Day 2 at the Ebor Festival sees the Knavesmire keep up the pace with an intriguing mix of Group class contests and competitive handicapping fare.
The fillies take their turn in the spotlight in the big Group 1 for the fairer sex as a field of eight locks horns in a high-class renewal of the Yorkshire Oaks. Here, we present our three best bets for Day 2, including in the feature event.
1:50 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes, 6f, Group 2
Yorkshire-based handler Karl Burke boasts a solid record with juvenile sprinters and has landed two of the past five editions of this event for the fillies. Burke sends three to post this time in the shape of Unspoken Love, Miss Lamai, and Leovanni, with the last named currently trading as the clear favourite.
Going in the silks of Wathnan Racing, Leovanni arrives with a perfect two from two record and landed the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes in fine style last time. That’s amongst the strongest pieces of form on offer, and she looks primed to go well as she steps up to 6f for the first time. On the downside, that Ascot success means she is the only penalised runner in the line-up.
Aidan O’Brien’s Heaven’s Gate comes next in the market. Yet to finish outside the first three, her trail-blazing efforts have taken her to third-placed finishes in the Group 3 Albany Stakes and Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes – each time leading before being outpaced close home.
Time For Sandals makes the most appeal of those available at a double-figure price, having mastered the highly regarded Jouncy on debut at Kempton. Dropped back to 5f last time, she got going all too late when third in the Weatherby’s Super Sprint. Back up to 6f, she should be finishing to good effect.
Overall, Leovanni is greatly respected, but the fact she has yet to run over this distance puts us off at a short price. As such, the one to be on is Heavens Gate, who boasts rock-solid form at the trip. Doing all the donkey work seemed to blunt her finishing effort in her recent outings, but there seems a fair chance she will be able to sit off the lead in this event before grinding it out late in the piece.
Recommended Bet: Heavens Gate to win at 3/1 with BetVictor
3:35 Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, 1m4f, Group 1
As ever, the Yorkshire Oaks provides a fascinating clash of the generations, with the 2024 edition seeing a 50/50 split between the three-year-olds and older performers.
Emily Upjohn is the pick of the older runners on ratings, having already won twice in Group 1 company over this trip. If at the peak of her powers, she probably wins this, but a leap of faith is required to back her following a complete no-show in the Nassau Stakes last time out.
Also hailing from the John & Thady Gosden operation, the four-year-old Queen Of The Pride arrives in much better form. Very lightly raced for one her age, she has improved with each outing this season and posted a big career best when landing the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks by an easy three lengths last time. Having already mastered the reopposing Mistral Star and Sea Theme, she deserves her place towards the head of the market.
The older runners are well-represented, but eight of the past ten editions of this have fallen to a filly from the Classic generation.
Port Fairy and Lava Stream finished first and second in the Ribblesdale Stakes, but with both fillies beaten by over 11 lengths in the Irish Oaks last time, that form may not be as strong as it looked. As such, the two three-year-olds to focus on are You Got To Me and Content, who finished first and second – separated by just ¾l – in that Irish Oaks event. Ralph Beckett’s filly came out on top that day but did enjoy a smoother passage than Content, making the pair tough to split.
Hailing from the yard of Aidan O’Brien, who has landed this five times in the past decade, Content is greatly respected, but her propensity to give herself a mountain to climb in the straight is a concern. Queen Of The Pride appears a more straightforward ride and could prove tough to pass if getting to the lead inside the final furlong. By the four-time Group 1 winner Roaring Lion and out of St. Leger heroine Simple Verse, she jumps off the page on breeding and can continue her ascent through the ranks.
Recommended Bet: Queen Of The Pride to win at 11/4 with BetVictor
4:10 British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes, 1m4f, Listed
Our final bet comes in another 1m4f contest for the fillies and mares as we drop down slightly in class for this Listed-level event.
With nine wins in the space of the past ten years, the three-year-olds have dominated this contest. The betting suggests that record may be improved further in 2024, with the William Haggas-trained Sea Just In Time out on her own at the head of the market. A full sister to the useful Sea On Time and Truthful, she made quite the impression when scoring on debut at Newmarket, only to disappoint when sent off at 1/2 for a Listed class event at Goodwood. Back on track when winning as a 2/5 shot should at Kempton last time, she gets her second crack at Listed company here.
Karl Burke’s Karmology is the shortest priced of the older runners, having scored at this track in July. However, that success came over 1m2½f, and she isn’t certain to be suited by this step up in trip.
Moving down the list, Satin goes for the eye-catching Ryan Moore/Jessica Harrington combo; Nakheel is better than she has been able to show in recent outings, whilst James Owen’s Noisy Jazz falls into the could be anything category, having trotted up by five lengths on debut over a mile.
All make some appeal, but the one who is overpriced here is the Simon & Ed Crisford filly Fairy Glen. Back in July, this daughter of Farhh gave 7lbs and a 6l beating to a horse by the name of Beeley – the same Beeley who got within a length of Sea Just In Time – when again receiving 7lb – last time out at Kempton. With Sea Just In Time available at 13/8 and Fairly Glen at 8/1, an each-way punt on the latter looks like a solid each-way play.
Recommended Bet: Fairy Glen each way at 8/1 with bet365
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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