Gimcrack Stakes Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Ebor Festival)

Juvenile colts contest one of the oldest races in the calendar over six furlongs at York, a Group 2 with a long history of identifying genuine emerging talent. Our trends guide covers the profile, the draw and the shortlist.
Gimcrack Stakes Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Ebor Festival)
Andy Powell
Andy Powell Content Editor

You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.

2027 Gimcrack Stakes Preview

Established in 1846, the Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 race that takes place on the third day of the York Ebor Festival in August of each year. Open to two-year-old colts and geldings, the race is run over a trip of six furlongs.

The race is named after the horse Gimcrack, who won 27 of his 36 career starts, surprisingly none of which were here at York!

The Middle Park pathway — with a warning
The Gimcrack is the clearest of pointers towards Newmarket's Middle Park Stakes, with eleven of the last nineteen winners to run again heading straight there on their next start. For all that well-worn trail, though, just one of those eleven went on to win the Group 1, most finding the step up in class and grade beyond them. So while the Middle Park is firmly the intended target, history urges real caution about backing a Gimcrack winner to follow up when the six-furlong championship comes around ahead of the next renewal.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

Gimcrack Stakes Information:

To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the York tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at York Racecourse section for links to these.

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How competitive is the Gimcrack Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2009, when the race had an over-round of 110%. The race in 2022 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 122%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Gimcrack Stakes, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £117 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2027 Gimcrack Stakes Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Gimcrack Stakes Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run Gimcrack Stakes races over the last 20 renewals:

  1. Blue Point (1:09.00) in 2016
  2. Showcasing (1:09.28) in 2009
  3. Threat (1:09.62) in 2019

Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Gimcrack Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.92. Ahead of the 2027 Gimcrack Stakes, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?

Over the last 20 renewals, it was Blue Point, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, who set the fastest winning time in the Gimcrack Stakes. That runner won the race in a time of 1:09.00 in 2016. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer James Fanshawe and jockey Jamie Spencer with Sir Gerry who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:14.16 in the 2007 renewal.

Gimcrack Stakes Past Winners

Here are the Gimcrack Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed are the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Gimcrack Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

YearHorse (Drawn)Info
2026
1:12.89
Arapaho Gold (IRE)
2yo 9-2 (5 of 10) 2/1
Connor Beasley
Michael Dods (GB)
2025
1:09.79
Lifeplan (IRE)
2yo 9-2 (6 of 8) 13/2
Zak Wheatley
Declan Carroll (GB)
2024
1:10.78
Cool Hoof Luke (GB)
2yo 9-2 (8 of 10) 8/1
Oisin Murphy
Andrew Balding (GB)
2023
1:09.91
Lake Forest (GB)
2yo 9-2 (10 of 10) 16/1
Tom Marquand
William Haggas (GB)
2022
1:10.51
Noble Style (GB)
2yo 9-2 (12 of 12) 3/1
William Buick
Charlie Appleby (GB)
2021
1:10.13
Lusail (IRE)
2yo 9-3 (7 of 11) 7/2
Pat Dobbs
Richard Hannon (GB)
2020
1:11.21
Minzaal (IRE)
2yo 9-0 (4 of 9) 5/2F
Jim Crowley
Owen Burrows (GB)
2019
1:09.62
Threat (IRE)
2yo 9-0 (6 of 12) 11/10F
Oisin Murphy
Richard Hannon (GB)
2018
1:10.79
Emaraaty Ana (GB)
2yo 9-0 (6 of 9) 5/1
Frankie Dettori
Kevin Ryan (GB)
2017
1:11.16
Sands Of Mali (FR)
2yo 9-0 (4 of 10) 14/1
Paul Hanagan
Richard Fahey (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Gimcrack Stakes have been based:

  • GB: 20 winners with an additional 35 placings from 178 runners
  • IRE: 0 winners with an additional 4 placings from 10 runners
  • USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner

2026 Gimcrack Stakes Replay


Gimcrack Stakes Trainer Statistics

There are two leading trainers in the Gimcrack Stakes over the last 20 renewals, with both Kevin Ryan and William Haggas, who have both won the race three times. Kevin Ryan's winners have been with Blaine (2012), Astaire (2013) and Emaraaty Ana (2018). William Haggas winners have been with Approve (2010), Ajaya (2015) and Lake Forest (2023). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Gimcrack Stakes are Richard Hannon (2 wins) and Charlie Appleby (2 wins). One trainer has not had the best of times in the Gimcrack Stakes; K R Burke has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording a win.

