Record Prize Money in 2007
All-time high prize money of almost £840,000 will be on offer at York’s traditional three-day May Festival next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (May 16, 17 & 18) which launches the 2007 season on the Knavesmire. In addition, a record number of racegoers have booked in advance for the high-quality meeting which includes a seven-race programme each day beginning at 1-45 p.m. (gates open at 11-15 a.m.)
The quality action on the track is certain to provide informative clues to the big races coming up in the UK and Europe, with a future Classic winner emerging from this Festival in each of the last three years – North Light, Motivator and Alexandrova. It’s an opportunity for the top horses and riders to establish their credentials for the season ahead, and in the process, provides a star-studded start to York’s 16-day campaign.
The Tattersalls Musidora Stakes and The Duke Of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes are Wednesday’s pair of Group races. Top class three-year-old fillies line-up for the Group 3 Musidora Stakes – a leading trial for the Oaks next month – and supported for the 22nd year by Tattersalls, Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers. Regular York sponsors, Hearthstead Homes, the Leeds-based housebuilders with developments throughout Yorkshire, support the £100,000 Duke of York Stakes for the fifth year. This Group 2 race over six furlongs should attract the best sprinters in the business, including local hero, Amadeus Wolf.
Leading online bookmakers, Blue Square, return for the second year to support a trio of races on the opening afternoon including The Blue Square Exclusive Live Show Prices Stakes, a Handicap race for three-year-olds over seven furlongs which should produce a competitive contest, while the opening race is The Sixty Years Of Timeform Stakes, a valuable Handicap over the extended mile and a quarter, part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the renowned form specialists, the Timeform Organisation of Halifax. Popular music impresario, Chris Wright CBE, is the subject of the last race on Wednesday, The Chris Wright ‘Still Not Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll Stakes, a middle-distance Handicap for three-year-olds.
Britain’s most famous and informative Derby trial, The totesport.com Dante Stakes (Group 2), takes pride of place on Thursday, supported for the fifth year by totesport – the biggest commercial sponsor in British racing. Now boasting record prize money of £150,000, The totesport Dante Stakes is also the richest of the Derby trials, and in recent years has had an excellent pedigree in attracting leading horses who found subsequent success at Epsom.
Thursday’s programme also includes The totesport.com Handicap Stakes for sprinters, The totepool Middleton Stakes (a Group 3 race for fillies and mares won last year by Strawberry Dale, trained at Middleham by James Bethell), The Bank Of Scotland Corporate Hambleton Stakes (a Handicap and Listed contest held over one mile), The Constant Security EBF Maiden Stakes for two-year-olds, while the longest race of the meeting, The Robert Pratt Memorial Stakes – a Handicap contest over two and a quarter miles – commemorates a much-missed Yorkshire racing journalist who passed away last year.
The Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup takes pride of place on Friday, with leading horses over the longer distances competing in this Group 2 race which offers prize money of £140,000. One mile and three-quarters is the distance in this year’s renewal of the Yorkshire Cup, which is sponsored for the fifth time by Emirates Airline. The winner could well return to York in August for The Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup perhaps having landed the Gold Cup at Ascot. With a hat-trick of major wins at York to his credit, Sergeant Cecil could be in line for more success.
There’s a couple of Listed races for fillies on Friday; three-year-olds are catered for in The Michael Seely Memorial Fillies’ Stakes, while juvenile fillies are in the spotlight in the opening race, The Langley’s Solicitors EBF Marygate Stakes, a great form indicator for The Jaguar Lowther Stakes in August. A new £50,000 Heritage Handicap over one mile and a half, The Reland Jorvik Stakes, sees the sponsorship debut of Reland – major commercial property developers while three-year-old sprinters are put through their paces in The Axis Intermodal Stakes, a Handicap contest over five furlongs which has also attracted a new sponsor in Axis Intermodal, the global transport and logistics group. Completing the final day’s highlights are The Sporting Index Stakes (a Handicap race for sprinters over six furlongs) and The ripleycollection.com Stakes, a Handicap contest over one mile and a half supported once again by the Yorkshire-based jewellery company, who will have their products on display at the meeting.
Malton trainer, Richard Fahey, will be hoping to retain his title as the leading trainer at York. He secured The Minster Jaguar Trophy with seven winners during the last campaign on the Knavesmire. Ten winners were enough for Frankie Dettori to clinch the award for York’s top jockey of 2006, which this year is supported by Revolution, a new café bar in the city.
The popular totesport ‘Punters’ Panel will preview to the action on each day from the winners’ podium, while a trio of giant screens will provide racegoers with an even closer view of proceedings on the track.
It promises to be a great start to the season.
