King celebrates as Daiquiri keeps his Ebor rivals at Bay
The Ebor Handicap delivered a memorable finale to four days of action on the Knavesmire as Alan King’s Daiquiri Bay, at 10-1, finished fast against the stands’ rail to beat Hopewell Rock by a head in Europe’s richest handicap, with Opportunity just a neck adrift in third.
Rossa Ryan, the winning jockey, passed the long-time leader, Burdett Road, with just over a furlong to run and steered towards the rail as Hopewell Rock and Opportunity drove for the line towards the middle of the track. Hopewell Rock was his final challenger but came up just a head short after Callum Rodriguez, his rider, lost his whip inside the final furlong.
Daiquiri Bay is now unbeaten in three starts this season, including a valuable handicap at Royal Ascot in June, having taken his form to a different level following a gelding operation over the winter.
“It was a great ride from Rossa and I’m just blown away,” King said. “This has been the plan since Ascot, after that Rossa said to put him away for the Ebor as he had a tough race. His preparation has gone great, the rain came and I almost think he’s a better horse on slow ground.
“It’s a very special day. We had the favourite back in 2003 [Salsalino] but he only finished third. When you win these big races, it is always emotional and we don’t win as many as we used to. I’ve always tried to win an Ebor but you need one on the way up and this one was.”
Love Me Tender, a lightly-raced four-year-old from the Willie Mullins stable, set off as the 7-2 favourite to give the trainer a third Ebor win in four years, but showed his inexperience by pulling hard in the early stages and eventually faded to finish 10th.
Earlier on the card, Notable Speech, the 2,000 Guineas winner in 2024, recorded the sixth Group One success of his career with an easy victory in the City Of York Stakes. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile winner at Del Mar in California will now be aimed at a repeat win when this year’s meeting is staged at Keeneland in Kentucky in late October.
Musselburgh: 2.15 The Mean Fiddler 2.45 Forest Berry 3.15 Runninsonofagun 3.45 Blakefell 4.15 Wee Mary 4.45 Due Respect.
Brighton: 2.30 Nogo’s Dream 3.00 Major Looktwice 3.30 Von Krolock (nb) 4.00 Crimson Road 4.30 Chloe’s Courage 5.00 Superstorm.
Windsor: 5.13 Encore 5.48 Nakila Sun 6.18 Cape Fear (nap) 6.48 Torbados 7.18 Molly Mac 7.48 Darkened Edge.
In Ireland, Aidan O’Brien’s Giant Sequoia confirmed his status as the early favourite for next year’s Derby with a win in the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh, but the son of Frankel was forced to work for victory before seeing off his stable companion, Florida Bay, by half a length.
“He’s a lovely horse and I’m delighted with him,” O’Brien, who was saddling his 19th winner of the race, said afterwards. “He’s still a baby and he’s still learning, but he learned a lot today because there was a proper pace on. I’d imagine he might come back for the National Stakes here [in September].”
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But we’ll never know for sure, and the £300k first prize for Europe’s richest handicap will be winging its way towards Daiquiri Bay’s owners in the not-too-distant future.
Ruby Walsh, though, begs to differ.
I know Callum Rodriguez will be disgusted with himself. It’s happened to me before and it’s not a nice feeling.
Well played Rossa Ryan too, he had a head to spare at the line and Opportunity was another neck away in third.
It looks like Callum Rodriguez, on Hopewell Rock, lost his whip in the final furlong. Did it make a heads-worth of difference? Probably not, but it was unfortunate all the same.
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Alan King, Daiquiri Bay’s trainer, was an emotional man in the winner’s enclosure when ITV’s Matt Chapman grabbed him shortly after the result was announced.
Rossa [Ryan, the winning jockey] said after Ascot that we should put him away for this. These are the days that you do it for
3.35 YORK RESULT: Drinks are on Daiquiri in the Ebor
1. DAIQUIRI BAY 10-1, 2. Hopewell Rock 13-2, 3. Opportunity 14-1, 4. Ascending 28-1, 5. Beylerbeyi 20-1. 22 ran.
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That was a brilliant finish to the Ebor, as Rossa Ryan came up the stands’ rail to claim the spoils from the two runners in the colours of the Wathnan Racing operation.
