The Ebor Handicap is simply massive. With the three-year-olds having their own race, the preceding Melrose Handicap, only the four-year-olds and over can contest this but is always so incredibly competitive.

The £500,000 prize pot doesn’t harm that of course, but in fact the history of this race is what makes it so special with all trainers, owners, breeders and jockeys wishing to win it. We do too.

These are the six horses we’ve taken against the field in the richest handicap race in Europe: 

Main Contenders

Candleford 

William Haggas is famously desperate to win this race. As the top-class trainer of Baaeed and others, as well as being a Yorkshireman, he has to be feared no matter what he fields and he has two representatives in our list.

Candleford is ridden by Tom Marquand and may be considered the number one choice of the yard. Now a gelding, he won at Kempton this season before demolishing the Duke of Edinburgh field at Royal Ascot and he may not be done yet.

He was raised 13lbs in the handicap for Ascot however and was beaten next time, so there’ll be hope that the trip brings about more improvement.

Earl Of Tyrone 

Earl Of Tyrone, a son of Australia, comes into this race on a four-timer and he has been sensational this season, improving all the time.

The trip wouldn’t appear to be a problem, his rating of 105 also doesn’t look like an anchor, so there is a lot to like about his chances.

He’s handled the rough and tumble of big fields before, though was a beaten favourite in a 20-runner race at the start of the season.

Gaassee 

Kieran Shoemark takes over on Gaassee who won in some style on this track in the Jorvik Handicap back in May.

That got him his automatic place in the Ebor, and while he was beaten last time at Haydock, he was a strongly backed favourite who may have been undone by soft ground. Big chance this time.

Licence 

This is a fascinating horse; a Frankel offspring who has run only four times to date, winning only once.

That win was on debut last year, a resounding early success, and he’s always been highly tried since. Although beaten an aggregate of nearly 20 lengths in his three subsequent runs, they have been in Listed, Group 2 and Group 3 company.

He’s rated 103 and it remains to be seen whether this has been a really clever prep from Ger Lyons, or whether he’s simply not handicapped well enough in this company having been rather exposed.

Okita Soushi 

Joseph O’Brien’s Okita Soushi has some very familiar form having finished third to Get Shirty and Cleveland at Royal Ascot, the latter now trained by him.

In behind that day was Alright Sunshine, Quenelle D’Or and Stowell amongst others, and this horse appears to be improving without winning. Each-way chance.

Trawlerman

John & Thady Gosden’s Trawlerman has been on the radar a long time and the rewards are coming this season.

When he won at Pontefract as a three-year-old he looked to be heading straight to Group company, but a setback put a temporary hold on that.

He returned at Easter to score well over 1¼ miles at Chelmsford before suffering one of Frankie Dettori’s now unfortunately famously bad rides during Royal Ascot week.

After being eased when his chance was gone at Newmarket, he returned to winning ways in some style at Glorious Goodwood and after that he was entered in the Lonsdale Stakes and the British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2).

Although he wouldn’t have beaten Candleford at the weights at Royal Ascot in hindsight, he was favourite to do so, has improved plenty since and is now some 10lbs better off with the Haggas runner who is a hell of a yardstick to measure a horse against.

We know now this trip is ideal and from gate 20 he can stay out of trouble, as long as Frankie gets him in the right position to challenge up the straight having taken over from winning last time out rider Benoit De La Sayette.

Summary

On the book, there are plenty in with chances as you can imagine. Before the gates open, every single runner has a chance in this race as no horse is entered when connections don’t feel they have one handicapped well enough to take the money.

The form of Candleford and especially TRAWLERMAN however is best of all, the latter horse capable of landing this en route to Group company.