York Ebor Festival Day Four Tips: Mark Milligan with three picks at up to 13/2 on Saturday

• Mark Milligan has been in red-hot form this week at York

• Enfjaar the best bet in race one

• Side with progressive Royal runner in Melrose

• Mullins can take the Ebor again

Queenstown Superboost

Queenstown is the favourite to win today's feature race at York, the Ebor Handicap at 15:35, and the Betfair Sportsbook have very generously boosted Aidan O'Brien's ultra consistent 4yo out to 1/12.00 (from 4/71.57) just to finish in the top eight in today's contest.

Queenstown is a high class performer who has yet to finish outside of the top three in all of his six lifetime starts. He has twice finished runner-up to Europe's best stayer - Kyprios - in his last two starts and a reproduction of that form should see him being bang in contention today. Just click on the odds in the below banner to take advantage of the top eight boost.

Listen to Day Four York Ebor Festival Racing Only Bettor Tips...

13:50 York - Back Enfjaar

Previous York form can be a big advantage on the Knavesmire and the upwardly-mobile Enfjaar fits that category having taken the John Smith's Cup only last month, and I fancy him to take the step up to Group 3 company in his stride in the opening 1m 1f Strensall Stakes.

Roger Varian's progressive handicapper took a Chelmsford contest on his seasonal debut in June before convincingly beating a 20-runner field in one of York's marquee handicaps of the season next time.

The four-year-old also shaped by far the best at the weights when second in another competitive affair at Goodwood last time, having to come from a long way back in a race run at just a modest tempo.

Everything about this horse during his handicap phase has screamed that he's a Group performer in waiting and, with that in mind, I'm a little surprised the owner's retained jockey Jim Crowley has deserted him in favour of the three-year-old Alyanaabi, for all that that one has some decent form to his name at a higher level.

Jack Mitchell is a more than able deputy, however, and I'm hoping he can make Crowley regret his decision.

14:25 York - Back Reaching High E/W

The following 1m 6f Melrose Handicap often throws together plenty of progressive staying three-year-olds and this year's renewal looks no different.

The William Haggas-trained Dramatic Star needs to be towards the top of any shortlist, with his profile very much on an upward trajectory prior to things going wrong at Haydock last time.

Having been one of several horses that slipped on the bend there, that meeting was subsequently abandoned and it's very easy to put a line through Dramatic Star's run.

He looks sure to go well, but I prefer the claims of another progressive type, Sir Michael Stoute's Reaching High.

You'll struggle to find a much better staying pedigree on display all day than with this one's, being by Sea The Stars out of the stable's Ascot Gold Cup winner Estimate.

With that pedigree in his locker, it's no surprise whatsoever that he showed improvement stepping up to 1m 6f for the first time at Wolverhampton earlier in the month, coming home a wide-margin winner from a mark of 81.

Reaching High has been bumped up 11lb for that, but with that blue-blooded breeding to call on, even that mark could still underestimate somewhat, and he'll be hard to keep out of the frame.

15:35 York - Back Hipop De Loire each-way

Saturday's feature race is the 1m 6f Ebor Handicap itself and I'm taking Wille Mullins to win it for the second successive year.

Absurde took the race under a vintage Frankie Dettori ride last year and Hipop De Loire won't lack for any assistance from the saddle under the excellent Colin Keane.

I'm no expert, but I'm guessing this could well be the first ex-Polish-trained horse to line up in the Ebor and his form when trained in that country puts him in with a solid chance from a mark of 103.

A listed winner in Germany in 2022, Hipop De Loire also managed fourth place finishes in the German St Leger that year and in 2023.

A recent spin over hurdles at Galway when runner-up in a maiden should have blown away any cobwebs, and it looks significant that Mullins is targeting this race on the back of that.

This is obviously ultra-competitive, though, as you'd expect for the money on offer and there are plenty of threats lurking.

Chief among them could well be Epic Poet, who's run really good races over shorter on his last two starts.

He's yet to try this 1m 6f trip, but his dam stayed it well and there's every chance David O'Meara's charge could find a bit more as his stamina gets drawn out further.

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