A level break, they’re settling down and Love Me Tender got away well…
Mr Hollywood races towards the middle of the track, Burdett Road and Align The Stars on the pace …
Burdett Road leads from Align The Stars and Spinning Wheel, Love Me Tender races fifth or sixth … Emit is mid-division as they turn in …
Still Burdett Road two out, Tarriance and HOpewell Rock launch challenges …
Opportunity and Daiquiri Bay now lead with Hopewell Rock, into the final furlong, it’s going to be close, here’s the line …. and it’s a photo but it looks as though Daiquiri Bay has the win at 10-1!
Love Me Tender may have just three races behind him but he went into the stalls like an old pro … last few going in now …
And they’re off and running in the Ebor Handicap!
The loading process has started, Klassleader is attracting some late money down to 5-1 …
Love Me Tender had been backed to as low as 3-1 for the Ebor but has drifted to 7-2 and ITV’s Ruby Walsh, very much an insider at the Mullins yard, points out that the favourite has no experience at all of a race of this nature.
In the paddock, Mullins echoes his view.
He works well at home, does everything nicely, but it’s a big ask coming over here for the first run of the season. But we think he’s nicely handicapped and if handles everything around here today he has his chance.
It’s impossible to list all the Ebor runners with a chance, but three more worth a mention are:
William Haggas’s Klassleader, who may appreciate the return to a softer surface after failing to justify favouritism at Newmarket last time.
Tarriance, last year’s Melrose winner over track and trip …
… and Alan King’s Daiquiri Bay, who was put away with this race in mind after winning the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot.
Hopewell Rock has also been backed today, he’s in the second colours of the Wathnan operation but those have already been successful in the opener here today. He landed the same handicap at Glorious Goodwood that Trawlerman won before following up in the Ebor four years ago.
Emit, from the increasingly powerful Joseph O’Brien stable in Ireland, is Love Me Tender’s closest rival in the betting after attracting plenty of support this morning.
He was a five-length fourth in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot last time out. The finish is at 1m54sec here:
Before you know it, it will be time for the Ebor, and the runners will be in the paddock shortly.
Love Me Tender looks like setting off as the favourite to give Willie Mullins and William Buick a second successive Ebor victory, and Mullins a third in the last four years.
There’s no video form to be found, and he’s an almost completely blank page, in fact, having been bought out of Peter Schiergen’s yard in Germany last year after running fourth in a Listed race at Chantilly and then put away, presumably with today’s race in mind.
That form was enough to get him a Timeform rating, though, and he is the pick of the weights according to the sages of Halifax. It also got him in at the foot of the weights on a mark of 96.
Love Me Tender carries the pink and white colours of the HOC syndicate that have already been carried to Ebor victory by Absurde and Ethical Diamond.
That’s the sixth Group One win of Notable Speech’s career and while I’ve not had time to check thoroughly, I reckon that might be the second-highest total of Group One or Grade One wins for any runner from the Charlie Appleby stable.
He still has some way to go, though, to match the remarkable – and recently-retired – Rebel’s Romance, who notched nine times at the sport’s highest level.
3.00 YORK RESULT: Notable Speech has the last word
1. NOTABLE SPEECH 9-4 fav, 2. Lake Forest 6-1, 3. Marvelman 18-1. 14 ran.
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A level break and plenty of pace early, Power Blue takes them along …
THey’re at the turn and coming stands’ side …
Notable Speech mid-division, Lake Forest challenges wide …
Notable Speech making ground, he hits the front, Lake Forest among those in pursuit but the Classic winner has flown … Notable Speech wins easily!
Off and running in the City Of York Stakes!
