With record prize money of over £3.5 million, the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival looks set to attract the very best of thoroughbreds from Britain, Ireland, Europe and, for the first time, North America, to the Knavesmire for York’s flagship meeting, over four spectacular days of racing action from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd August. The stellar racing action forms the centerpiece of a meeting brimming with top quality Yorkshire food, fashion and hospitality.
The richest race ever staged at York will be the Group One Juddmonte International, the £800,000 showpiece of the opening day when Australia, the impressive English and Irish Derby winner from the powerful Ballydoyle stable of Aidan O’Brien, looks set to take on The Grey Gatsby, the winner of the Betfred Dante and French Derby, from his own generation and a host of world – class older horses who have dominated the global middle distance category round the world. Locally trained by Kevin Ryan, The Grey Gatsby, instantly identifiable by name and nature, is hoping to become the first Yorkshire horse to win this prestigious contest.
On all four days, standside racegoers will be able to visit the Ebor Fashion Lawn, set in the picturesque surroundings of the former pre parade ring. Exquisitely designed by Rebecca Marriott, whose credits include The Isle of Wight Festival and press launches for Illamasqua, it comes complete with a catwalk encased in climbing white roses and lit by lanterns. A panel of judges will cast an expert eye over the preparations and purchases before them, ready to decide the winner of the “Best Dressed Racegoer" and that is said with care, as it could be one of the boys! The daily winner on Ladies Day (Thursday 21 August) will also be crowned ‘Best Dressed Festival Racegoer’, and will win a short break for two to the Marriott Hotel in Dubai. With special prizes for best dressed children and Yvette Jelfs hats on offer for the smartest headgear of each day, it promises to bring a little vintage magic to the fashion that has always been part of the festival.
Appropriately for Ladies Day on Thursday, the action on the track will see the best fillies and mares come to York. The star filly of the season, Taghrooda, will be hoping to add the Group One Darley Yorkshire Oaks to her Epsom Oaks and King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes triumphs. Regular rider, Paul Hanagan, is a former champion jockey, both nationally and on the Knavesmire, so the prospect of Group One success is speeding his race to recover from injury.
In terms of juvenile fillies, Thursday’s £150,000 Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes looks set to attract top quality two year olds including previous York winner, Patience Alexander , who could re-oppose Richard Hannon’s, Tiggy Wiggy.
The fastest and possibly most fascinating race of the week looks set to be Friday’s Group One Coolmore Nunthorpe when a field of twenty will hurtle down the five furlong straight seeking to settle the debate about who is the top sprinter in the country, as well as claiming the majority of the £265,000 prize money. It might be Europe’s leading sprinter over the minimum distance, Sole Power, who is likely to be shorter than the 100-1 odds when he won this race four years ago. A fascinating entry is Wesley Ward’s Undrafted, who is bidding to be the first US based horse to win the race. Owned by Wes Welker, who is the star wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, the race looks set to shape up as a clash of sporting celebrities with both Moviesta, owned by Harry Redknapp, and Hoof It, part owned by Lee Westwood, joining the who’s who of the sprinting division.
From sprinters to stayers, Friday’s £150,000 Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Lonsdale Cup over the two miles looks set for a return of Her Majesty The Queen’s Gold Cup winning filly, Estimate, in another race which will help define the champions of this season.
York continues to invest in facilities and work continues apace on the £10m Northern End Development that is transforming this section of the racecourse for horses, horsemen and racegoers. The new pre-parade ring, wash down area and veterinary facilities were introduced to great acclaim in May 2014. Winning connections of the 25 races during the meeting will be able to celebrate in the newly opened rotunda building, a fabulous space in an unrivalled location. Work continues on the new two storey weighing room building adjacent to the pre-parade ring and with the roof, walls and windows now complete; the spectacular nature of this landmark building is starting to be revealed, ahead of its opening in May 2015. Bookings for the fine dining Parade Ring Restaurant on the first floor of the future Weighing Room are already being taken for the 2015 festival racedays.
