Litigant springs 33-1 shock to land Ebor

Litigant, a 33-1 shot, captured the Ebor Handicap, the richest Flat-racing handicap in Europe, over one mile and six furlongs at York.

Aidan O’Brien saddled the last three-year-old to win the race courtesy of Mediterranean back in 2001and his Fields Of Athenry has long been at the top of my shortlist but confidence is tempered by the fact that he must race from the worst of the draw and 5lb claimer Donnacha O’Brien, son of the trainer, will have a very hard task trying to get the three-year-old into a decent position especially as the winners, over the first two days, have tended to have raced prominently throughout this meeting.

Suegioo (40-1) was another neck away in third and Toe The Line (25-1) fourth.

“It was brilliant. Plan A came off and it doesn’t always come off in this game, but it did”, said Tuite.

IT IS nearly like being at Cheltenham as the Irish are very much the ones to beat in the Betfred Ebor. “A lot of work has got into this and for it to pay off is superb”. To get him to the racecourse yesterday was an achievement in itself. We had our chance and we have no excuses. “We’ll go home and think about it”. “It’s a marvellous team performance”, Tuite said.

“It is a tremendous training performance with the victor after almost 500 days”.

He’s anxious that the ground is softer than ideal – it was cited as a factor for the Royal Ascot winner’s recent defeat in Ireland – but Johnston believes conditions will suit second-string Ode To Evening.