2026 York Ebor Meeting Ante-Post E/W Lucky 15

It was a day to forget on Saturday. All five selections drifted like barges and ran accordingly. After that, I was too depressed to do a preview for the Curragh on Sunday so we now switch our attention to one of the best meetings of the season, Dave Stevos’ 2026 York Ebor Meeting Ante-Post e/w lucky 15 selections are below (e/w singles also recommended).

3.35 Wednesday – Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1)

First of all, the weather. Most forecasts are showing rain throughout the week but the volume is far from certain. I would imagine, given how dry it’s been, that the ground will take whatever rain falls pretty well and I’m going to presume it’ll be ‘safe’ ground, possibly just marginally on the slower side of good.

My first selection for our 2026 York Ebor Meeting ante-post e/w lucky 15 goes in the Juddmonte and he’s trained by the French maestro Francis Graffard. Zaydann, a 4yo son of Dubawi, has been brought along pretty slowly since his maiden win at Compiegne back in May 2025.

AW Listed Win

He signed off last season with a Listed win on the AW at Deauville and then returned with another victory, again in Listed company, at Bordeaux Le Bouscat. Graffard stepped his colt into G3 company for the first time at Vichy last month and he again obliged, coming under pressure 1.5f out but then eased down close to home for a pretty cosy 0.5l success to complete the five-timer.

This represents a much stiffer test of Zaydann’s credentials but I feel he has earned his place in this company. There is no doubt he’s a smart horse, he has the pedigree (top sire and out of a Listed winning half-sister to G1 winner Zarak), and I think good ground is what he wants.

Will he be good enough to trouble Ombudsman, Item and Constitution River? He might, and with odds of 25/1 on offer it’s worth taking an each way chance that he is.

2026 York Ebor Meeting ante-post e/w lucky 15 Tip: Zaydann e/w @ 25/1

3.00 Thursday – Grand Finale Handicap (Heritage)

Anyone that has followed me for a while will know I put a lot of stock in previous course form and when they’ve run well in a race previously, that is even better. The horse in here that ticks both of those boxes is the David O’Meara trained 5yo, Cerulean Bay.

By New Bay, this horse has won seven of his 32 starts. The last two have come at Goodwood, and he has never won on the Knavesmire, but he has finished second over C&D twice, back in May off 103 and in this race last year when beaten 1l by Bullet Point off a mark of 93.

Yes, he’s worse off at the weights with Bullet Point now compared to last year but I think he’s a much better horse now and as he showed back at Goodwood on his penultimate start, he is more than capable of being competitive off his current mark. It’s a plus that Danny Tudhope is already jocked up on the son of Cable Bay and if the forecast rain takes the firm out of the ground, it’ll be a big positive for him too.

With odds of 20/1 on offer, Cerulean Bay is the second e/w selection for our e/w lucky 15.

2026 York Ebor Meeting ante-post e/w lucky 15 Tip: Cerulean Bay e/w @ 20/1 (4 places)

3.35 Friday – Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1)

This looks an absolute minefield and as is always the case in these top table sprints, you could run it ten times and you’d get ten different winners. We’ve lost our bollocks on Ain’t Nobody this season. He was beaten 38l when I tipped him on his return at Newmarket, 10l when I put him up at York and while he was only beaten 4.25l at Ascot, he finished 15th of 26.

Kevin Ryan has since gelded his son of Sands Of Mali and I did mention in my Royal Ascot preview that this race may well be his seasonal target. I was so tempted to put him up again but he just hasn’t shown enough this year and I have to abandon him. Watch him bolt up now at odds of 80/1.

The one I eventually came down on that looks most overpriced is the Tracy Waggott trained mare, Heavenly Heather. A tactically versatile mare, she is best known for winning a handicap on AW champs’ day at Newcastle at odds of 200/1. She has well and truly proved that run was no fluke since though and on her penultimate start at Royal Ascot in the King Charles III stakes, she proved she could mix it with the best.

Held Up

In that G1 she was held up in and around midfield and she came under pressure a couple of furlongs from home. After getting a touch tapped for toe, she really got motoring in the final furlong and in the end, she flew home for a very respectable sixth of 26, just 1.5l behind the winner Mission Central and ahead of the likes of Asfoora, Rumstar, Night Raider and Cover Up, all of whom are much shorter prices here.

Now, Heavenly Heather admittedly didn’t back that run up in a Listed race here last time but she was always close to the early pace there and she also got hampered so I’m putting a line through that. This race should be run at a much stronger pace so my hope is that Barry McHugh reverts to the tactics he used at Ascot and holds her up and tries to come with a late run.

On that Royal Ascot effort there’s no way this daughter of Shamardal should be a 50/1 poke here, so Heavenly Heather will be the third leg of our e/w lucky.

2026 York Ebor Meeting ante-post e/w lucky 15 Tip: Heavenly Heather e/w @ 50/1

3.35 York – Ebor Handicap (Heritage)

My original selection for this famous old handicap was the Ian Williams trained Real Dream at odds of 66/1. However, it will be touch and go as to whether last year’s sixth will get in so I’ve decided to keep the faith in Paddy The Squire. If Real Dream does sneak in, we can back him after declarations.

As for Paddy The Squire, I’m surprised to see that he is as big as 25/1 for this race. Since his ordinary seasonal reappearance run here over 1m4f in May, he has run two absolute blinders in defeat. We backed him at big odds when he ran into third over 1m6f at Royal Ascot and he followed that superb effort up with another excellent run at Newmarket over 1m4f, beaten just 0.5l.

The handicapper nudged him up another 3lb for that run but he seems to be still improving at the age of six and given that this will be just his fourth run of the campaign, this race may well have been his target for the season. He’s run well here before, he won’t mind a drop of rain and at odds of 25/1, Paddy The Squire is our fourth and final e/w lucky 15 selection.

2026 York Ebor Meeting ante-post e/w lucky 15 Tip: Paddy The Squire e/w @ 25/1 (4 places)

-DaveStevos