There is horsepower of a different nature on display on the Weighing Room Lawn as the latest Maserati will be on show courtesy of JCT600, who are sponsoring the top jockey title at York. A reported six vehicles have already been sold to racegoers so far this season. Expect to see a host of world class jockeys competing for top honours at York, the field is currently led by Danny Tudhope on countback from Andrea Atzeni, though former champion Ryan Moore is just one behind, all three have some strong chances to add to their tally.
The global nature of the top quality competition is reflected with the three Group Ones all being part of the Breeders Cup Challenge Series and the Juddmonte International and Darley Yorkshire Oaks attracting huge bonuses for the winner to go to race in Japan. The Emirates Melbourne Cup will be on display on the Friday.
The three Group Ones and the Group Two Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Lonsdale Cup form part of the British Champions Series which culminates at the richest day of racing in this country, Qipco British Champions Day on Saturday 18 October. Additionally, for the first time, winning and placed connections of Thursday’s £50,000 Clipper Logistics Stakes over a mile qualify for the new £250,000 Balmoral Handicap on the championship day hosted for the sport at Ascot. The support of Qipco is prevalent on all four days; with the BCS racemakers in attendance to help guide less experienced visitors around the racecourse and share their knowledge. Moreover, as the final race of the Festival will once again be the £40,000 Qipco Future Stars Apprentice Race. Part of a three race initiative which started at Glorious Goodwood and ends at Newmarket in the autumn, it intends to focus on the rising talents in the jockey ranks.
All races at the Festival will have speed tracking equipment attached to runners to allow an instant relay of speed and position information to racegoers on the four giant screens around the course. In addition, the Official Race Times will be displayed as they happen on a large digital stopwatch positioned by the winning post.
Saturday’s race programme sees York’s most famous and fiercely contested race, the Betfred Ebor. The richest flat handicap in Europe at £265,000 looks set to be a thriller with Sir Mark Prescott’s, Pallasator, looking to land another nationwide gamble. The £200,000 Group 2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes is the richest race of its type, so is another landmark juvenile contest. Fascinating entries abound for this race steeped in history and prestige including the US trained, Royal Ascot winner, Hootenanny.
Broadcast partners Channel 4 Racing, Racing UK, TurfTV and GBI Racing will be covering the action and transmitting the event to over 80 countries around the world. Clare Balding will front the four days of Channel 4 coverage which will include a fascinating “Graham Bell Ski Sunday” style course ride by former top jockey John Reid. Racing UK has deployed an aerial drone camera to capture fascinating images of the track from above. Leading jump jockey, Ruby Walsh, will offer an insight as he joins Racing UK’s presenting team on Thursday in a week with more cameras and press accreditation than ever before.
Away from the track, a brigade of some 80 chefs, backed by a wider raceday team of over two thousand staff, will provide the welcome, services and treats that come with a major sporting event. Seafood will be delivered from the Yorkshire coast every morning including 2,000 crab, joining Dales lamb and 3,000 homemade beefburgers, Hawes cheeses, 6,000 fresh baked fruit scones and locally made diary ice cream on the various menus. In celebration of that local food connection, Royal Opera House set designer, Caitlin Jones, will create a sculpture made from fresh food. Past creations have included a horse, jockey and even a bicycle, details of one of the most photographed aspects of the week will be revealed nearer to the day.
Whether it is to show off their fashion or send pictures of the ice sculptures and chocolate fountains in the main restaurants, or simply to capture the feel good factor, racegoers will be able to use the free Wi-Fi service installed at the track this year by local tech firm, York Data Services.
Those seeking musical entertainment will have their choice, as Yorkshire brass bands and jazz bands perform on the weighing room lawn and Murphies Marbles play their own blend of Irish foot stomping, good time tunes. In a new initiative this season, up and coming local bands will play on into the evening as racegoers have a chance to enjoy their bottle of Mercier champagne for £31.50.
William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course concluded, “The Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival is simply the highlight of our year. With the new development, the record investment in prize money, the stellar entries and all the new initiatives and innovations, this year looks set to be a landmark event of top quality racing action as well as a tremendous social and fashion event. I very much hope racegoers, punters and viewers will enjoy the feast on offer.”