MAY FESTIVAL PROVIDES QUALITY START TO YORK’S SEASON
06/05/2008
York is the focus of attention in the sporting world next week, as the traditional three-day May Festival provides the perfect start to the 2008 season on the famous Knavesmire (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 14, 15 & 16 ); it will be rapidly followed by the Spring Family Meeting at the end of the month (Friday May 30th and Saturday May 31st).
The seven race programme each day begins at 1-40 p.m. (gates open at 11-15 a.m.) and with overall prize money of £835,000 the meeting is sure to attract the very best equine talent and Europe’s leading riders, as they stake their claims for Classic and further big race glory this season.
The action on Wednesday includes a pair of Group races, The Tattersalls Musidora Stakes and The Duke Of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes. Leading three-year-old fillies are catered for in the Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora – a leading trial for next month’s Classic, The Juddmonte Oaks – and supported for the 23rd year by Tattersalls, Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers. Leeds-based national house builders, Hearthstead Homes, return to sponsor the £100,000 Duke Of York Stakes for the sixth year. This Group 2 race over six furlongs should attract the very best sprinters; last year’s winner was Amadeus Wolf, trained at Hambleton near Thirsk by Kevin Ryan.
Leading on-line bookmakers, Blue Square return for the third year to support three races on the opening afternoon celebrating their links to football they include a valuable handicap race for three-year-olds, The Blue Square Goes To Wembley Stakes. Stratford Place Stud in Gloucestershire, owned by popular music impresario, Chris Wright CBE, also supports a handicap contest for three-year-olds.
The season opens with a handicap over the same trip as the Tattersalls Musidora and is being supported by William Birch and Sons, the construction firm who have been the principal contractor on the successfully completed project to restore the Ebor Stand to full health after the fire last July.
Britain’s most famous and informative Derby trial, The totesport Dante Stakes heads an impressive card on Thursday. Supported for the sixth year by totesport – the biggest commercial sponsor in British racing - this Group 2 contest with prize money of £150,000 boasts some illustrious winners, including last year’s hero, Authorized, ridden by Frankie Dettori. The combination went on to claim The Vodafone Derby at Epsom and returned to the Knavesmire in glory last August to win York’s most valuable race ever, the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes. Last month’s Craven Stakes winner at Newmarket, Twice Over, the ante-post favourite for the Derby, is expected to be in the line-up for trainer, Henry Cecil.
Also featured on Thursday is The totepool Middleton Stakes (a Group 3 race for fillies and mares), The Bank Of Scotland Corporate Hambleton Stakes (a Handicap and Listed contest over one mile), The Constant Security EBF Maiden Stakes for two-year-olds, while stayers take part in the longest race of the meeting, The therripleycollection.com Stakes –a Handicap contested over two and quarter miles; that will make use of the north bend added as part of Royal Ascot at York..
The Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup is the big race on Friday, with leading stayers competing for this Group 2 contest over one mile and three-quarters offering prize money of £140,000. Sponsored for the sixth time by the award-winning Emirates Airline, the Yorkshire Cup has a superb pedigree in producing top-class stayers which have competed in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot before returning to take part in The Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup at the Ebor Festival in August.
A pair of Listed races for fillies are also worth noting on Friday; two-year-olds take part in The Langleys Solicitors EBF Marygate Stakes, while The Michael Seely Memorial Stakes is a contest for three-year-olds; once again the winners are likely to prove prominent at future famous racing festivals. The second running of The Reland Jorvik Stakes, a £50,000 Heritage Handicap over one mile and a half, sees the return of commercial property developers, Reland, while three-year-old sprinters are put through their paces in The Axis Intermodal Stakes, a handicap contest over five furlongs, sponsored for the second year by Axis Intermodal, the global transport and logistics group. Completing the final day are a handicap race for sprinters over six furlongs and The Phil Benest Stakes for three-year-olds over one mile and a half.
Malton trainer, Richard Fahey recorded seven winners at York last year to retain The Minster Jaguar Trophy and the UK’s joint champion jockey, Jamie Spencer was the leading rider at York with nine winners, he will be keen to keep the title in the Global Live sponsored contest.
The opening day will see a presentation to Kevin Darley, the former champion jockey who is experiencing his first May Festival in a new role with the Professional Jockey’s Association following retirement from the saddle, on behalf of Go Racing in Yorkshire.
The totesport ‘Punters’ Panel’ will preview the action each day from the winners’ enclosure, while a trio of giant screens will provide racegoers with an even closer view of proceedings on the track.
