The Ebor Festival is one of the most exciting renewals of the flat racing season. Staged over four thrilling days on the famous Knavesmire at York, the meeting runs from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd August 2025, steeped in history and combining world-class Group 1 contests with fiercely competitive handicaps.
The Festival showcases the sport at its very peak. From the Juddmonte International Stakes, which regularly attracts the very best middle-distance stars, to the lightning-fast Nunthorpe Stakes sprint. Big fields, high-class horses, and eye-watering prize money ensure the Ebor Festival is always one of the highlights of the racing calendar. Below, we break down each of the feature races with runners, analysis, tips, and horse racing predictions.
Juddmonte International Stakes Runners – 3:35 pm, Wednesday 20th August
The Juddmonte International Stakes is a Group 1 race open to horses aged three years and up. It is the feature race of day one of the Ebor festival and boasts an eye-watering purse of £1,319,375. The victor will take home an incredible £748,218. There is a short but talented field this year.
Coral-Eclipse winner Delacroix goes for his fourth win of the season following that Group 1 triumph in July. He leads the betting on the Juddmonte International Stakes. AP O’Brien’s charge will be hoping to get the best of Ombudsman once again. Delacroix beat John & Thady Gosden’s four-year-old by a neck when they last met in the Eclipse. However, he won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes to claim his first Group 1 of the season before that and is neck and neck with Delacroix at our online sportsbook.
Danon Decile has been very lightly raced this season, appearing just once. That was an impressive appearance, winning the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic at big odds in front of Calandagan. See The Fire finished 4½L behind Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales and is still looking for a first Group 1 win after three cracks at it this season. The unexposed Daryz arrives with promise from France, but this will be his Group 1 debut after just four career races. Birr Castle rounds out the field at a bumper price, and this is a huge challenge for the five-year-old.
Juddmonte International Stakes Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Ombudsman
There are two clear frontrunners here set to battle it out again after a thriller at the Eclipse last month. Delacroix got the nod that time, but Ombudsman will be fresher this time round. That race was barely two weeks after his huge performance in the Prince of Wales. He will be far springier here, and we think he can get revenge on O’Brien’s charge with a win here. A bet on Ombudsman is worth 2/1
Of the rest of the runners, it is Daryz who catches our eye. There is no doubt that this is a huge step up, but the unexposed three-year-old is unbeaten so far and won his first Group 2 after just four starts in June. He is worth 9/1 to triumph in his first Group 1 and is certainly worth considering for each-way betting.
Yorkshire Oaks Runners – 3:35 pm, Thursday 21st August
The Yorkshire Oaks is the feature race on day two of the Ebor Festival. This Group 1 has a £500,000 purse and is open to fillies and mares aged three years old and up. There is a very short field of just four runners this year, with a clear frontrunner in the betting.
AP O’Brien has won this race for the last two years on the trot and four of the previous five. He enters with the strongest hand once again, with favourite Minnie Hauk. She is a dual Group 1 winner this season after her Irish Oaks triumph at the Curragh last month. After winning this race on three of O’Brien’s last four charges, Ryan Moore is set to ride again.
David O’Meara’s Estrange is the best competition. She’s been progressive this season, winning a Group 3 and a Group 2 at Haydock in May and July. The mare is unexposed, and this will be her Group 1 debut. However, she gives up 9 lbs to the field as the only four-year-old in the race.
Qilin Queen finished 13L behind Minnie Hauk in the Betfred Oaks in June. She bounced back to win a fillies Group 2 at Longchamp, and Kieran Shoemark will ride her again. Garden of Eden rounds out the field but will likely be the pacemaker for stablemate Minnie Hauk.
Yorkshire Oaks Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Minnie Hauk
In truth, this is a disappointing field in terms of competition. It is difficult to see beyond the favourite here. She is unbeaten in four of her five career starts and is the only runner to have won a Group 1 race. O’Brien loves this race, and we expect him to make it three from three with Minnie Hauk. However, she is worth 4/11 and will probably go off even shorter by the time the stalls open, effectively ruling out SP betting. We think there are better value bets here.
The best bet we can find from this field is a bet on Estrange without Minnie Hauk. She is the second-best pick and comfortably better than the other two runners. The odds will probably stray into odds-on, but you could pick this up around evens if you are betting on horse racing.
Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes Runners – 3:35 pm, Friday 22nd August
Ran over 5f, this sprint looks to be one of the most exciting fields of the festival. With a prize purse of nearly £600k, £395k goes to the winner. Open to horses two years old and up, there is a 3 lb weight allowance for fillies and mares.
Lady Iman leads the early betting. The progressive two-year-old will be the bottom weight in the race as the only filly aged under three. She has won four of five career starts. Her only defeat came in a second-place finish in a Group 2 at the Curragh in June. This race will see her face her toughest company yet, but her yard expects big things.
