Ebor Handicap

The Ebor is a handicap for four-year-olds and upwards over a mile and three-quarters and lends its name to York’s August Festival. Prize money reached a staggering £ 1 million for the Ebor in 2019 making it the richest handicap on the flat in Europe.

The 2024 Ebor Handicap takes place at York Racecourse on the 4th day of the Ebor Festival.

It is a very popular betting heat but no favourite has obliged in the Ebor since Purple Moon in 2007. Notable previous winners include Sea Pigeon (1979), Jupiter Island (1983), Further Flight (1990) and Sergeant Cecil (2005).

In our Ebor Handicap 2024 guide, we provide the latest odds, betting tips and betting offers for the group three horse racing event.

Find out more about the Ebor Handicap:

Race Overview – The Ebor

The Ebor Handicap is a flat handicap race for horses aged four and above. It is run at York and is 1 mile 5 furlongs and 188 yards long (2,787 metres), annually every  August.

Check out our guides to all the other UK Premier Handicap horse races.

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Famous Ebor Handicap Winners

The Ebor Handicap was first run in 1843 over two miles which was later reduced to its current distance.

It was formerly open to three-year-olds but this age group was excluded in 2019. It derives its name from the Roman name for York, Eboracum.

Flint Jack won the race in successive seasons in 1922 and 1923. No other horse has managed to win the race more than once.

One of the most remarkable performances in the Ebor was that of Sea Pigeon in 1979. Then aged nine and better known for his exploits over hurdles, defied the top weight of 10 stone to win for Peter Easterby and Jonjo O’Neill.

1983 winner Jupiter Island was trained by Clive Brittain and ridden by Lester Piggott. He became a real globetrotter and gained his most famous victory in the 1986 Japan Cup.

Further Flight won in 1990 and would become one of the most popular stayers in training. The grey was trained by Barry Hills to win the Jockey Club Cup for a record five successive seasons from 1991 to 1995. He also won the Goodwood Cup in 1991 and 1992.

Sergeant Cecil (2005) was another very popular winner, trained by Rod Millman and ridden by Alan Munro. He achieved a remarkable treble by winning the Northumberland Plate, Ebor Handicap and Cesarewitch Handicap in the same season. He returned to York to win the Lonsdale Cup in 2006, as well as the Doncaster Cup and the Prix du Cadran.

Irish-trained winners had been relatively rare until Sesenta’s success in 2009. Sonnyboyliston’s narrow 2021 success provided the Emerald Isle with a seventh Ebor victory in thirteen seasons.

Ebor Handicap Previous Winners

Ebor Handicap Previous Result

Check out this result from York Racecourse:

Key Ebor Handicap Trials

Previous form at York is a positive factor with around half of recent winners having run at the Knavesmire.

The big summer festivals provide the best clues to the Ebor with winners often having raced at Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood or Galway.

Fujaira Prince won the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot in 2020 before defying a 9lbs weights rise in the Ebor.

2021 winner Sonnyboyliston had finished third at York in the Group 2 Silver Cup on his previous start. He went on the gain Group 1 success in the Irish St Leger for Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen.

Ebor Handicap Betting Trends

Three-year-olds enjoyed great success in the Ebor in the 1980’s and 1990’s but the last winner from that age group was Aidan O’Brien’s Mediterranean in 2001. They were already a fading force prior to being excluded in 2019.

Horses aged five and six have the best recent record, although Sonnyboyliston won as a four-year-old in 2021.

The 2021 renewal extended the losing run of Ebor favourites to fourteen. There have been well-supported winners during that spell including Tiger Cliff (2013), Heartbreak City (2016) and Fujaira Prince (2020). Long-priced winners include All The Good (2008), Sesenta (2009) and Moyenne Corniche (2011) at 25-1 and Litigant (2015) at 33-1.

Eclipsing all of those was 100-1 outsider Mudawin who stunned punters in 2006 for Jane Chapple-Hyam and John Egan.

Ebor Handicap – Top Trainers and Jockeys

The most successful trainer in the history of the Ebor Handicap is Tom Dawson who won it five times between 1844 and 1867.

No trainer has managed to dominate this race in modern times.

Sir Michael Stoute and Saeed bin Suroor have two victories apiece, although their most recent came in 1996 and 2012 respectively.

Luca Cumani managed to win it three times, his last being Purple Moon in 2007 who remains the last successful Ebor favourite.

Johnny Murtagh, a relative newcomer to the training ranks, has already bagged this prize twice. He won it with 20-1 chance Mutual Regard in 2014 and Sonnyboyliston in 2021.

It is a similar story with the leading jockeys with the late Lester Piggott still leading the figures with five winners. His successes were Gladness (1958), Primera (1959), Die Hard (1961), Tintagel II (1970) and Jupiter Island (1983).

The last fourteen renewals have been won by different jockeys.

Best Ebor Handicap Betting Sites 2024

The Ebor Handicap is one of the most competitive handicap races of the season. The poor record of favourites speaks for itself but, with bookmakers offering enhanced each-way betting terms down to fifth or sixth place, there are always tempting betting opportunities. It provides a thrilling climax to the top class racing at the York Ebor Festival.

Summary of Ebor Handicap

We hope you enjoyed our guide to the Ebor.

We have looked at the history, betting trends, tips and more. Whether watching at home or the stunning  Knavesmire we should you will enjoy this top class race.

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