Great Voltigeur Stakes Tips, York, Ebor Festival

Great Voltigeur Stakes Preview: Tips, Betting Offers and Odds

York’s Ebor meeting blasts out of the stalls with not one but three Group class events on the opening day. The second of which is this event for the Classic generation. Here we take a look at the best odds and offers and provide our betting tips for the Great Voltigeur Stakes.

A Group 2 contest run over a trip of 1m4f and open to three year old colts and geldings, this event was first run at York in 1950 and now offers £170,000 in guaranteed prize money. Read on for our tips or check out all the free bets offered by the best racing bookmakers around to grab some extra value on the Great Voltigeur.

Great Voltigeur Stakes Tips and Betting Offers, 3:00 at York, 21st August 2019

The Ebor Festival at York gets off to a very strong start on day one. The Great Voltigeur Stakes plays an important role in that first day. This Group 2 contest is open only to three-year-olds and has produced some very high class horses including winners of the following month’s St Leger.

Has the Favourite Been Tested Enough?

Logician goes into the Great Voltigeur as the favourite with the bookies. Given that he didn’t make his debut performance until May of this year, his billing tells you a lot about the quality of the performances we’ve seen from the John Gosden trained colt.

Favourites have only a modest record in the Great Voltigeur and we may see a continuation of their struggles on Wednesday. Yes, Logician has run very well and has the benefit of Frankie Dettori on board but this is a big step up in class. Indeed, it may well be Gosden’s plan for Logician to run against high calibre opponents before the St Leger for which he is well fancied.

Time For Broome to Land a Big Race

The market has Broome as Logician’s most likely challenger. He didn’t have the rub of the green in either the English or Irish Derby but watching those races it was tough to come to any other conclusion that Broome is a very good horse.

As with Logician, Broome’s appearance in the Great Voltigeur is being talked about as a trial for the St Leger. Connections believe he can compete at a high level over the staying trips but there’s not much wrong with the work Broome’s done over a mile and a half so far. He definitely has the quality required to win this one and is well priced to do so at 3/1 with Paddy Power.

Bangkok Could be a Danger

It’s been a hit and miss season so far for Bangkok. His campaign began with a couple of fairly straightforward wins before looking pretty seriously outclassed in the Derby. He then had a couple of performances which could have quite easily yielded better results so big results could be just around the corner.

Andrew Balding’s charge should enjoy the good ground that he finds at York. He could also be suited by the return to competing against horses the same age of him having been the youngest horse in the race last time out. A win could be too much to ask for Bangkok but a place is within his reach.

Betting Predictions

Logician has the makings of a very good horse but the Great Voltigeur may just come a little bit too soon in his career. That opens the door for Broome who is on the cusp of a big win. His performances so far this season suggest that he can claim a race of this calibre and the 3/1 that Paddy Power are quoting looks generous.

The same can be said about the 9/1 that bet365 are quoting on Bangkok’s chances even if an each way bet is the safer play for him.

Great Voltigeur Stakes Previous Winners

2018 – Old Persian – jockey James Doyle, trainer Charlie Appleby
2017 – Cracksman – jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer John Gosden
2016 – Idaho – jockey Seamie Heffernan, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2015 – Storm The Stars – jockey Pat Cosgrave, trainer William Haggas
2014 – Postponed – jockey Andrea Atzeni, trainer Luca Cumanni
2013 – Telescope – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2012 – Thought Worthy – jockey William Buick, trainer John Gosden
2011 – Sea Moon – jockey Richard Hughes, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2010 – Rewilding – jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni
2009 – Monitor Closely – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam
2008 – Centennial – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer John Gosden
2007 – Lucarno – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer John Gosden

Race History

Held at York and run over the Derby distance of a mile and a half, this event appropriately takes its name from one of York’s finest classic winning exports, Voltigeur. The winner of both the Derby and St Leger in 1950, Voltigeur also had quite an impact in the breeding shed, with the dominant St. Simon descending from his line. Voltigeur is far from the only famous name on the roll of honour here though.

1974 hero Bustino also has a Coronation Cup and St. Leger win to his name, but will be forever remembered for a race in which he finished second. Dubbed “the race of the century”, Bustino’s ultimately unsuccessful duel with Grundy in the 1975 King George has gone down in racing legend.

Rated 140 in his pomp, 1977 winner Alleged must rank highly when it comes to the most talented winner of the race. Good enough to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in both 1977 and 1978, the Vincent O’Brien trained star tasted defeat just the once in his ten race career.

With Luca Cumani at the time of his success here in 2014, and subsequently moving to the yard of Roger Varian, it is Postponed who rates as the best winner since the turn of the century. Showcasing his talents in Britain, France and Dubai, this top-class son of Dubawi recorded wins in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Prix Foy, Coronation Cup and the Dubai Sheema Classic before being retired to stud in 2017.

Those looking for potential clues ahead of the final classic of the season should be sure to tune in to this contest. It may be run over 2f shorter, but this event has nevertheless proved to be a useful trial for Doncaster’s St. Leger over the years, with 13 horses doing the double.

Lester Piggott was pretty good in Group class mile and a half events, as evidenced by his nine victories in the Epsom Derby. Having also recorded nine wins in this event, it is the man who many view as the greatest ever who tops the jockey standings here.

Sir Michael Stoute had a wait of twelve years between his first two wins in this event, with Electric scoring in 1982 and Sacrament successful in 1994. The successes have come with a little more frequency since then though, with Stoute’s tally of seven putting the Newmarket handler clear in the trainer’s table.