A SUNNY 2025 YORK RACECOURSE SEASON CONCLUDES

York Racecourse concluded its 2025 season on Saturday after a busy, positive, year which meant the RCA Racecourse of the Year witnessed some of the best horses and jockeys in the world, competing over 18 racedays of world-class racing action.

A record investment by the York Race Committee of more than £12m million (+£750k on 2024) was rewarded with both a tremendous year on the track and a healthy number of horses racing at York across the season. A record total of 1,580 (+3.5%) horses competed for the 125 races equating to an average field size of 12.6 likely to be among the highest in British flat racing.

York racegoers have witnessed some of the very best racehorses and jockeys in the world, with an impressive seventeen Group One winners from the wider 2025 season watched by racegoers at York. Whether it was from the second day of the season back in May when American Affair began a journey to Royal Ascot glory for trainer Jim Goldie. Or perhaps, Asfoora landing an early blow in the sporting rivalry between England and Australia when winning the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe for her Victoria based connections. The likes of Trawlerman, Ombudsman (winner of the Longines World’s Best Race - the Juddmonte International) and Never So Brave (winner of the first ever Group One staging of the Sky Bet City of York Stakes) all carry strong Knavesmire runs into QIPCO British Champions Day next weekend. The York form is likely to be taken to the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, California - where the fascinating prospect of Sky Bet Ebor winner, Ethical Diamond, representing Willie Mullins has been tabled.

A final day crowd of 22,265 (+6% on 2024) for the last raceday of the season demonstrates the appetite for the combination of top-class sport in world-class facilities, presented by a welcoming team. Following on from the highest number of school visits on racedays earlier in the season, as part of the Racing to School initiative, Saturday’s attendance included 5,500 university students as part of the ongoing initiative to introduce the next generation of racegoers.

Total annual attendance in 2025 was 289,917 (+12%), with fourteen of seventeen days increasing, plus a bumper new fixture in June.

The four fantastic days of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival included two visits by Royal Patron, Her Majesty The Queen on Sky Bet Ebor Day. The commitment of York Racecourse to be Net Zero by 2040 is set out in its environmental sustainability strategy, Green Knavesmire 300. As part of the biodiversity strand, Her Majesty was gifted the first jar of Knavesmire Nectar, a honey produced at the course after the bees enjoyed the RHS pollinator flowers that are displayed around the stands.

York has an extensive community and charitable programme headed up by Macmillan Charity Raceday held every June, which added an impressive £458,000 to take the cumulative amount raised to well over £11m, cementing its position as the biggest charity raceday in British racing and Macmillan’s biggest single fundraising event. In addition to this, York has important partnerships with racing charities Racing Welfare and New Beginnings with, of course, our award-winning equine ambassador, Goldream who visited more schools, hospices and racedays in his role than ever before.

In addition, we have three local community partnerships with Move The Masses, Collective Sharehouse and Clifton Green School which has included visits, shared expertise and financial support. The success for Ethical Diamond in the Sky Bet Ebor for Willie Mullins meant that M.A.S.H. a military veterans charity from the East Riding were the winning charity in the Sky Bet Ebor Community Sweepstake, receiving a donation of £20,000.

Showing the variety of its customer offer, York again played host to the biggest racing+music concerts in the sport, with Olly Murs, Ronan Keating, Natasha Bedingfield and Sophie Ellis Bextor all giving upbeat performances alongside high-quality sport at the mid-summer racedays.

Racegoer experiences included the 360-degree selfie camera for those Insta moments, as well as trips to the starts, tours of the weighing room, two welcome bands each day, three parachute display jumps, tribute artists, family attractions and a Countryside Market.

William Haggas trained runners took three of the races on the final day meaning that the Somerville Lodge team came up on the rails to edge past the Park House Stables team of Andrew Balding; a final score of 13-12 to the Newmarket operation. The victors can enjoy the £2,500 prize as well as a Christmas Party for forty in December, with the trainer receiving a pair of Charles Clinkard shoes from the sponsor. A wonderful perpetual Skeaping bronze will grace the Haggas mantelpiece, as well as that of jockey Tom Marquand, after the conclusion of the season-long contest to be top rider at York saw him win the Living North-sponsored contest, with nine victories. Riding three winners on Saturday, he pipped both Oisin Murphy and William Buick on the basis of having more second placed finishes.

Head Gardener Zac Rafferty helped secure an RHS Yorkshire in Bloom Gold award for his floral displays, also creating a fabulous living flower wall for those selfies. The Bustardthorpe End Development was welcomed by racegoers in its first full season and recognised by judges as the Winner of both the York Design Awards – Sustainability Category and the LABC Non-Residential Best New Build for the Yorkshire Region; plus, finalist status in Stadium Business Design & Development Awards.

William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at York Racecourse said, “What an amazing season of racing action we have enjoyed at York in 2025. Record prize money and our facilities and fantastic team, blessed with sunshine, have attracted some of the best horses in the world to the Knavesmire for us all to enjoy. To attract international runners from Australia, Japan and France is a tribute to the vision of the York Race Committee to invest £12m in prize money, as well as to the hard work of all the team. To stage both the Longines World’s Best Race and the first running of the Group One Sky Bet City Of York Stakes within four days of each other was very special. We are very grateful for the wonderful support of connections, near and far, in bringing their fabulous horses to race at York, for us all to enjoy.

“The Royal visits are a further indication of the scale of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival and the role it has it the sporting, social and economic life of our home county.

“The 2025 season has once again been characterised by a sense of fun thanks to the unstinting support of racegoers, connections and the wider team. The York Race Committee and I are hugely grateful and appreciative of the wonderful support everyone has shown to York.”

“It will be another busy winter; however, we very much look forward to racing returning to York on 13 May 2026.”