York’s Ebor Festival kicks off this week and Saturday’s highlight is the £500,000 Ebor Handicap. Patrick Mullins is a key cog in the wheel at his father Willie Mullins’ yard and he has a reputation for being a shrewd judge.
He provided an update on Willie Mullins’ potential Ebor team and one name stood out in particular. The horse in question is a 16/1 shot for Saturday’s big race and could be one for the notebook after Patrick’s positive assessment. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Hipop De Loire (16/1, bet365) is the one that Mullins deems to be the most interesting of the yard’s three runners. This seven-year-old has had just one start for the yard and he finished second to a stablemate in a Galway maiden hurdle earlier this month.
Jackfinbar was touted as a potential runner but has since been scratched from the race. Hipop De Loire can find some improvement here and may be joined by stablemate Lot Of Joy. It’s obvious which one Patrick Mullins fancies more however.
Mullins said: “Jackfinbar and Hipop De Loire were first and second in a hurdle at Galway. Hipop De Loire is very interesting, I think he’s entitled maybe to improve more than Jackfinbar, as it was his first run for us. Lot Of Joy was very disappointing at Galway and she’s been beaten in that race three times but if you come back to her run at the Curragh on Derby weekend, she could be better as well. Probably Hipop and Jackfinbar could be the two maybe.”
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