THE Sky Bet Ebor has attracted its classiest line-up in living memory with some of Britain and Ireland’s smartest stayers lured to York by a £1 million carrot.

The field is packed with quality. No less than eight of the 22 runners have already won a group race and there are others with pretensions to compete at that level.

It’s a step towards developing this great prize into a northern hemisphere Melbourne Cup. Even the inflated prize money on offer for the first time this year can’t match Australia’s greatest race but several of today’s runners like Red Verdon, Prince Of Arran and Raheen House are likely to end up ‘Down Under’ with live chances in early November.

Irish runners

Willie Mullins, successful in the 2009 Ebor with Sesenta, sends two horses over. Max Dynamite won the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at this meeting four years ago before going down by just half a length when runner-up in the Melbourne Cup. His teeth might be a good bit longer these days but he ended a barren spell at Killarney last month, and he joins True Self, a three-times listed winner, in pursuit of giving Irish-trained horses their fifth Ebor win since 2009.

Mustajeer, trained by Ger Lyons, returns after finishing fourth 12 months ago with the doubling of the prize pot a tasty incentive to chance his arm once more.

Wide draw favoured

It’s paid dividends to aim high in the Sky Bet Ebor in recent years and that’s a trend that cannot be ignored when studying today’s contest.

Only two winners of this historic prize in the last 18 years have started from a single-figure stall. In that time, only one other has been drawn lower than trap 14 and the last three favourites to be berthed low have all been well beaten.

It’s not usually wise to take stats at face value without backing them up with reasoned thinking and this is my theory why a wide stall is favoured.

There are going to be 22 runners spread across the track and there’s no bend for nearly five furlongs. Then it’s only a gentle left before the rather sharper home turn. Jim Crowley stayed right out wide for the first three furlongs when guiding Muntahaa to victory 12 months ago. That’s a big clue as to why being drawn high is an advantage in this big-field handicap.

The jockeys on horses drawn low know they have to try to hold their position. That can result in using up too much petrol too soon.

Those who grab what they think is a nice prominent pitch can also find those in the middle coming across over the top and shuffling the rail runners back.

From there the first time you see any daylight is at the top of the home straight when those to have raced a little wider have nabbed the best positions. That means the likes of Mustajeer, top-weight Withhold, fancied Raheen House, Chester Cup hero Making Miracles, and Mekong have the task of bucking the trend.

‘Ray’ of sunshine

It’s going to take a group-class stayer to win this year’s Ebor and that’s just what Raymond Tusk is.

Trained by Richard Hannon, he hasn’t had many chances over this sort of trip and he’s already shown he has the tools to take this contest.

All four of his runs beyond a mile and a half have come in group races against the likes of Dee Ex Bee, Crystal Ocean and Stradivarius. Those waters have proved slightly too deep but he has not been disgraced.

The ground was too soft and he was dropped right out the back from a wide draw by Jamie Spencer in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. That was never going to help and he’s had a nice break since.

His earlier second behind Dee Ex Bee, Britain’s second-best stayer, in the Sagaro Stakes shows a drop into a handicap for the first time will make him very dangerous.

Stradivarius form

It might seem daft to have a saver on a horse who, on his latest run, finished last of eight beaten by nearly the length of York’s ancient city walls but I can’t help backing Wells Farhh Go.

He was just 16/1 to beat star stayer Stradivarius in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup. That didn’t go well as he bolted in the early stages and was allowed to coast home when predictably fading.

The drop in distance by a couple of furlongs should help Tim Easterby’s runner and it wouldn’t be a surprise if jockey David Allen were to try to get a bit of cover rather than trying to make all the running.

Wells Farhh Go won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket last season and he fourth behind Old Persian and Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter in the Great Voltigeur at this meeting last year. It’s clear he’s got the class and this test might just be ideal.

Ben Vrackie is interesting. He made a belting return to action when just failing to nail Baghdad in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot. It’s easy to forgive his Newmarket flop behind King’s Advice three weeks later as it might well have come too soon and, like at Ascot, he fluffed the start.

That left him in a near-impossible position and he should run much better today.

Sage advice

Given Mark Johnston’s Yorkshire stable is always stuffed with tough handicappers it’s a bit of a puzzler why he hasn’t lifted this prize since Quick Ransom 27 years ago.

This year he’s launched a three-pronged assault headed by prolific winner King’s Advice. Since arriving from Germany in the winter rated just 71, this son of Frankel and star juvenile filly Queen’s Logic has notched up eight wins from nine starts. His rating has rocketed by three stone but the handicapper hasn’t been able to stop him. He’s so tough you wouldn’t want to step out into a pub car park with him late at night and that means, with a high draw in his favour, he could easily add another victory to his remarkable season.

Johnston has a very able deputy in Baghdad. He just got the better of Ben Vrackie at Royal Ascot and he’s run okay in small-field group races. His record suggests today’s different test is much more to his liking so, at roughly twice the price of his stablemate, he looks better value.

Having Chester Cup winner Making Miracles as a third-string is testament to the strength of Johnston’s staying handicappers. His finest hour came in a bog and he seems to have gone off the boil so it’s no surprise to see him chalked up at much bigger odds.

Recommended

Raymond Tusk, 1 point each-way, 25/1 (general)

Wells Farhh Go, 1 point each-way, 16/1 (general)