EXPERT RACING TIPS: EBOR FESTIVAL
YORK PREVIEW AND TIPS | EXPERT TIPS | FRIDAY AUGUST 22ND 2025
  TRACK: Good to firm
The wind changed yesterday to a direct headwind in the straight and that cooked any horse trying to lead. If it changes again we’ll see different results. I’m banking on it being a north-westerly breeze which punishes those drawn low and gifts advantage to those drawn wide. The stand’s side has hardly been used so it may prove the place to be today.
10. Marhaba The Champ
5. French Duke
1. Mount Atlas
7. Chillingham
Betting Strategy
BACK: 10. Marhaba The Champ (WIN & PLACE) for 1 unit (Rated at $8.00)
Marhaba The Champ saves his best for York and is having his first run for new connections. The heavy weight meant he couldn’t reel in the winner at Doncaster but off a light weight here where two of his three career wins have come might prove key. I don’t fancy being drawn low today so gate 11 should suit.
BACK: 10. Marhaba The Champ (PLACE) for 1 unit
Marhaba The Champ saves his best for York and is having his first run for new connections. The heavy weight meant he couldn’t reel in the winner at Doncaster but off a light weight here where two of his three career wins have come might prove key. I don’t fancy being drawn low today so gate 11 should suit.
BACK: 5. French Duke (WIN) for 3 units (Rated at $3.50)
I made French Duke a bet at Goodwood and he wasn’t given a chance to win the race at any stage. Snagged back to the rear off a slow tempo in a big field is not ideal but if we get a Westerly wind he should shoot to the top of the market and be the one storming down the outside.
1. Trawlerman
3. Al Qareem
2. Al Nayir
5. Sweet William
Betting Strategy
Not getting involved unless there’s a price for Trawlerman who has to give away weight into the breeze and faces competition for the lead from a York specialist
3. Egoli
7. Rock On Thunder
6. Reciprocated
2. Do Or Do Not
Betting Strategy
LAY: 2. Do Or Do Not (WIN) for 5 units (Rated at $5.00)
Can’t have anything drawn that low in straight races. Marquand would have to pull out to the rear of the field and try to get over the top of them and if that’s the case you’d be getting a backable price $5+ in running.
12. Mgheera
9. Arizona Blaze
14. Celandine
15. Sayidah Dariyan
Betting Strategy
BACK: 12. Mgheera (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $6.00)
Mgheera has been flying this season. When she’s not been scratched at the gates she hasn’t missed the top two and gets her ground here. She could have finished closer to Arizona Blaze last time if she wasn’t clobbered sideways leaving the stalls at the Curragh. If she jumps well she’s the one to beat.
BACK: 9. Arizona Blaze (WIN) for 2 units (Rated at $4.00)
Arizona Blaze is still untapped over the minimum trip and showed that last time at the Curragh with sustained speed out in front. Might just cause them to fracture into groups here if he comes to the stand’s side and if he does he might not be for catching.
BACK: 14. Celandine (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $9.00)
Celandine could be the smokey here. Loves the course having won the Lowther here last year and is only once-raced over the minimum trip when 4th drawn terribly at Goodwood behind Big Mojo. She’s been finding the line at all her runs, ultra consistent type and Ed Walker can bring about big improvement with sprinters (also has Mgheera) if the stand’s rail is where the action is she should be a quarter of her current quote.
5. Zgharta
4. Roarin Success
10. Brielle
7. Wonder Star
Betting Strategy
BACK: 5. Zgharta (WIN) for 5 units (Rated at $2.20)
Zgharta’s only run at 2000m was an impressive win beating some smart types. Since then she’s been dropped down to a mile and had zero luck at her past two, the former when drawn the wrong side at Ascot and the latter a complete howler at Goodwood which may or may not have been the last straw for the owner who has sacked Hollie Doyle and signed Oisin Murphy in her place. On ability she should be swallowing up this field in comprehensive fashion and moving to much greener pastures than class two handicaps.
7. Inishbeg
5. Frescobaldi
9. Naval Light
10. New Monarch
Betting Strategy
Wide open race. Would lay Naval Light off that barrier if he were shorted
7. Fifth Column
10. Sea Force
1. Fearnot
4. Montpellier
Betting Strategy
BACK: 7. Fifth Column (WIN) for 2 units (Rated at $5.00)
Fifth Column looked top notch when atoning for his bad barrier at Royal Ascot by winning at Newmarket. He made the logical step to Goodwood next but ran out of room and didn’t enjoy the soft ground. Back onto firmer footing here he’s on an exploitable handicap mark and is once again disrespected by the market.
BACK: 10. Sea Force (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $6.00)
I don’t see much difference between Montpellier the favourite and Sea Force. That rang true when 0.2L separated them at Newbury when Montpellier gave away 3kg there. The spread between them is now 4.5kg and that may be enough for Sea Force to turn the tables after he was only fair at Goodwood on the soggy ground. For Sea Force to be triple the price of Montpellier makes little sense to me.
BACK: 1. Fearnot (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $4.00)
Fearnot looks a ripping type and keeps slicing his way through the grades. He’s borderline finished with handicaps so it’s a little bit of a shock to see him here under top weight but a win guarantees he won’t be handicapping for a long time. The horse who gifted him the win at Ascot won yesterday (Bullet Point) and he was unlucky not to win at the Royal Meeting. Surely goes close here.
Ebor Festival Betting Tips
The Ebor Festival at York is one of the highlights of the British flat racing calendar, bringing together elite horses, world-class jockeys, and top-tier competition over four action-packed days. With prestigious Group 1 races like the Juddmonte International, Yorkshire Oaks, Nunthorpe Stakes and, of course, the famous Ebor Handicap, Ebor Festival racing delivers both quality and betting opportunity in equal measure. For punters looking to get involved, having reliable Ebor Festival tips is essential.
York Racecourse is known for its long, sweeping straight and fair track, meaning every horse generally gets a chance to show its best — especially in the big fields the Festival is famous for. But that also makes the form harder to read, with depth in almost every race. That’s where expert Ebor Festival race tips can really give punters an edge, identifying runners that are well-placed to perform based on form, tempo, track conditions, and historical trends.
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