Key Points
- Today’s betting tip is dangerously handicapped
- He has a fantastic draw, which is often crucial here
- This horse performs well for his top jockey
Yesterday we had Connie’s Rose run into the money at 8/1, making it a profitable day and a great start to the week. We had nice value secured as well, as she was sent off at just 5/1.
As the resident horse racing expert here at Betting.co.uk, I produce multiple
horse racing tips
for you every week. I typically produce one free betting tip per day here, and the rest can be found in my Discord channel (details at the bottom of the article). The exception is Saturdays where I put up a Lucky 15 as well.
Besides that you’ll find monthly horses and trainers to follow, big race trends and educational guides. Speaking of the latter, I’d recommend gaining an understanding of
the UK Handicap System
and taking note of
the impact of track bias
ahead of this week’s racing.
For today's tip we head to York for Day 1 of the Ebor Festival, and I have found one I really like at a huge price of 18/1.
Betting advice
- 13:50 York -
Apollo One
@ 18/1 (6 places) -
0.5pt Each Way
bet365 has the best odds and place terms!
At the time of writing, bet365 has the
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with a generous price of 18/1! Speaking of generosity, they are also paying six places rather than the usual five! The value doesn’t stop there either, as they have a great new customer sign up offer. If you sign up and bet £10, you’ll get £30 in free bets!
No better deal out there right now!
Apollo One could cause an upset at a big price!
The Man has been hammered into favourite and it’s easy to see the case for him. However, I’ve decided to venture further down the market in search of value and landed on Apollo One at 18/1. In this article, I’ll explain my reasons for choosing him.
Apollo One is dangerously handicapped
At his peak in October 2024, Apollo One was a Group 3 winner who landed the Bengough Stakes at Ascot. Although that was his last win, he has produced many creditable efforts in defeat since.
In September last year Apollo One ran a fast-finishing second in the Portland Handicap over 5.5f at Doncaster, which is very similar to today’s contest in terms of track and trip. That was off a mark of 102, and he’s now rated 11lb lower at 91. Then in October, he was close to winning the Group 3 Bengough Stakes, but was denied a clear run. Despite that, Annaf only beat him by a short head.
In November 2025 he came second to Royal Zabeel off level weights in a Listed contest at Southwell. That horse has since gone on to win Handicaps of 101 and 104, so that form looks particularly strong.
Apollo One has a fantastic draw, which is often crucial here
We won’t know for certain until the meeting starts, but it is usually the case that horses with low draws dominate the Sprint races at York. From those favoured positions they are able to race on the favoured far side rail. But as this is the first race of the meeting, we won’t have a chance to assess the lay of the land so we are gambling on that being the case again.
With that in mind, Apollo One has landed a lovely draw in stall six. In stark contrast, I tipped Trefor to win the Sprint Series Final Handicap at Windsor last time, and he would have interested me here too, but I lost interest in him when I saw that had drawn stall 20, which is a tough task here at York!
Apollo One is eight years old now and his best days may well be behind him. However, he has shown us that he still retains plenty of ability, as proven by his efforts in the latter part of 2025. As an example, he ran to 108 behind Royal Zabeel last November and now he is only rated 91, which makes him very dangerous.
As his 5/51 record suggests, Apollo One is not the easiest to win with and his jockey could be crucial. But the good news is that his connections have chosen Colin Keane today and I like this booking a lot. Colin has ridden Apollo One twice before and clearly gets a great tune out of him, having finished a close second on both occasions. The races were the aforementioned Portland Handicap and Golden Rose Stakes (Listed).
You can make a very strong case for Apollo One. He is dangerously handicapped, has strong form from the tail end of 2025, and with Colin Keane in the saddle, he could be a real force to be reckoned with. He looked to receive tentative handling from Daniel Tudhope last time, and this £135,000 race is worth laying one out for, this may well have been the intended plan all along.
In terms of negatives, he is eight years old now and he hasn’t
won
a race since October 2024 (despite some very close places). His overall record of 5/51, with 3/39 on Turf, is uninspiring. There is also a chance he is simply regressing as he gets older, and he’ll continue to underperform.
I agree with the market here, The Man is the one to beat, but at 18/1, with six places on offer, I’m certainly willing to take a chance on Apollo One. If he puts his best foot forward, he has the ability to win this race, or at the very least outrun his odds. That said, given the risks attached, it’s just half stakes today.
Would you like some free bets for the Ebor Festival?
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betting offers for horse racing
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