s rostrum on the Knavesmire, writes Paul Alster.
APOLLO ONE (P Charalambous & J Clutterbuck) is a well established performer in major handicap sprints. He hasn’t won for nearly two years, his last success being the Group 3 Bengough Stakes over six furlongs at Ascot in October 2024, but has run plenty of fine races in defeat since that big win that saw his handicap mark rise to 109. Now down to 90, he looks handicapped to land a nice prize before this season is over, given his strong finishing fourth of 21 on the opening day of the Ebor Festival in the race won by Air Force One. The rain-softened ground clearly helped his cause, and as the autumn approaches APOLLO ONE (pictured above) should find conditions to suit and land a nice prize.
OLD IS GOLD (Andrew Balding), a lightly raced three-year-old Mehmas gelding, had everything go wrong in the 3yo sprint handicap on the opening day of the meeting. Wearing a first-time visor, he was quite badly hampered at the start then had to switch towards the stands side when short of room after improving approaching the two furlong marker. Despite those setbacks, he finished off really well under Saffie Osborne, responding positively to the new headgear, and would surely have gone a lot closer than his eventual fifth of 19 behind Miss Yechance. He can be placed to advantage by his red-hot handler and get back on the winning trail before this season is over.
THE GINGER KID (Ed Walker) is another by Mehmas. This juvenile, a winner earlier in the term at Nottingham, was a good second of 18 in a hot nursery at Glorious Goodwood last month, and despite being hampered early on and failing to get the run of the race at York, he stayed on in good style to finish sixth of 18, giving the impression he would have finished a lot closer had things dropped his way. He remains feasibly handicapped off his current mark of 83.
TIME FOR SANDALS (Harry Eustace) looks to retain all of her ability on the evidence of a very unlucky-in-running fourth in the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes on day three of last week’s Ebor Festival. Winner of the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last year, the daughter of Sands Of Mali wasn’t firing on all cylinders during the first half of the current campaign, but a much better effort at Glorious Goodwood when third in the Group 1 King George Stakes signalled that that 4yo fill still retains most, if not all of her ability. At least three times denied a run in the Nunthorpe when travelling as well as everything bar the pillar-to-post winner, Bacio, she came home on the bridle in fourth place, beaten less than two lengths, and would surely have finished second (at worst) had she had a clear run at things. Compensation should be just around the corner.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT (Ralph Beckett) gave her royal connections a few moments of real hope of victory in the extended 1m2f Sky Bet Fillies Handicap of Friday, when looking full of running as she joined the leaders two furlongs out. Eventually, she kept on at just one pace to finish fifth in the race won by Silver Lake, not for the first time giving the impression that she doesn’t really stay the ten furlongs. A drop back to a strongly run mile might well help her cause, so watch out for this daughter of Dubawi being entered up over a more suitable distance.
ASCENDING (Henry De Bromhead) finished in the frame in the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap when staying-on well from three out to finish fourth, beaten two-and-a-half lengths behind the brave Daiquiri Bay. The seven-year-old stays further, as he showed when landing the 2m4f Ascot Stakes Handicap at last year’s royal meeting, and having once again shown himself more than capable of mixing it in the hottest staying handicap in Europe, a step back up to two miles or beyond in either the Irish or English Cesarewitch would make ASCENDING (pictured above, stripes) of plenty of interest from a punting point of view, especially as he is not ground dependent as we move into the autumn session.
Paul Alster has broadcast and reported on the British racing industry for four decades as a commentator, journalist, TV and radio presenter, betting correspondent, SP Returner, tipster and form analyst, among other things.