Adrian Murray’s Arizona Blaze is fresh off a Group 2 triumph at Curragh after being beaten by a neck in the Ascot Commonwealth Cup. That was an impressive run, and the extra 6 lbs should not be a worry given his all-weather triumph in March.
Meanwhile, Asfoora is yet to get off the mark above a Group 3 this season despite her obvious promise. Oisin Murphy is booked to ride again after finishing 2¼L behind Jm Jungle in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood earlier this month. He’s been handled very well in handicaps throughout the season, and the jump into Group races has been seamless. She’s Quality has had an agonising season so far, finishing second in all four starts and by less than a length in three. However, it’s just a matter of time before we see her win.
Mgheera has been in strong form so far this season, 2-1-0 from three starts. She finished 2L second behind Arizona Blaze in a Group 2 at the Curragh last month. William Buick is back to take the reins after guiding her to a victory in the same company at Haydock. Of the wider prices, Washington Heights commands respect as the only winner with a CD victory. He won a listed race here in July, but will be up 12 lbs from that run.
Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Arizona Blaze
One of our best predictions is for Arizona Blaze to win the Nunthorpe Stakes. Adrian Murray’s sole charge is coming from a stable in excellent form, and his run at the Commonwealth Cup was terrific at a bumper price. He proved it was no fluke by beating Mgheera and Rumstar in a Group 2 over this distance in July. Those second-place finishes at the Commonwealth and Breeders’ Cup prove he is next up, and at 7/1, he is a great bet for this race.
Jm Jungle is another to catch our eye. He is trained locally and has been in tremendous form this season. The five-year-old has not finished outside the top three in any of his four runs over this course and distance in 2025. He can climb into a place and push the leaders, should any of them put a foot wrong. Jm Jungle is our best each-way bet at 12/1.
Sky Bet Ebor Handicap Runners – 3:35 pm, Saturday 23rd August
The Ebor Handicap is one of the most prestigious and historic handicap races in Europe, open to horses aged four years and older. Run over 1 mile 6 furlongs, it is the feature race of the final day of the Ebor Festival and offers a lucrative prize pot of £500,000. The winning connections will scoop a remarkable £300,000, making it one of the richest flat handicaps in the world.
Willie Mullins holds a strong hand this year, and it is his Hipop De Loire who leads the early betting. The six-year-old ran a stormer to finish fifth in last year’s renewal and returned to form at Galway this summer, winning impressively over hurdles. This trip suits him well, and the market shows strong confidence in him. Stablemate Ethical Diamond also lines up for Mullins. Punters have backed him into single figures after some smart runs this season. The five-year-old is unexposed to staying trips and looks primed for a big run.
John and Thady Gosden’s French Master has also attracted support in the market. He announced himself as a leading contender when landing a competitive Ascot handicap in June and will relish the long straight at York. James Doyle takes the ride again. Another well-fancied runner is London City for Aidan O’Brien. He has made good progress this summer, winning at York earlier in the campaign before holding his own in higher company. O’Brien has not lifted this prize since 2001, but London City’s profile suggests he could be the one to end that drought.
Henry de Bromhead sends over Ascending, who looks to give the Irish trainer back-to-back victories in this famous handicap after striking with Magical Zoe in last year’s renewal. The lightly-raced five-year-old has been steadily progressive this season and shapes like a horse who will relish the stamina test that York provides.
Andrew Balding saddles Plage De Havre, described by many as the form horse of the race. The gelding produced a career-best performance to win the Old Newton Cup at Haydock in July and has been climbing the weights as a result. Other runners with each-way claims include Almosh’her and Santorini Star, while French Duke represents the Haggas yard and adds further depth to a stacked field.
Sky Bet Ebor Handicap Predictions and Betting Tips
Predicted Winner: Hipop De Loire
Willie Mullins’ charge ticks every box for this year’s renewal. He showed course form when finishing fifth last year, arrives fit and well after his Galway win, and connections have laid him out for the race. He deserves his position at the head of the betting and is our pick to land the £300,000 prize. However, the odds sit too short to back, and we recommend looking for better bets on this famous handicap.
Henry de Bromhead won this race twelve months ago with Magical Zoe, and he looks to have another live contender here. Ascending has been brought along steadily this season, showing signs of real progress, and he shapes like a horse who will thrive at this trip. With De Bromhead’s excellent record in targeting his runners for the Ebor, Ascending looks a cracking each-way play at double-figure odds.
Majestic Warrior is another long shot, and his pedigree suggests he has what it takes to compete at this level. He looks like a lively outsider who could easily sneak into the places at 20/1 or bigger.
