WHERE to start in the Ebor (3.35)? Start with the Irish.

Why? Because since Mediterranean and Mick Kinane blasted home on the outside of the field one year into the millennium, the Irish have fought well above their weight from a numerical point of view.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old started a sequence of seven winners in the mile-six-furlong handicap, which came from just 51 runners. If you had a tenner on every Irish runner in the race in that sequence, you’d be up €635.

Where to start with the Irish? Willie Mullins. The perennial champion jumps trainer is efficiently economical with his string, using the flat as another option for horses that may have been bought for jumping initially. The latest example of that is Vauban, the runaway Royal Ascot winner who is a clear favourite for the Melbourne Cup.

In fact, given his early success on the flat, which dates back to Sesenta’s win in this race in 2009, Mullins has sourced more horses he feels could excel as dual purpose. His duo in the race today, Absurde and Jackfinbar, fit that bill.

Absurde was bought out of the yard of Carlos Laffon-Parais in France. He won a novice hurdle at Killarney before finding Vauban too hot in the Copper Horse Handicap at Ascot. He has since disappointed back over hurdles but remains a real threat now switching back to the flat.

Jackfinbar was bought out of Harry Dunlop’s yard, having won a Group 3 in ParisLongchamp. Injuries kept him off the track for nearly 1,500 days so he may well never get the chance to go hurdling but so far has proven his ability on the flat is very much still there, finishing third in a listed race in Roscommon and fourth in the Guinness Handicap won by Brazil at Galway.

It’s likely the Ebor has been their Cheltenham and we know what Willie Mullins does at Cheltenham. As well as the £300,000 up for grabs, there is also a ballot free entry to the Melbourne Cup, a race we also know Mullins would love to win.

The market likes the pair and so too do the top jockeys, William Buick (1-13 riding for Willie Mullins in Britain) on Jackfinbar and Frankie Dettori (1-8) on Absurde.

You might be a little surprised not to see Dettori riding the favourite for the race, Sweet William for John and Thady Gosden, but the owner Philippa Cooper has remained loyal to Rab Havlin who has ridden the colt on all six of his starts.

His latest bolt-up success was on heavy ground at Goodwood so he will likely face highly contrasting conditions today but he could be thrown in, as he is officially 4lbs well in with potentially more improvement to come.

The latter sentiment applies to Real Dream, with Ryan Moore teaming up with Sir Michael Stoute (21% strike rate in the last five seasons). He won impressively at Ascot last time and looked a much improved animal compared to the one we saw finish third to Scampi in a trial for this race back in May.

Of the other Irish horses, Yashin bids to add another prestigious prize to the CV of his trainer Jessica Harrington, who harboured big hopes for this gelding at the beginning of the season, citing that he had only just grown into his frame.

He has only raced twice, winning the Group 3 Levmoss at Leopardstown before struggling in the Curragh Cup, with Shane Foley reporting that the four-year-old didn’t handle the ground.

Sunchart is a rock solid operator for Andy Slattery but he may need a softer surface while it seems unlikely Shark Hanlon will get the chance to run Enfranchise, the Ulster Oaks winner, from second reserve.