The six best Sky Bet Ebor trials so far this season including Relentless Voyager

The Sky Bet Ebor continues to go from strength to strength and this year’s race – staged at York on Saturday August 24 – promises to be as hot as ever based on the initial entries.

Here are half a dozen of the most promising efforts so far this year with the prestigious £500,000 handicap in mind.

Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Jorvik Handicap, York, May 15 – Chillingham

Chillingham ran a cracking race under top weight at Ripon earlier in the year, form that has worked out well, and then looked unlucky not to go close in the Jorvik Handicap at the Dante Festival on the Knavesmire. He’s since been put away.

Held up early in a race fought out by a couple of rivals who were prominent throughout, Chillingham’s staying-on third should be marked up quite considerably and I’m sure he can win races off his current mark (96).

Whether that’s high enough to see him sneak into a fiercely-competitive Sky Bet Ebor is another matter, though, which no doubt goes some way to explaining why he’s available at 33/1 in places and he’s probably not an antepost bet as things stand.

Northern Dancer Handicap, Epsom, June 1 – Relentless Voyager

Andrew Balding having yet to train an Ebor winner might just be one of the great anomalies of modern-day British racing – and you’d surely be betting odds-on ‘yes’ if asked to price up whether he’ll land on one in the next five years.

The in-form Balding has also got Night Sparkle, The Goat and last week’s Newmarket/York winners Fairbanks and Alsakib in the mix this year, but it’s Relentless Voyager’s Epsom victory over the progressive Ziggy in the middle of June that sticks out a mile with this race in mind.

He’s since only managed to finish third behind a well-ridden Klondike in the official ‘trial’ – York’s Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes – but the tempo of that race didn’t appear to suit and it would be no surprise to see him get back on an upward curve granted a strongly-run race over the mile and three-quarter trip.

Copper Horse Handicap, Royal Ascot, June 18 – My Mate Mozzie

Belloccio beat Lmay, with Saturday’s John Smith’s Silver Cup winner Alsakib back in fourth, so it’s unquestionably strong form and the one to take from this year’s Copper Horse Handicap at the Royal meeting was My Mate Mozzie.

Gavin Cromwell’s eight-year-old was easy enough to back on the day, going without the tongue-tie he’d worn on his last three novice chase runs, but still put in a fine effort and was staying on again late after hitting a bit of a flat spot turning for home.

He wore cheekpieces in the Arkle at Cheltenham (without success it has to be said) so connections may wish to go back to that project if aiming him at the Ebor, where he’d be a major player if the ground came up on the quicker side of good next month.

Ascot Stakes, Royal Ascot, June 18 – Kyle Of Lochalsh

Considering he went down as my ‘Eyecatcher of the week’ following Royal Ascot and does hold an entry in the Sky Bet Ebor, Kyle Of Lochalsh clearly deserves a mention despite the fact he’s another home-trained horse who seems likely to miss the cut, unless he can pick up a penalty somewhere en route.

The four-year-old produced a striking effort to win by six and a half lengths over the Ebor trip at Salisbury in May and showed he was still in fine form when third behind Pledgeofallegiance in the Ascot Stakes.

He only ran in that 2m4f event as he was balloted out of the Copper Horse Handicap and it duly appeared to stretch him, but he did remarkably well to finish where he did having been hampered early on and forced to come from a long way back, in a race won by a horse who had sat in second before hitting the front on straightening for home.

Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes, Royal Ascot, June 21 – Ethical Diamond

Of the seven Willie Mullins-trained Ebor entries, Ethical Diamond – for the same owners as last year’s winner Absurde – is the one who has struck me as the ideal type for the race, and not winning at Royal Ascot should ensure he goes to York ahead of the handicapper.

He didn’t make the grade as a juvenile hurdler but changed hands for big money (320,000 Guineas) after winning a Limerick maiden last June and appeared to relish the return to Flat action when just touched off by Saturn in a 10-furlong Leopardstown handicap in May, and his Duke Of Edinburgh fourth was a highly creditable effort.

He was just way too keen in the early stages at Ascot and raced close to the pace, meaning he couldn’t quite fully see it out as the late closers made up their ground. Sent off 7/4 favourite there off a mark of BHA 94, Ethical Diamond since been nudged up a couple of pounds but if there’s a horse with the thick end of a stone in hand in this year’s Ebor then it’s probably him.

Either way, he’ll be one to keep in mind for the County Hurdle next March…

Irish Stallion Farms EBF Martin Molony Stakes, Limerick, June 22 – Harbour Wind

Harbour Wind is one of the least exposed runners in the Sky Bet Ebor and no wonder he (jointly) tops the market with the sponsors in light of his Listed comeback win at Limerick, a performance that may have been missed by some at the time given it came at 4.05 on Royal Ascot Saturday.

On the face of it, scrambling home from Joseph O’Brien’s Dancing Tango doesn’t look outstanding form but you’ve got to factor in it was his first outing since September, and he was conceding weight all round due to his Listed success at Leopardstown last summer.

After that triumph Harbour Wind went on to just miss out in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay at Longchamp so we’re clearly dealing with a quality stayer and he could hardly be in better hands, with trainer Dermot Weld on record planning a route back from the Melbourne Cup.

He’s in the Curragh Cup this Saturday and the Lonsdale Cup too so the Ebor isn’t certain to be on the agenda, but if he’s there come August 24 he could be a very short price indeed.

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