Sky Bet Ebor Festival tips: Three best bets for day one at York

Race:Sky Bet and Symphony Group Handicap - 1.50pm

Best odds: 18-1.

Kevin Ryan's charge is worth chancing at chunky odds here in what looks a tricky puzzle for punters to solve.

The five-year-old showed a good attitude when making most of the running to win this race 12 months ago and was not beaten far off a rating of 98 in the Ayr Gold Cup after that victory.

Although his efforts since have been underwhelming, he has had excuses on each occasion. His first two starts this year were both after lengthy absences (he also missed the break badly on his penultimate outing) and while the going was described as 'good' as Ascot when he disappointed again last time out, it wouldn't have been to his liking given it was drying, tacky ground.

Bergerac relishes fast ground and now finds himself on a rating of 90, so is certainly handicapped to strike again. His handler has also won this race three times in the past ten years and Bergerac is his sole representative this year.

A bounce back is needed, and there are others in this contest who like to get on with things, which is a concern for this front runner, but it would be a surprise if this race hasn't been the plan for some time, and the selection will have his optimum conditions on Wednesday.

Best odds: 5-1.

I highlighted Designer as an eye-catcher following her luckless effort at the Qatar Goodwood Festival when last seen where she was denied a clear run plus suffered traffic problems before staying on strongly.

She would have almost certainly finished second at least if granted a clear run at Goodwood, especially as she clocked the same time as the impressive winner in the final furlong, according to the Course Track sectionals, and that effort was a return to form.

John Butler's filly won this race in fine style 12 months ago off a rating of 87 and although she now finds herself on a 5lb higher mark, she ran respectably in a Listed race against higher-rated rivals last year plus also finished second in a handicap off a rating of 97.

I expect she has been campaigned with a repeat bid in mind all season and William Buick is a positive jockey booking, so it will be disappointing if his mount cannot go close again.

Best odds: 6-1.

Tony Martin's runners in Britain are always worth close inspection, and the Irish handler is four from 21 with his runners on the Knavesmire, while Martin's two previous runners in this race finished first and third.

It is therefore eye-catching that Martin has decided to target Zanndabad at this year's renewal, especially as he's also booked the services of Ryan Moore, and the selection caught the eye when not given a hard time on his return to action at the Curragh in May.

He had shaped with promise on two of his first three outings over hurdles in Ireland prior to that, and has a similar profile to the late Heartbreak City who won this race in 2015 before winning the Ebor the following year.

Zanndabad was purchased for €240,000 by his new connections (he was previously owned by the Aga Khan) and finished third in a couple of Listed contests when trained in France. The majority of his form in France is hard to assess, but his expensive price tag suggests his connections believe he's capable of making his mark in races such as this.

Any further market confidence would also boost confidence.