Ebor Festival

Four days of top-class Flat racing at York, built around two very different highlights - the Juddmonte International, one of the season's best middle-distance Group 1s, and the Ebor Handicap, Europe's richest and most competitive staying handicap, run in front of some of the biggest crowds outside the Classics.

What makes it different

The meeting is a genuine mix of championship-class racing and wide-open betting puzzles - the Juddmonte often features Derby and King George form lining up against each other in a genuine Group 1 showdown, while the Ebor itself is a 20-plus-runner handicap where form study and pace analysis matter far more than star power, making it one of the best betting heats of the entire Flat season.

Key races

The Juddmonte International, a middle-distance Group 1 for the top three-year-olds and upwards, is the meeting's championship centrepiece. The Ebor Handicap, over a mile and three-quarters, is the feature betting race of the week. The Yorkshire Oaks gives the season's top older fillies and mares their own Group 1 test.

Betting angle

The Ebor rewards proper form study more than most big-field races - with 20+ runners, pace angles (which horses need a strong gallop to be delivered off) and recent handicap trends at York specifically are worth more than headline ratings. In the Juddmonte, cross-generational form (comparing this year's three-year-olds against older Group 1 performers) is the key reading skill, since it's often the first time the two groups meet.