Saturday Horse Racing Tips - August 22, 2026

Ebor Festival 2026 Tips - Race-by-Race Preview for Day 4

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: Fri 21 Aug 2026 14:09

Jon Vine 21 Aug 2026

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Ebor Festival Day 4 features marquee races including the Ebor Handicap and City Of York Stakes
Key tips: Geryon, Mythical Bay, Ten Bob Tony, Mr Hollywood, Adonius, Air Force One, and Raammee
Ground likely soft; best and value bets identified for each race on the final day

Saturday’s Ebor Festival finale is headlined by the famous Ebor Handicap, one of the highlights of the York racing calendar. (Getty)

The Ebor Festival draws to a dramatic conclusion at York on Saturday afternoon.

Ebor Festival 2026 - Day 4 Preview
Race 1 - Strensall Stakes Tips
Race 2 - Melrose Handicap Tips
Race 3 - City Of York Stakes Tips
Race 4 - Ebor Handicap Tips
Race 5 - Constantine Handicap Tips
Race 6 - Julia Graves Roses Stakes Tips
Race 7 - Finale Handicap Tips
Ebor Festival Day 4 Tips Summary

The meeting's namesake race, the Ebor Handicap, headlines the Day 4 card, while the Strensall Stakes, Melrose Handicap and Group 1 City Of York Stakes also feature prominently.

Our race-by-race preview for Day 4 of the 2026 Ebor Festival is included below, while Live Racing & Sports Updates has the latest previews, analysis and coverage across all sporting codes.

Ebor Festival 2026 - Day 4 Preview

Race 1 - Strensall Stakes Tips

Plenty hold chances in Saturday's opening Group 3, with George Scott's recruit Ridari worth watching in the market, especially if the ground remains on the soft side.

10. Geryon drops back in distance after an excellent effort at Glorious Goodwood, and Ger Lyons' raider gets my vote.

Progressive at two, Geryon has continued to improve with each start at three.

Gary Carroll's mount ran well behind the excellent Purview in the International Stakes at the Curragh before claiming his first Group success with an emphatic victory in the Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown.

Having shown plenty of speed at Leopardstown, I didn't really fancy Geryon over 2400m in the Gordon Stakes, but Lyons' raider ran a cracker to finish a clear second behind the equally progressive Enceladus.

Despite that excellent effort, this 1800m trip looks much more suitable for Geryon, while three-year-olds boast a strong recent record in the Strensall Stakes.

Race 2 - Melrose Handicap Tips

It's rare to see a Group winner line up in the Melrose Handicap, let alone a Queen's Vase winner.

Limestone was handed a mark of just 105 for winning that Group 2, and Ryan Moore takes the ride on Joseph O'Brien's Royal Ascot winner.

I'm going in again on 5. Mythical Bay, who I backed in a similar handicap at the July Festival.

Andrew Balding's three-year-old travelled sweetly throughout before getting the better of Magnetude after a prolonged battle down the straight.

Mythical Bay relished the softer ground when romping to victory at Newbury in June, so conditions on Saturday should be ideal.

Oisin Murphy's mount was raised only around 2.5kg for his latest success and should run another big race carrying just 55.5kg.

6. Galilean Quality also boasts form around Magnetude, having traded victories with that rival earlier in the season.

Karl Burke's gelding then beat Baltic Fleet at Wolverhampton, earning his place in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot, where Pierre-Louis Jamin's mount ran very well to finish sixth.

Burke's runner returned to Ascot in July and made a winning debut over 2800m.

Galilean Quality still looked a little green but found plenty over the final 400m to hold off the older Fireblade.

A rise of around 2kg for that victory looks fairly lenient, while Galilean Quality has already shown he handles softer ground.

Race 3 - City Of York Stakes Tips

Despite a stunning victory at Royal Ascot and an excellent run in the Sussex Stakes, 9. Ten Bob Tony can still be backed at an appealing price for Saturday's sole Group 1.

I was all over Ed Walker's gelding when he ran in the Tattenham Corner Stakes at Epsom, with 1400m on rain-affected ground looking his ideal conditions, and Ten Bob Tony duly ran well to score narrowly.

Fearing both the ground and distance were against him, I ignored the outsider when he lined up in the Queen Anne Stakes two weeks later.

Kieran Shoemark's mount then produced a huge performance, running down More Thunder and Opera Ballo to land a shock Group 1 victory.

Walker's stable star finished fourth on his most recent outing at Goodwood, where Ten Bob Tony ran another huge race to finish just two lengths behind two excellent three-year-olds.

An RPR of 121 confirmed that his Royal Ascot performance was no fluke.

Walker's five-year-old is in the form of his life, and dropping back to 1400m won't bother him.

At an each-way quote, Ten Bob Tony looks too good a price to pass up.

Race 4 - Ebor Handicap Tips

Since 2018, only Trawlerman has carried less than 59.5kg to victory in the Ebor Handicap.

It has increasingly become a race for the classier horses in the field, and an RPR above 110 will likely be required to win.

7. Mr Hollywood produced several Ebor-worthy performances during his time in Germany.

Willie Mullins' charge placed in several Group 1 races as a three-year-old, ran in the 2024 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and opened his four-year-old campaign with a Listed victory over multiple Group 1 winner Fantastic Moon.

