Saturday is Sky Bet Ebor Day at York, with the one mile five furlongs and 188 yards race the feature of a seven-race card.
Love Me Tender, a German purchase for Willie Mullins, heads the market for the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap, as the Closutton handler bids to win this race for the third time in four years. The four-year-old, who hasn’t run for almost 300 days, will be the mount of William Buick, and is in the same ownership as last year’s winner, Ethical Diamond.
Galway maiden hurdle winner, Mr Hollywood, is another Closutton representative and the third-place finisher in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot will have the assistance of Saffie Osborne.
Colin Keane, Andrew Balding and Juddmonte have all had a very successful week at York, and they could have another win here with Tarriance. A previous course and distance winner, the four-year-old gelding had a nice prep race for the Ebor when fourth at Goodwood 21 days ago.
Ryan Moore is booked to ride Emit for Joseph O’Brien. Fourth in the Duke Of Edinburgh at Royal Ascot in June, the English jockey maintains his partnership with the bay son of Too Darn Hot. This is significant as Moore has often ridden for Willie Mullins in many of the major staying races in Britain. Choosing to remain loyal to the Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd gelding should not be overlooked.
Poetic Sound will represent Ger Lyons. The five-year-old son of Poet’s Word will wear blinkers for the first time, and he will be ridden by Gary Carroll.
The final Irish runner is the Henry De Bromhead-trained Ascending. He was runner-up to Ethical Diamond in the Sky Bet Ebor last season and had previously won the Ascot Stakes over two-and-a-half miles. The mount of Oisín Orr might look a decent each-way bet at around 20/1.
Sky Bet City Of York Stakes
There also the Group 1 Sky Bet City Of York Stakes on Saturday with 14 runners going to post.
Puerto Rico and Power Blue will represent Aidan O’Brien and Robson Aguair respectively, but the 2024 Betfred 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner, Notable Speech, will be all the rage to give Charlie Appleby a winner. Incredibly, the Godolphin trainer hasn’t had a runner during the first three days of the four-day meeting.
The Queen Anne Stakes winner at Ascot, Ten Bob Tony, the mount of Kieran Shoemark, was only two-and-three-quarter lengths behind Bow Echo in the Sussex Stakes, so should be involved here, while the Group 2 Lennox Stakes winner, Lake Forest, should also come into the reckoning.
Irish-trained runner at York on Saturday:
1.50 Sky Bet Strensall Stakes (Group 3)
Expanded (IRE) A P O’Brien
Geryon (IRE) G M Lyons
2.25 Sky Bet Melrose Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)
Limestone (IRE) Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Sharkeyboy (FR) W P Mullins
Bay Of Stars (GB) D K Weld
Vantage Code (IRE) Emmet Mullins
3.00 Sky Bet City Of York Stakes (Group 1)
Power Blue (IRE) Robson Aguiar
Puerto Rico (IRE) A P O’Brien
3.35 Sky Bet Ebor Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)
Mr Hollywood (IRE) W P Mullins
Emit (IRE) Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Poetic Sound (IRE) G M Lyons
Ascending (IRE) Henry De Bromhead
Love Me Tender (GER) W P Mullins
4.45 Julia Graves Roses Stakes (Listed)
Hanney Boy (IRE) Miss E McCutcheon
5.20 Sky Bet Dav Reid Finale Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)
Diego El Queso (IRE) G M Lyons
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