The 2025 Ebor Festival gets under starter’s orders this midweek (Weds-Sat) and we’ve got the key York horse racing tips for the first day’s action – Wednesday.
Including the Group One Juddmonte International Stakes and Great Voltigeur Stakes, which is often a good guide ahead of the St Leger next month.
York Horse Racing Tips For ITV Racing: Ebor Festival Day One
We’ve FIVE ITV Racing contests to look forward to on day one of the 2025 York Ebor Festival and ANDY NEWTON’s got his York horse racing tips for Wednesday below.
Plus each day we’ve got our best daily horse racing tips – that include NAP, NB and Lucky 15 picks.
Wednesday 20th August 2025
1:50 York – Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Handicap (Heritage Handicap) Cl2 (3yo+) 5½f ITV
Two past winners here in Copper Knight (2021) and Bergerac (2022) – both are respected. While jockey Jason Hart has won two of the last five and rides the in-form Spring Is Sprung.
But it’s also interesting that four of the last five winners hailed between stalls 2-6 – so Cuban Grey, Brazen Bolt, The Man, Copper Knight and Vantheman all have this on their side.
Of that bunch, THE MAN and VANTHEMAN look interesting. The former bolted up here back in May on his first run off a wind op and being gelded.
Is up 8lbs here but freshened up again and could have more to come with only five career runs.
While Vantheman comes from the Kevin Ryan team that have a good record in this race (3 from 16).
Yes, he flopped at Hamilton over 6f last time but can go better over this slight drop in trip and is back down to his last winning mark (88).
🥇VANTHEMAN (e/w) 16/1
🥈THE MAN 7/1
🥉BERGERAC 16/1
2:25 York – Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (Group 3) (IRE Incentive Race) Cl1 (2yo) 7f ITV
Trainer Charlie Appleby has never won the Acomb Stakes but is taken to break his duck this year with this exciting 2 year-old – DISTANT STORM.
He beat an Aidan O’Brien horse (Constitution River) by a short-head at Newmarket in July – but that race is turning out to be a very hot maiden (watch below).
Since then, the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th have all won and the 6th – Venetian Prince – was the latest to go in when winning at Newbury last Saturday.
With the second Constitution Hill bolting up at Galway at the end of July. In short, it’s arguably the best maiden run in the Britain this season.
O’Brien will have a line on that form with Italy but needs to bounce back from being beaten at odds-on in the G2 Superlative Stakes last time.
Gewan caught the eye when winning on debut at Newbury and can follow the two main players home.
🥇DISTANT STORM 13/8
🥈ITALY 15/8
🥉GEWAN 14/1
3:00 York – Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) Cl1 (3yo) 1m4f ITV
Often a solid guide to the St Leger – with 15 horses doing the double and the most recent Continuous in 2023.
It’s also been a good race for the Aidan O’Brien team – with five wins and the last two, and really it will be a shock if he’s not adding to that with LAMBOURN.
This year’s Epsom and Irish Derby (watch below) winner has been freshened up with 52 days off and being rated 120 is the clear top-ranked in the field. Has to give a small bit of weight away but is still the best-treated.
Can take this before a possible tilt at the St Leger – where he’s already 7/2 with the horse racing betting sites.
Carmers will provide the two-time Derby winner with his biggest test, while another unexposed O’Brien runner – Stay True – could hit the frame too.
🥇LAMBOURN 5/6
🥈CARMERS 6/1
🥉STAY TRUE 8/1
3:35 York – Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m2½f ITV
Just the six runners – but this small, but select, field also has an international feel with Japanese raider Danon Decile coming over. He’s rated 125 and beat this year’s King George winner Calandagan, so is certainly no mug.
Wide-margin Middleton Stakes winner See The Fire returns to the scene of that win and could go well. But the Coral-Eclipse first and second Delacroix and Ombudsman look the two to focus on (watch below).
Both will have their backers, with only a neck between them at Sandown – but Ombudsman is 3lbs better off this time.
However, many feel the extra 1/2 a furlong will suit DELACROIX better after staying on well the last day over 1m2f – and I agree.
He’s 3-3 over 1m2f and despite not firing in the Derby over 1m4f, this sort of trip is more to his liking.
Yes, there was a worrying drift in the betting at the weekend, and it looked like he was out of the race – but he’s most certainly in.
William Buick seemed to just kick on Ombudsman a tad too early the last day – so a most patient ride would make him a danger.
Royal Ascot Form Taking Some Knocks
But the form of his Prince Of Wales’s Stakes win at Royal Ascot has taken a few knocks since and it was obviously a muddling race anyway.
Therefore, was he a false winner, while his Brigadier Gerard conqueror Almaqam hasn’t advertised the form since either.
Of the rest, the unbeaten French runner Daryz comes into the ‘could be anything’ category and getting the 3 year-old allowance could outrun his odds.
The Juddmonte International trends also tell us Aidan O’Brien is the winning-most trainer in the race (7 wins).
He’s taken to make it eight with Delacroix.
🥇DELACROIX 2/1
🥈OMBUDSMAN 15/8
🥉DARYZ 10/1
4:10 York – Sky Bet Stayers Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) Cl2 (3yo+) 2m½f ITV
The last race on the ITV Racing schedule on Wednesday.
All of the last 15 winners ran in the last two months – so Wise Eagle falls down here. His last run was back in April.
While 12 of the last 15 didn’t win their last race – so, again, not good news for recent scorers Fireblade, Terrorise and Charging Thunder.
4 and 5 year-olds have the best records – winning 11 of the last 15 – and the Mark Johnston team won this in 2020. Therefore, their ARTISAN DANCER, a horse I put up each-way on the Final Furlong Podcast at the Shergar Cup, is interesting.
He ran on well to take third that day and this 5 year-old is off the same mark today. Andrew Mullen takes over in the saddle and is only 2lbs higher than this last winning mark.
Johnston also runs Align The Stars, who is starting to look dangerous off this dropping mark. The unexposed William Haggas runner Santorini Star could do better now upped in trip.
While the Ralph Beckett team have two wins in this race since 2017 and have Artistic Star in the first-time cheekpieces.
🥇ARTISAN DANCER (e/w) 20/1
🥈SANTORINI STAR 5/1
🥉ARTISTIC STAR 16/1