A move to France followed in 2025, where Mr Hollywood maintained his consistency, winning a conditions race at Toulouse after a string of placed efforts in similar events.

Mullins' recruit could only finish third on his stable debut over hurdles at Killarney in May but ran a lovely race when beaten just three lengths behind Illinois in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He then returned to hurdles and won at Galway at the end of last month.

The slow tempo in the Queen Alexandra suited Mr Hollywood, who hasn't raced below 2400m during his Flat career.

This drop back in distance should suit, while Mr Hollywood has landed a lovely draw in barrier 20 and Saffie Osborne, who has been riding as well as most this season, takes the mount.

Another contender to have landed a favourable draw is 11. Paddy The Squire.

Iain Jardine is no stranger to Ebor success, having won this historic handicap with Nakeeta in 2017, and I'm sure he'll have had York firmly in mind since his stable star performed so well at Royal Ascot.

This six-year-old son of Golden Horn has continued to improve with age.

Paddy The Squire won three of his six starts last season and, after a pipe-opener in the Jorvik Handicap here at York first-up, powered home along the rail to finish a two-length third behind Daiquiri Bay and Gamrai in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot.

Paddy The Squire was last seen finishing a very close second to Sportingsilvermine in a 2400m handicap at Newmarket in July.

As in the Jorvik, Jardine's runner took a little too long to build momentum over that middle-distance trip but still pushed Sportingsilvermine all the way to the line despite conceding more than 6kg to the winner.

Stepping back up in distance should really suit Andrew Mullen's mount, while Paddy The Squire is proven on all types of ground.

Recent performances suggest a mark of 104 may not be beyond him, and the cheekpieces applied for the first time at Royal Ascot remain in place.

Race 5 - Constantine Handicap Tips

I'm going to side with 17. Air Force One again after Geoff Oldroyd's sprinter got us off to a flying start in the opening handicap of the meeting.

Air Force One went into Wednesday's opener in excellent form and delivered impressively, powering clear of several well-fancied rivals after sweeping into contention from off the pace.

Oldroyd said after that victory that Air Force One was in the form of his life, so it's no surprise to see him turned out again quickly.

PJ McDonald's mount has landed another excellent draw in barrier two, and this progressive five-year-old is more than capable of challenging again under an additional 2.5kg.

One runner who interests me at a much bigger price is 14. Pure Legend.

This son of Mehmas was a consistent performer over 1400m and 1600m during his time in France and ran well in a strong handicap on his debut for Kevin Ryan at Thirsk.

Kevin Stott settled his mount towards the rear that day and had to wait for the gaps to appear before launching a challenge.

Pure Legend picked up nicely but never really found a clear passage to the line and crossed the line full of running in sixth.

Dropping to 1200m will be a new test for Pure Legend, but the ground is certainly in his favour on Saturday and I fancy he'll adapt well to the shorter distance.

Race 6 - Julia Graves Roses Stakes Tips

If he is to end up at the Breeders' Cup later in the season, 1. Adonius needs to be winning a race like this.

Rebecca Menzies' youngster claimed back-to-back victories at Musselburgh early in the season, with both wins coming on rain-affected ground.

Adonius then bolted up in the Lily Agnes Stakes at Chester's May Festival, after which his owners nominated the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint as his autumn target.

Following a mid-season break, Kaiya Fraser's mount returned with a strong effort in the Molecomb Stakes, where Adonius attempted to run his rivals into the ground from the front before being run down late by quality juvenile filly Pershaada.

Fraser will face plenty of competition for the lead here, but on both form and ratings, Adonius stands clear of this field and I expect his class to tell on Saturday.

Race 7 - Finale Handicap Tips

1. Raammee handed me my biggest winner of the Flat season when scoring in the John Smith's Cup over this course and distance in July.

I'd tipped Roger Varian's runner at 20/1 three weeks before the race, with Ray Dawson's mount eventually backed into 5/1 before producing a convincing victory.

Following that success, I expected Varian to aim Raammee towards a Listed or Group 3 contest.

I presume they're remaining in handicap company to give him a little more experience, as despite winning the John Smith's Cup, Dawson's mount still looked green early before wandering in the straight and picking up again once Hand Of God moved onto his tail.

With the notable exceptions of Diego El Queso and Al Aali, this field looks fairly similar, if not slightly weaker, than the one Raammee defeated in the John Smith's Cup.

Varian's runner will have to carry the top weight of 62.5kg, but this strapping son of Persian King should have little trouble coping with the impost.

I fancy there's plenty more to come from Raammee over the final months of the season.

Ebor Festival Day 4 Tips Summary

Race	Track	Tip 1	Tip 2
1	York	10. Geryon
2	York	5. Mythical Bay	6. Galilean Quality
3	York	9. Ten Bob Tony
4	York	7. Mr Hollywood	11. Paddy The Squire
5	York	17. Air Force One	14. Pure Legend
6	York	1. Adonius
7	York	1. Raammee

Verdict

Ebor Festival 2026 - Day 4 Preview

Our best & value bets for day two of the 2026 Ebor Festival are:

Adonius

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Rammee

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Ten Bob Tony

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