Here are some of the top Gimcrack Stakes trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
Kevin Ryan22-3-7-3.00-4.77
William Haggas11-3-6+19.50+13.30
Richard Hannon7-2-2-0.40-2.24
Charlie Appleby3-2-3+3.38+2.73
Richard Fahey14-1-4+1.00+2.40
Andrew Balding6-1-3+3.00+1.47
Charles Hills6-1-1+2.00-0.80
John Gosden3-1-2+0.00+1.15
Declan Carroll2-1-1+5.50+2.90
Michael Dods2-1-1+1.00+0.20

Gimcrack Stakes Jockey Statistics

There are two leading jockeys in the Gimcrack Stakes over the last 20 renewals, with both Oisin Murphy and William Buick having won the race twice. Oisin Murphy's winners have been with Threat (2019) and Cool Hoof Luke (2024). William Buick winners have been with Blue Point (2016) and Noble Style (2022).

Here are some of the top Gimcrack Stakes jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Oisin Murphy8-2-3+3.10+1.36
William Buick8-2-5-1.62-0.15
Jamie Spencer8-1-2-3.00-2.70
Tom Marquand5-1-2+12.00+6.30
Neil Callan5-1-2+1.00+0.43
Pat Dobbs2-1-1+2.50+1.10
Connor Beasley2-1-2+1.00+8.70
Greg Fairley1-1-1+16.00+9.60
Zak Wheatley1-1-1+6.50+3.90
Ryan Moore8-0-3-8.00-5.53

2027 Gimcrack Stakes Runners & Shortlist

The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Gimcrack Stakes will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.

Gimcrack Stakes Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +28.88, is when runners had 1 career win with the jockey.

❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran over 5f last time out; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-36.

Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:

  • 2026: Winner in 5 (4,1) [10 Runners]
  • 2025: Winner in 6 (7,1) [8 Runners]
  • 2024: Winner in 8 (9,7) [10 Runners]
  • 2023: Winner in 10 (9,2) [10 Runners]
  • 2022: Winner in 12 (9,6) [12 Runners]

The courses that have produced the most winners of the Gimcrack Stakes are Goodwood and Newmarket (July); there have been a total of 5 winners from each of those courses.

Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Gimcrack Stakes:

  • Oasis Dream (3 Wins)
  • Mehmas (2 Wins)
  • Shamardal (2 Wins)

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Gimcrack Stakes despite multiple attempts:

  • Kodiac (0 Wins from 11 runners)
  • Acclamation (0 Wins from 7 runners)
  • Exceed And Excel (0 Wins from 7 runners)
  • Dark Angel (0 Wins from 5 runners)
  • Iffraaj (0 Wins from 5 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Shaweel in 2008, winning for Mark Johnston at odds of 16/1 under the guidance of Greg Fairley. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Gimcrack Stakes, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.

Route to the Gimcrack Stakes

Many trainers target races as preparation for the Gimcrack Stakes. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:

InfoLast Race
2026 - Arapaho Gold
Newbury - 1st of 10 (4/1)
Apple Print & Creative Rose Bowl Stakes
2025 - Lifeplan
Thirsk - 1st of 12 (5/1)
British EBF Novice Stakes
2024 - Cool Hoof Luke
Goodwood - 3rd of 7 (3/1)
Vintage Stakes
2023 - Lake Forest
Newmarket (July) - 4th of 7 (1/3)
British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes
2022 - Noble Style
Newmarket (July) - 1st of 9 (4/7)
Watch Live On Racing TV British EBF Novice Stakes
2021 - Lusail
Newmarket (July) - 1st of 11 (15/2)
July Stakes
2020 - Minzaal
Salisbury - 1st of 10 (1/2)
AJN Steelstock Kentford British EBF Novice Stakes
2019 - Threat
Goodwood - 2nd of 13 (11/8)
Richmond Stakes
2018 - Emaraaty Ana
Newbury - 3rd of 5 (15/8)
Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Rose Bowl Stakes
2017 - Sands Of Mali
Nottingham - 1st of 7 (5/1)
myracing.com EBF Novice Stakes

Other Principal races during the York Ebor Festival

Remember to head over to the York predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters support in the Gimcrack Stakes. Below are the other principal races that we cover during the Ebor Festival, with links to each race blog and information for last year's winners.

