This week saw the much-anticipated York Ebor Festival get underway with a truly spectacular card. From the opening 22-runner sprint handicap to the closing event for the juveniles, each of the seven contests came jam-packed with intrigue.
The four handicap events proved as popular as ever with punters, but the spotlight shone brightest on the three Group class events, headlined by a scintillating renewal of the Juddmonte International Stakes. With huge prize money and no shortage of prestige up for grabs, the leading lights from the British and Irish yards were all in attendance, but at the close of play, the results told an all-too-familiar tale: three Group contests on the card, and Aidan O’Brien won them all.
Lion Roars in the Acomb
Always an informative juvenile event, the 2024 edition of the seven-furlong Acomb Stakes looked like a potentially vintage renewal in advance, with the field containing the favourites for the 2025 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby.
Godolphin’s £2.3m breeze-up purchase Ruling Court headed the betting for the Newmarket Classic on the back of a runaway victory at Sandown on debut. The son of in-vogue stallion Justify was the choice of punters and started as the Even Money favourite under William Buick.
In common with Ruling Court, Aidan O’Brien’s The Lion In Winter had raced just once but hinted at big things to come when storming home to claim a maiden event at the Curragh. By Sea the stars, the colt seemed sure to be suited by further than seven furlongs in time. Would he have the pace for this distance in a field which also contained promising juveniles from the yards of Ralph Beckett, William Haggas, Andrew Balding, Hugo Palmer and others?
Keen to place the emphasis on stamina, Ryan Moore set off to make this a thorough test at the distance. Disputing the lead throughout, he pushed on three furlongs from home and never looked like being caught – Ruling Court briefly threatening but fading to finish third behind the excellent winner and Wimbledon Hawkeye.
This win was very easy on the eye, and that impression was backed up on the clock, with the Lion In Winter knocking 0.74s off the juvenile course record, which had stood since Dutch Connection’s 2012 win in this race. Already favourite for the Derby before the race, The Lion In Winter now tops the market for the Epsom Classic (general 6/1) and the 2,000 Guineas (general 7/1).
Los Angeles Toughs It Out in Great Voltigeur
Responsible for three of the five-runner field, O’Brien looked to have a stranglehold on the Great Voltigeur. Euphoric appeared booked for pace-making duties, but both Queen’s Vase winner Illinois and Irish Derby champ Los Angels headed to York with strong form claims.
Continuing the theme for the day, the Ballydoyle team were taking no chances with the pace of the race. Euphoric set a blistering tempo to ensure this would become a thorough test, taking British rivals King’s Gambit and Space Legend out of their comfort zone. To their credit, that duo only cracked close home, leaving Los Angeles to grind it out by a neck from stablemate Illinois.
This was a trademark no-frills success from Los Angeles, who became the first horse to carry a Group 1 winning penalty to success in this race since Belmez in 1990. He’s into 5/1 for the St Leger, but comments suggest that a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, for which he’s a general 12/1 shot, might well be on the horizon. Illinois does seem likely to head to Doncaster and is now the 3/1 second favourite behind stablemate Jan Brueghel.
Troy Conquers All in Juddmonte International
As intriguing as the aforementioned contests were, the Juddmonte International was out on its own as the most talked about and eagerly awaited contest of the day. Always one of the most prestigious 1m2f events of the season, a boosted purse of £1.25m ensured a stellar cast assembled on the Knavesmire.
Calandagan flew the flag for France following a six-length rout at the Royal Meeting. Bluestocking benefited from the fillies and mares allowance and arrived following an excellent second in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Ambient Friendly finished second in the Epsom Derby and seemed sure to enjoy this step down in trip, whilst Japanese St Leger winner Durezza made the trip from the far east.
Despite such a talented lineup, the race still featured a red-hot favourite, as Aidan O’Brien’s City Of Troy started at 5/4 to land a fourth career Group 1. Consistently labelled as the most talented runner O’Brien has trained, the Justify colt looked some way below that level when bombing out in the Guineas but bounced back when a smooth winner of the Derby. However, a humdrum Coral-Eclipse win had failed to set the pulse racing, leading many to believe he would be vulnerable in such a stacked field.
There were no vulnerabilities on show here. Unexpectedly thrust straight into the lead by Ryan Moore, City Of Troy quickly found a rhythm and began to pour on the pace. Increasing the tempo at five furlongs from home, his unrelenting stride burnt off his rivals one by one. Calandagan came with a late effort to briefly threaten at the one-furlong pole but found his challenge vanquished by City Of Troy, who powered through the line for a one-length success. A brutal display of front running saw the favourite more than live up to the hype as he knocked over a second off Sea The Stars course record.
All options are open to the mighty winner, but the Breeders’ Cup Classic appears to be the ultimate aim. Nicely bred for the challenge, he is now the 4/1 favourite for the US showpiece in November.