Familiar Foes and Match-Ups Shape the Ebor Festival

[Wandering Eyes]

York's Knavesmire is the battleground for Europe's elite over the next four days, with the Ebor Festival playing out on the flat expanse as renowned for its uncomplicated nature as the folk who emanate from the county. Fair and upfront in true Yorkshire spirit, the track which sealed the reputation of City Of Troy 12 months ago will make or break the leading protagonists of the four Group 1 races staged over the piece, including the newly-upgraded City Of York on Saturday, Britain's first seven-furlong event in this category.

That a total of just 10 runners will go to post across the opening day's Juddmonte International and Thursday's Yorkshire Oaks is not a major surprise. It is perhaps the latest signal that European racing is heading inexorably backwards to the ancient days of matches on Heathland between the landed gentry. While we may not have yet reversed into the 19th century realm of The Flying Dutchman vs Voltigeur, we may not be far from such scenarios becoming more common as competition dwindles further.

Undeniably modern-day racing's most recurrent stand-off is that between Godolphin and Ballydoyle and the opening feature sees Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) look to wrest back his middle-distance crown from Delacroix (Dubawi), having been dispossessed of it when caught unawares at Sandown. With a pacemaker in this time, the Gosdens will find out whether the Rosegreen runner picked his pocket in a tactical Eclipse or is just the better animal full-stop.

There shouldn't really be any doubt that Delacroix will thrive for an end-to-end gallop and it may be more a case of how the pair deal with Danon Decile (Epiphaneia), a welcome leftfield entry into the argument. Until they can prove that they can hit a 10.51 sectional and close out a race in 32.5 seconds, like the Japanese colt did in Dubai in March, they can only bow to his superiority. At the moment, they both have something to prove.

See The Fire (Sea The Stars) loves this terrain and is two-for-two here, but Jeff Smith's filly has it to do to get to this standard. While she was a 12-length winner of the Middleton in May, her winning time was over five seconds slower than last year's Juddmonte International, which tells its own story. Fellow Sea The Stars representative Daryz has a right to be here, but he's no Calandagan and will have to travel way faster than he did in the Eugene Adam.

Thursday's Yorkshire Oaks looks more of a true match, with Cheveley Park's own White Rose Estrange (Night Of Thunder) putting it up to Ballydoyle's Oaks and Irish Oaks winner Minnie Hauk (Frankel). In a way, both share the same profile in that they have yet to be seriously tested by lesser opposition, so here's hoping that they bring out the best in each other. The Lancashire Oaks winner had what appeared to be a tussle at Haydock but, like the three-year-old at the Curragh, she was probably only doing enough to get the job done.

On Friday, the Nunthorpe sees the O'Callaghans' Lady Iman (Starman) and Emma Banks's Spicy Marg (Starspangledbanner) become the latest juveniles to take on this unique challenge against the older sprinters in a division that badly needs a shake-up. Saturday's City of York is ideal territory for Rosallion (Blue Point) to get back to winning ways, with the drop to seven certain to play to his strengths. Saeed Suhail's Summer Mile winner Never So Brave (No Nay Never) and Bond Thoroughbred Limited's Prix Jean Prat runner-up Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett) are in the mix, along with Juddmonte's shock Sussex hero Qirat (Showcasing), but with a fair wind this is all about Richard Hannon's flagbearer.

Lambourn Best Supporting Actor

Wednesday's opener sees Lambourn (Australia) become the first Derby winner to run in the Great Voltigeur since Reference Point in 1988. However, while that past luminary went on to the St Leger, it is not a given that the 2025 Blue Riband hero will follow suit. Up against a more guaranteed Doncaster candidate in Fiona Carmichael's Carmers (Wootton Bassett), he provides a boost to one of the meeting's finer races away from the top-flight action.

Friday's G2 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup could see the Gold Cup hero Trawlerman (Golden Horn) met again by the vanquished Illinois (Galileo) as the latter bids to be third-time lucky in Cup races, while another of the Gosdens' staying stars, French Master (Frankel), currently heads the weights for the feature Sky Bet Ebor Handicap on Saturday.

A Storm Brewing?

York's two-year-old action gets underway on Wednesday with the G3 Acomb Stakes, which is becoming a serious Guineas pointer and is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Yes, it's Godolphin v Ballydoyle again, with the Newmarket July maiden winner Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) taking on the Superlative runner-up Italy (Wootton Bassett). Charlie Appleby ran his eventual Newmarket Classic winner Ruling Court in this last year and the €1.9million Arqana Breeze Up topper's stablemate Saba Desert has already beaten Italy, so make of that what you will.

Thursday's G2 Lowther Stakes sees the 12-length Haydock winner America Queen (Havana Grey) bid to provide Jaber Abdullah with a sixth renewal and enhance Richard Hughes's landmark summer. Ed Walker's hasn't been too shabby either and his filly Royal Fixation looks to add to the growing reputation of her first-season sire, Palace Pier, in the six-furlong contest.

Twenty four hours later, Walker will be hoping that TBT Racing's triple Group-placed Do Or Do Not (Space Blues) finally does as the colts and geldings get their turn in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes. If he does not (again), it will probably be because Godolphin are running their impressive Listed Rose Bowl Stakes winner Wise Approach (Mehmas).

Also on Friday is the £100,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes, won in the past by Stravinsky, Rivet and Naval Crown and always prone to conjuring up something smart largely due to the prize-money. At this stage before declarations, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's newcomer Inishbeg (Ghaiyyath) is one of those eye-catchers. A 500,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate from the family of the past Juddmonte International hero Postponed, he represents the locally-based Kevin Ryan stable always to be respected here. A true Yorkshire operation at the heart of a true Yorkshire occasion.

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