The Aidan O’Brien-trained Kyprios may have the staying division under lock and key at the moment, but today is the chance for an early season marker to be set by some UK runners.
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Group 2 Yorkshire Cup Stakes runner by runner betting guide – 1m6f
1 Rebel’s Romance (2)
- Age: 7
- Weight: 9st 8lb
- Form: 311-14
- Rating: 123
- Jockey: William Buick
- Trainer: Charlie Appleby
- Odds: 11/8
The globe-trotting Reble’s Romance has seven Group 1 wins to his name overseas and has become a horse to which you can set your clock outside of the UK. But back on home soil, he has failed to crack it at the top table, but today, he does not need to worry about that.
Since his third in the Group 1 King George VI Stakes at Royal Ascot behind Goliath and the now Arc hero Bluestocking, Reble’s Romance has won three of his four starts, which includes a comfortable win over The Foxes, who has since gone on to win a Group 2 at Chester comfortably. He has yet to race over this distance and must give weight away to all of his four rivals.
Still, given that he has race fitness on his side and is the clear class runner in the field, he should make his class count here and have no problems getting the extra 2f, especially if this turns into a tactical affair.
Star rating: 
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2 Sweet William (4)
- Age: 6
- Weight: 9st 6lb
- Form: 13212-
- Rating: 117
- Jockey: Robert Havlin
- Trainer: John & Thady Gosden
- Odds: 7/4
Sweet William may only be a six-year-old, but he is one of those horses who seems to have been around forever. He is a top-class stayer on his day, as he has shown numerous times when chasing home Kyprios in no less than three times Group 1s last season. But he did get his due reward when winning the Group 2 Doncaster Cup.
He starts his season over a trip he has won at before, but given that connections will have their eyes firmly set on another clash with Kyprios in the Ascot Gold Cup next month, they may leave a bit to work with going forward. He wouldn’t want to hit a flat spot here because the race may be over before he hits top gear.
He’s a classy individual, but the lack of race fitness combined with the distance may be his undoing today.
Star rating:
4 Continuous (3)
- Age: 5
- Weight: 9st 3lb
- Form: 009-39
- Rating: 112
- Jockey: Ryan Moore
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Odds: 6/1
The Aidan O’Brien stable has been in flying form over the past two weeks, but he will need to work his magic to get this former Group 1 winner back in the winner’s enclosure today. Continuous won the 2023 St Leger, and since that win, he has only managed to get his head back in front once in his last nine runs.
His latest run, where the slow tempo was to blame for his below-par run, does not bode well in what could be a slow, tactical race. He needs to show some spark to get seriously involved here, but given the form that Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore have been in in the past two weeks, it would not be a shock for him to show much-improved form. But going on recent evidence, he is best avoided today.
Star rating:
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5 Epic Poet (5)
- Age: 6
- Weight: 9st 3lb
- Form: 4-1323
- Rating: 110
- Jockey: Daniel Tudhope
- Trainer: David O’Meara
- Odds: 7/1
Epic Poet has been a good money spinner for connections, winning five of his 20 starts, but only one of those five wins has come at stakes level, which was back in 2022.
But this is his ideal trip, and given that he has run well in his three visits to York, notable when staying on fourth in the Ebor last season, he could well give the main players something to think about. He may not win, but he could be the one to follow home the favourite.
Star rating:
3 Alsakib (1)
- Age: 5
- Weight: 9st 3lb
- Form: 34178-
- Rating: 110
- Jockey: P J McDonald
- Trainer: Andrew Balding
- Odds: 20/1
A winner of a Group 3 over course and distance when getting the better of Al Qareem. He backed that run up with a decent showing behind Vauban in the Lonsdale Cup, where he struggled at the trip, and rounded off his season with a well-beaten eighth in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day at Ascot. Today will be his first run of the season and his first run as a gelding. But he will need that operation to have a major effect on him if he is to have a say in the finish.
Star rating:
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Group 2 Yorkshire Cup Stakes verdict
This may turn into a tactical race, and if it does, it looks sure to suit the multi-Group 1 winner REBEL’S ROMANCE. He is having his first run over 1m6f today, but with the likelihood that this will be run at a slower than normal pace, it can play into Reble’s Romances hands, where he will be able to use his superior speed in the closing stages to record his first win in the UK since 2023.
About the author
Andrew Halligan
My name is Andrew Halligan, horse racing pundit and founder of YouTube’s The Finishing Line Podcast. Horse racing is a thrilling spectacle that captivates audiences around the world with its blend of drama and excitement. Whether you’re a jumps or flat fan, I will use my experience of working within the horse racing industry to bring the best of what this sport has to offer.
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