Timeform’s guide to racing at York, featuring all the key facts and figures ahead of the 2024 Sky Bet Ebor Festival.
Timeform's York course guide
Left handed, flat. In essence, York is a very fair track, ideal for the long-striding galloper. In recent seasons, the field tends to come more down the centre of the track than has historically been the case, particularly if conditions are testing. The track was made into a circuit in 2005 and offers a straight five furlong/six furlong track, on which a high draw has been a distinct disadvantage in recent years, while seven furlong races start on a chute.
Leading active trainers at York
Sorted by strike rate since the start of 2019 (minimum 25 runners)
- Simon & Ed Crisford 25.6% (10-39)*
- John & Thady Gosden 21.8% (27-124)**
- Eve Johnson Houghton 18.2% (6-33)
- William Haggas 17.6% (40-227)
- Ralph Beckett 16.8% (23-137)
* Includes data for when Simon Crisford was the sole licence holder
** Includes data for when John Gosden was the sole licence holder
Other points to consider
- William Haggas has had the most winners in the period in question with 40. Richard Fahey (32-521) and David O'Meara 31-432) are next on the list.
- Andrew Balding leads the way when sorting by level-stake profit. His 25 winners from 174 runners, at a strike rate of 14.37%, have produced a profit of £61.40 to £1 level stakes.
- He hasn't quite had enough runners to meet the qualifying criteria, but Owen Burrows has had six winners from his 22 runners at a a highly impressive strike rate of 27.3%.
Leading active jockeys at York
Sorted by strike rate since the start of 2019 (minimum 25 rides)
- Rossa Ryan 15.9% (14-88)
- Jim Crowley 15.9% (17-107)
- Hayley Turner 15.8% (6-38)
- Tom Marquand 15.1% (29-192)
- Sean Levey 15.1% (8-53)
Other points to consider
- Danny Tudhope leads the way in terms of winners in the period in question with 39 (from 322 rides). Tom Marquand is next on the list with 29 (from 192 rides).
- Connor Beasley has a notable level-stakes profit. He's had 20 winners from 141 rides for a profit of £44.57 to £1 level stakes.
- Promising apprentice Shay Farmer has won on both of his rides at the course.
Best performance in the Juddmonte International this century
Frankel (Timeform performance rating 143) - 2012
Frankel put up the best performance in Timeform's history when winning the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and he delivered another scintillating display in the Juddmonte International at York's Ebor meeting.
Frankel, tackling a trip beyond a mile for the first time, cruised into the lead two furlongs out and unleashed his customary burst to draw seven lengths clear of Farhh and St Nicholas Abbey, proving in a completely different league to a couple of high-class rivals.
Best performance in the Yorkshire Oaks this century
Enable (Timeform performance rating 129) - 2019
Enable didn't face a simple task in the 2019 Yorkshire Oaks as she was up against a high-class filly in Magical, but she produced an authoritative performance to brush aside her old rival.
Frankie Dettori, opting to keep things simple, sent Enable straight to the head of affairs and she travelled best of all before quickly asserting when briefly tackled over a furlong out, pulling two and three-quarter lengths clear.
That victory extended Enable's winning sequence to 12 but it would prove to be 'unlucky 13' when she came up just short in her bid to win a third Arc.
Best performance in the Nunthorpe this century
Battaash (Timeform performance rating 136) - 2019
Battaash had disappointed in the Nunthorpe on a couple of occasions but he set the record straight in style in 2019, running right up to his best to score by three and three-quarter lengths.
Battaash lowered Dayjur's long-standing track record and he earned a Timeform rating of 136, which at the time was the joint-highest in Europe since the days of Frankel (Baaeed subsequently earned a rating of 137).
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