William looks the one to beat in the Ebor - but Willie (and Frankie) are out to spoil the party

Clear at the head of the Sky Bet Ebor market is Sweet William, a horse who would be a very different sort of Ebor winner. That feels entirely appropriate because this is a very different sort of Ebor.

Horses with Sweet William's profile tend not to win Britain's most valuable handicap. They seldom tend to win anything. As a juvenile, Philippa Cooper's homebred son of Sea The Stars suffered a tibia fracture so serious that seven screws had to be inserted into his broken leg. Following a lengthy period of box rest, the unraced youngster then had four of those screws removed prior to a period of further rest and then rehabilitation. It wasn't a promising start.

Now, however, he is here, seeking a four-timer and very much the one to beat in the £500,000 contest that gives the Ebor festival its name. Since the barring of three-year-olds, it is a race that tends to attract line-ups of relatively exposed handicappers. An animal like Sweet William with only six starts on his CV bucks the trend, yet his presence is reflective of the Ebor's unusual nature this season.