Liam Firkin's Ebor Festival Day 1 Horse Racing Tips

DAPPER VALLEY - 0.5 Pts EW (5 Places)

Best price 33/1.

The Ebor Festival gets underway and we start with this extended 5f sprint and no doubt the draw bias over these shorter trips will be discussed at length and evidently many horses have been installed shorter than perhaps their true ability, based on their likely track position. 

I did like two in this race, the first of which is the second string, Candy, for Richard Spencer and Phil Cunningham but it is clear from his form that he is one who is ground pendant and although there are some showers expected, I doubt that the track is going to get anywhere near soft enough for him to put his best foot forward. However, if by some miracle, the course is riding slower than expected, then I would give him some consideration. 

But as my main play in the race I’ve opted with DAPPER VALLEY (33/1) who comes into the race seeking a hat-trick and boasts some nice form from early in the campaign when running in the Middle East and that suggests there could be even more improvement to come. 

He was third when running at Abu Dhabi and that is the main piece of form that leads me to think that there could be more to come. He was in the receipt of weight from the winner on that day (Mostabshir) but it was just the 3lbs and Dapper Valley went down by just a neck. He will now be getting 9lbs in weight from horses who are off his same revised mark of 99 and sneaks in this Class 2 Handicap towards the bottom of the weights. 

There would be a slight preference for him to be drawn a little lower than the stall 15 that he occupies but he will stay further (having won over 6f on 4 occasions and over 7f once) and has had a tendency to latch on strongly when pinging the stalls and should that occur he may well get across the track into a more favourable position and if that does happen, it could help negate the draw he has been dealt. 

STARGAZED - 0.75 Pts EW (5 Places) 

Best price 20/1.

I’m heading back to the sprint division for my second selection and I’m willing to give STARGAZED (16/1) a final shot with her returning to York where she started her 2026 campaign finishing behind Fortification and ahead of the brilliant Nanna’s Shadow who heads this market and has been progressive throughout the season winning at multiple big festivals and that clearly franks the form of the Karl Burke runner who has gone backwards since then but there could be reasons for optimism with a return to York where she has run well previously over course and distance.

It is not often that you will find all connections firing on all cylinders, but that is very much the case for Stargazed with Burke having had 6 winners from his last 27 (22% strike rate), Warren Fentiman winning aboard 3 of his last 8 (38% strike rate) and even the Owners enjoying a nice time of things have had 2 of their last 3 runners winning (67% strike rate) 

She will certainly need to return to form, but if doing so she would hold very good claims here coming from a more favourable stall than the favourite, who she has beaten previously, and there is now a massive swing at the weights with Stargazed having given the favourite 9lbs and is now receiving 16lbs plus Fentiman in the saddle.