This is another lively betting heat for the big Saturday crowd to get stuck into. The latest odds:
9-4 Notable Speech
7-2 Ten Bob Tony
13-2 Lake Forest
15-2 Zavateri
9-1 Flora Of Bermuda
14-1 Satono Reve
18-1 Rogue Diplomat
20-1 bar
And let’s not forget the crack Japanese sprinter Satono Reve, who has been touched off the last two runnings of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The seven-furlong trip is an obvious question mark for Satono Reve, though he did win his first race, a maiden at Nakayama, over a mile.
Tony Bloom has a runner in this race too: Lake Forest, the winner of the Lennox Stakes at Glorious Goodwood:
More news on Infraad’s next move as we get it. For now, though, it’s on to the fourth and final Group One of the week: the City Of York Stakes.
Notable Speech, the 2024 2,000 Guineas winner, currently heads the betting on 5-2. He’s been an absolute credit to Charlie Appleby’s yard throughout his career and has spent much of the last two seasons on his travels, with wins including the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar last season.
His main rival in the market is Ten Bob Tony, the shock 50-1 winner of the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June with Notable Speech only sixth of nine.
At the time, it looked like a freak result following a pace collapse as Ten Bob Tony came from last to first to win, but he backed up his performance by running fourth behind Bow Echo in the Sussex Stakes last time and is clearly a much-improved horse this year.
He should also have a strong pace to chase once again today, and I fancy him to confirm the Ascot form and post a second Group One win of the season.
It looked like an ultra-competitive Melrose on paper but Infraad turned it into a procession. He has an entry in the St Leger at Doncaster next month, the final Classic of the season, and it would be no great surprise to see him head to Town Moor.
William Haggas, his trainer, is in the winner’s enclosure and in typically non-committal form, though he didn’t rule out at crack at the Classic (and didn’t rule it in, either).
YORK 2.25 RESULT: Infraad masterful in Melrose
1. INFRAAD 100-30 jt-fav, 2. Galilean Quality 12-1, 3. Who’s Lope 28-1, 4. Tierra Del Toro 28-1, 5. Limestone 100-30 jt-fav. 17 ran
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Steel Raven straight into the lead, Infraad just behind him, Mythical Bay is out in the middle of the track at the moment.
Limestone is tracking Infraad, Mythical Bay settles fourth …
down the back, My Ballyquinn prominent too …
Steel Raven still leads at the top of the straight …
Infraad and Mythical Bay making steady progress, Limestone there too but under pressure …
Infraad is making the best progress now, hits the front a furlong out … it’s a decisive move, he’s running on well to win …
Off and running in the Melrose Handicap …
At the post for the Melrose, my pick here is Mythical Bay – in the blue-and-white colours of renowned punter Tony Bloom – and he’s the one for late money, down to around 4-1 behind the Limestone and Infraad on 100-30.
The first prize here, incidentally, is £93k, so a win for Mythical Bay would take the Balding stable past £7m in prize money for the season. He was £791k behind Aidan O’Brien in the trainers’ title race before racing today, and he has live chances in both the City Of York Stakes and the Ebor, where the combined first prizes are no less than £640k.
Balding is one exceptional afternoon away from turning the title race into a neck-and-neck contest.
Next up here at York is the Melrose Handicap – the three-year-olds’ version of the Ebor over the same trip (and a race won by Tarriance, a leading fancy for the Ebor, 12 months ago).
This is always a terrifically competitive heat, and Infraad (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) and Limestone (Joseph O’Brien/Ryan Moore) are currently locked together at the top of the market at 3-1.
Limestone is taking a big drop in class having lined up for the Group One Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp in mid-July – he was sixth of seven – while Infraad was a heavily-backed winner of a handicap at Glorious Goodwood last time out.
Mythical Bay (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) is 7-1 to continue his trainer’s white-hot run of form at the meeting, while Charlie Appleby’s Into The Light, another handicap winner at Glorious Goodwood, is the only other runner at single-figure odds, at 9-1.
Hamad Al Jehani had two big handicap winners at Glorious Goodwood. Archivist has just followed up in the Group Three Strensall Stakes and Evening Saigon, the Stewards’ Cup winner, will attempt to do the same in the Constantine Handicap at 4.10.
