2023 York Ebor Handicap Ante-Post Tip – DS
2023 York Ebor Handicap Ante-Post Tip
We have already posted an ante-post e/w double with selections for the Nunthorpe and Gimcrack. Check that preview out via this link. Dave Stevos’ has also got an ante-post pick for the 2023 York Ebor Handicap, one of the most prestigious races on the calendar. Find out who he is backing below.
26th August: 3.35 – Ebor Handicap (Heritage)
There’s just over a week to go until the Ebor Handicap at York. This is a race I have positive associations with. My first ever big winner after starting out as a tipster was Litigant at odds of 66/1. We also backed Mustajeer to win the 2019 renewal at 16/1. Can we find the winner of this year’s race? Let’s hope so.
If Moracana gets in, she will be dangerous off a mark of 97. We backed Sheila Lavery’s charge at Royal Ascot and she should have won that race. She remains on the same rating but the worry is that for the last two years the lowest rated runners in the Ebor were rated 100/101. For that reason alone she is passed over but if she does get in, she’ll definitely be one to keep onside at big odds.
Outstanding Effort
Cemhaan won’t have any issues getting into this race. Trained by George Baker, this son of Muhaarar comes here on the back of an outstanding run at Royal Ascot (14f gd). Drawn on the inside, he was a bit slow out of the gates and Pat Cosgrave pushed him out to get a decent posi on the inner. Once he got there, he had to take a pull and his mount was pretty keen in the early to middle stages.
As they turned for home Cosgrave was still taking a pull and his mount travelled strongly into the race. The winner Vauban had flown but Cemhaan surged into a clear second behind him and he just missed out on that position in a photo finish. If he hadn’t been so keen earlier on in the race, I’ve no doubt he would have finished off stronger and got a bit closer to the winner.
Ground Versatile
When backing a horse ante-post for any race, it is a huge plus if they are versatile regarding ground. This 6yo certainly is. It was good to firm at Ascot, he has won on soft twice, good to firm twice and he has also won on the all-weather. The forecast doesn’t look too bad at the moment so chances are, it’ll be similar ground to Ascot last time out.
After he won at Newmarket in May 2022, his trainer earmarked the Ebor as a possible target. He wasn’t high enough in the weights to get in last year but his win at Kempton in May off 95 and then his fine Ascot effort two months ago have seen his mark go up to 106. He is definitely in off that rating.
Well handicapped?
Has the handicapper got him now? I don’t think so. He had Scriptwriter 5L behind him at Ascot off level weights and he was beat a nose by the now 121 rated Hamish in a G3 next time out. They meet off identical terms in the Ebor. Vauban landed a G3 on his next outing and is now rated 114. He was rated 101 when winning at Ascot and was getting 3lbs from Cemhaan.
Chillingham is 16/1 for this race yet Cemhaan was 3.5l ahead of him at Ascot when conceding 7lbs. They too meet off the same terms and I don’t understand why the Bethell horse is 16s and Baker’s charge is 25s.
This will be just the fourth run of the season for our selection so it looks like he has been trained specifically for this race. If whoever is riding can get him to settle better early doors, this gelding is more than capable of hitting the frame at odds of 25/1.
