York's Ebor Festival draws to a close on Saturday afternoon with the race from which the four-day meeting on the Knavesmire gets its name.
The famous Ebor Handicap is routinely one of Europe's most valuable Flat handicaps and this year carries a purse of £500,000.
A field of 22 go in search of Ebor glory and Enda McElhinney has two selections for the big race as well as some other picks on day four at York's marquee meeting.
The action starts at 1.50pm with the Ebor due off at 3.35pm.
3.35 – Ebor Handicap (1m6f)
A maximum field of 22 will do battle in York's famous handicap and they are to be headlined by John & Thady Gosden's ante-post favourite Sweet William – the mount of Robert Havlin.
Under Havlin, Sweet William has won his last three starts over a variety of trips from 1m4f to 2m½f and on ground ranging from heavy to good-to-firm. A 4lb penalty for winning the Summer Handicap at Glorious Goodwood still leaves him potentially well treated on ratings.
With a weight of 9st 2lb, Sweet William fits plenty of Ebor trends. Seven of the last ten winners have carried between 9st and 9st 5lb. The Gosden yard are seeking a third Ebor win in six years and Sweet William is bidding to emulate Trawlerman, who won the same Goodwood race last summer before bagging this prize.
He has plenty in his favour but only two of the last ten winners have been drawn in a single-figure stall so he will have to buck that particular trend from stall three.
While much respected, perhaps the value lies elsewhere for punters.
Adjuvant was second to Sweet William at Goodwood last time out and Michael Bell's charge has a 4lb pull in the weights to aid him this time around. He boasts proven stamina but he has been well held in two previous C&D starts.
Recent Ascot winner Scampi could have a say for Andrew Balding while stablemate Berkshire Rocco sports a first-time visor and cannot be dismissed lightly.
Willie Mullins holds a strong hand as he saddles second favourite Absurde, who will bid to give Frankie Dettori a third Ebor win on his final attempt, and Jackfinbar. The latter was a Group 3 winner for Harry Dunlop and will have William Buick in the saddle on just his third start for the Closutton maestro. He ran well over 1m4f at Galway recently and this longer trip looks ideal. Both Mullins contenders are key players.
Last month's Silver Cup second Scriptwriter should give his running for Milton Harris but the choice in a typically fierce Ebor is YASHIN for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley.
The Churchill gelding won a Leopardstown Group 3 over this trip on his comeback in May and can be forgiven a below-par effort at the Curragh on soft ground last month.
His trainer is on record stating he's better going left-handed and this race should set up well for him over a perfect trip and on the sort of ground he will relish. He needs to find a bit more to defy a mark of 105 but as a four-year-old with only ten starts behind him, he should have more to give, and connections have touted him as a potential Melbourne Cup horse.
1.50 - Strensall Stakes (Group 3, 1m1f)
The York opener provides NOSTRUM with a chance to bounce back from the disappointment of finishing only second in this grade at Glorious Goodwood a little over three weeks ago. He chased home Epictetus there and there's no doubting conditions favoured the winner.
Back on a sounder surface, Sir Michael Stoute's Kingman colt should atone for that defeat.
He faces only five rivals in the Strensall Stakes over nine furlongs and fellow three-year-old Flight Plan could have more to offer with last month's second in the Listed Pomfret Stakes at Pontefract already having been well advertised.
El Drama made an excellent start for new trainer Karl Burke when second in the Rose Of Lancaster at Haydock this month but has to prove he can cope with a drop in trip.
NEXT BESTt: FLIGHT PLAN @ 10/1
2.25 - Melrose Handicap (1m6f)
This is one of the best contests for three-year-old stayers of the summer as the younger generation tackle the Ebor course and distance ahead of the big race.
Frankie Dettori partners top-weight Davideo for Ralph Beckett as he looks to build on his success at Newmarket seven weeks ago. He has more on his plate now but he did beat a pair of next-time-out winners in that contest.
William Haggas' Lordship has won his last three starts and represents a trainer seeking to win this race for the third time in five years. He is one to take seriously alongside Middle Earth (John & Thady Gosden) and The Goat (Andrew Balding).
DENMARK returns from a break and sports first-time blinkers for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore. The Camelot colt holds some big-race entries and, as Paddington showed this season, the fact his master trainer is pitching him into a handicap doesn't mean he won't still fulfil the promise of his pedigree by going on to greater things. He might be worth chancing going up significantly in trip.
4.45 - Julia Graves Roses Stakes (Listed, 5f)
Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy can have confident claims of landing this Listed sprint with PUROSANGUE. Winner of a Haydock novice on debut in June, he acquitted himself well enough in the Kingdom of Bahrain July Stakes at Newmarket on his second start despite being keen early on, and he then showed his versatility at Glorious Goodwood when almost coming from off the pace to deny front-running Big Evs in the Molcombe.
He handles any ground, is tactically versatile and sets a good standard dropped in grade.
Alabama, for Aidan O'Brien, has twice finished second in this grade in Ireland since being more than four lengths behind Big Evs in the Windsor Castle and should give his running, while Inquisitively finished ahead of him in that Royal Ascot sprint in June on only his second start and has since joined Kevin Philippart de Foy. There should be more to come from him and champion jockey William Buick is an excellent ally.
NEXT BEST: INQUISITIVELY @ 8/1