YORK 1.50 RESULT: Archivist streaks home in Strensall
1. ARCHIVIST 9-1, 2. Saber Strike 8-1, 3. Persica 11-2. 11 ran.
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That’s a cracking start to the day tips-wise. Thought he’d run well, but have to be honest, I didn’t think he’d win by half the track.
Off and running in the Strensall Stakes …
Point Lynas fast away, Hankelow prominent too …
Damysus mid-division, Archivist just behind, Geryon now disputes second …
Coming down the middle of the track, Archivist finishing well and goes into the lead .. he’s clear … he’s absolutely bolting up, my oh my … Archivist by half a dozen lengths at least!
But not any more … Damysus is the one for late money, down to 3-1, with Geryon out to 9-2.
They are on the way to post for the Strensall Stakes, Geryon and Damysus are now joint-favourites at 4-1 with Hankelow next in on 11-2, Persica on 6-1, Jonquil – the runner-up in season’s French 2,000 Guineas – at 15-2 and Archivist at 8-1. Wide open, in other words.
Richard Hannon’s ultra-consistent Persica and Hamad Al Jehani’s ARCHIVIST are also definite contenders, and I ended up plumping for the latter when tipping for the card yesterday. He put up a career-best to win the Golden Mile at Goodwood last time out from a horrible draw and would not need to improve too much to go close.
A few punters at least seem to agree, as he’s down to around 17-2 having been as big as 16-1 overnight.
Karl Burke’s Hankelow is another interesting runner dropping in class – he’s been taking on Group One opposition on his last two starts, the most recent of which was the Prix du Jockey Club – French Derby – at Chantilly.
He finished 13th of 16 but the video is worth a look if only for the sumptuous backdrop of the Château and Grandes Écuries.
A Group Three over nine furlongs feels like much more his level and he is currently trading as the third-favourite for the Strensall at around 11-2.
After weeks of wildfires, drought warnings and record temperatures, the weather has been less than ideal for a summer racing festival here in Yorkshire so far this week. It’s a very pleasant afternoon today, though, and a crowd of around 25k can spread out, kick back and relax before the afternoon’s serious business begins.
We kick off with the Strensall Stakes, a Group Three over a fraction less than nine furlongs and 11 runners going to post in the absence of Expanded and Naqeeb.
Damysus was the early favourite after the decs on Thursday, and his form behind Item in the Group Two York Stakes here last time …
… looks a good deal stronger after Item’s success in a top-class International Stakes here three days ago.
He has been edged out at the top of the market today, however, as Ger Lyons’s Geryon has come in for plenty of support. He won a similar contest at Leopardstown in mid-July and then stepped up a full three furlongs in trip when second to Enceladus in the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Preamble
Hello from the Knavesmire in York, where Dick Turpin came to a sticky end back in 1739 and racehorses have been contesting the Ebor Handicap since 1843. It’s the fourth and final day of York’s festival meeting and that, of course, means that the Ebor itself is the centrepiece of the card for a sell-out crowd.
Ever since its inception, the Ebor has been, unashamedly, a race for the punters – but also a handicap that is more than “just” a handicap.
Top-class stayers have been winning this race for much of its history. Way back in 1983, Jupiter Island landed the spoils on the Knavesmire with Lester Piggott in the plate, before going on to become the first European-trained winner of the Japan Cup under a power-packed Pat Eddery drive.
And a big boost to the prize fund in recent years has seen the standard improve still further, with Trawlerman, a subsequent Gold Cup winner at Ascot, landing the spoils in 2022 and Ethical Diamond picking up last year’s race en route to a remarkable success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Willie Mullins, Ethical Diamond’s trainer, will be going for a third win in four years this afternoon with two contenders – Love Me Tender and Mr Hollywood – but at least a dozen of the 22 runners will seriously fancy their chances.
The Ebor is due off at 3.35 and the Group One City Of York Stakes at 3.00 is the main supporting race on a card that is underway with the Strensall Stakes at 1.50. Felix dies Eboracum, as they might have said around these parts back in the day.