Wednesday at the Ebor Festival

The highlight of the opening day of the Ebor Festival is the Juddmonte International, a Group 1 race with a purse of £1.25 million, which is part of the British Champion Series.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:50 York
Ebor HKJC World Pool Handicap
Air Force One (IRE)
5yo - 13/2
Geoff Oldroyd
P J McDonald
14:25 York
Acomb Stakes
Haffner (USA)
2yo - 11/8
A P O'Brien
Ryan Moore
15:00 York
Great Voltigeur Stakes
Maltese Cross (FR)
3yo - 9/4
William Haggas
Tom Marquand
15:35 York
Juddmonte International Stakes
Item (GB)
3yo - 10/1
Andrew Balding
Colin Keane
16:10 York
Ebor Stayers Heritage Handicap
Small Fry (IRE)
5yo - 2/1
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
Dylan Browne McMonagle

Thursday at the Ebor Festival

The fillies and mares take centre stage on Thursday at the festival in the Yorkshire Oaks, another Group 1 which is part of the British Champion Series.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:50 York
Lowther Stakes
Libertango (IRE)
2yo - 3/1
George Boughey
Billy Loughnane
14:25 York
Harrys Half Million By Goffs
Sun Goddess (IRE)
2yo - 1/1
A P O'Brien
Ryan Moore
15:00 York
Clipper Handicap
The Lost King (GB)
4yo - 7/1
Andrew Balding
Oisin Murphy
15:35 York
Yorkshire Oaks
Kalpana (GB)
5yo - 10/11
Andrew Balding
Colin Keane
16:10 York
Galtres Stakes
Prizeland (GB)
3yo - 11/1
Andrew Balding
Oisin Murphy
17:20 York
Ebor Fillies Heritage Handicap
Machadadorp (GB)
3yo - 9/1
Andrew Balding
Oisin Murphy

Friday at the Ebor Festival

The British Champion Series race for Friday at the Ebor Festival is the 500k Nunthorpe over the sprint distance of five furlongs. The Lonsdale Cup is also part of the British Champion Series on Friday.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:50 York
Ebor Mile Heritage Handicap
Blue Courvoisier (GB)
3yo - 13/2
Clive Cox
Rossa Ryan
14:25 York
Lonsdale Cup
Al Nayyir (GB)
8yo - 9/1
Tom Clover
William Buick
15:00 York
Gimcrack Stakes
Arapaho Gold (IRE)
2yo - 2/1
Michael Dods
Connor Beasley
15:35 York
Nunthorpe Stakes
Bacio (USA)
3yo - 3/1
Wesley A Ward
Juan J Hernandez
16:10 York
Ebor Middle Distance Heritage Handicap
Plage De Havre (GB)
5yo - 11/2
Andrew Balding
P J McDonald

Saturday at the Ebor Festival

The highlight on the final day of the Ebor Festival is the Ebor Handicap itself, a stamina-testing class two handicap which carries a purse of 500k.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:50 York
Strensall Stakes
Archivist (GB)
4yo - 9/1
Hamad Al Jehani
Callum Rodriguez
14:25 York
Melrose Heritage Handicap
Infraad (IRE)
3yo - 100/30
William Haggas
Tom Marquand
15:00 York
City of York Stakes
Notable Speech (GB)
5yo - 9/4
Charlie Appleby
William Buick
15:35 York
Ebor Handicap
Daiquiri Bay (GB)
4yo - 10/1
Alan King
Rossa Ryan
16:45 York
Roses Stakes
Sale Shark (IRE)
2yo - 17/2
Hugo Palmer
Oisin Murphy
17:20 York
Ebor Finale Heritage Handicap
Raammee (GB)
4yo - 13/8
Roger Varian
Ray Dawson

Article Contributor Information

We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Gimcrack Stakes Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for Flat racing.

James Banting

James Banting

Content Editor

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Association provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Content Editor

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for flat racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful flat racing blogs for OLBG.

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