Ebor Festival Day One Betting Tips: Will Ghaiyyath deliver in the Juddmonte International?

Odds and preview for Wednesday’s action at York

The York Ebor Festival is always one of the highlights of the racing calendar and we’ve got four days of top-class racing to look forward to.

Today’s card features seven races, including a stacked field in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes – with Ghaiyyath, Lord North, Magical, and Kameko all set to compete.

Before the action gets going on the Knavesmire, we’ve cast our eye over the biggest renewals of the day.

York

13:45 Symphony Group Handicap

14:15 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (Group 3)

14:45 Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) (Colts & Geldings)

15:15 Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1)

15:45 Sky Bet Handicap

16:20 Fillies’ Sprint Handicap

16:50 Nursery Handicap

York 14:15

Cloudbridge won on his first run at Leicester last month and there should be much more to come. If he runs well, he could take some beating.

Gear Up and Praise of Shadows also caught the eye during their victorious debuts. Both are now stepping up to Group 3, though Gear Up’s first-run win came over course and distance – could that make the difference here?

York 14:45

John Gosden’s Darain has incredible pedigree – sired by Dubawi out of Dar Re Mi – and he lived up to his heritage with runaway wins in both of his two runs to date. He’s shown that he’s a very exciting horse in his own right and Godsen will have his eyes on a hat-trick here.

This will be a sterner test for Darain than his previous two races, especially with Mogul also in the running. Despite going off as favourite, he could only finish fourth in the King Edward VII Stakes. That was followed up with a sixth-placed finish in the Derby. However, he won in the Gordon Stakes last month and will look to continue that form here.

Having won at York last month, William Haggas also steps Roberto Escobarr up to compete here.

York 15:15

Ghaiyyath looks the one to beat here, having looked so impressive during his Coronation Cup and Coral-Eclipse victories. There are four other Group 1 winners here, though Ghaiyyath has the form and has dispelled any doubts over his consistency. If he gets to the front, it’ll be very hard to catch him.

Lord North could be his biggest threat, following his improvement over the last year. He tore away from the rest of the field in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, and his focus has been on this race since then.

Aiden O’Brien can’t ever be counted out here either, as he chases a record seventh win in the Day One showpiece. He’s relying on Magical, who’s a six-time winner at Group One level.

However, three-year-olds have won four of the last six Juddmonte International renewals, which could favour Kameko. The 2,000 Guineas winner hasn’t won over a mile yet, will he break that barrier here?

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication