A Memorable Sky Bet Ebor Festival Draws to a Conclusion

The four fantastic days of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival came to a close on Saturday 22 August, when some bright weather helped draw a crowd approaching 27,000 to the Knavesmire.

Earlier in the week the venue was honoured to welcome Her Majesty The Queen, as Royal Patron. Her Majesty graciously presented the trophy for the richest race ever run at York, the £1.5 million Juddmonte International. It was received by the Juddmonte as their colt, Item, was the victor. They also collected the feature race of Thursday courtesy of Kalpana in the Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks.

On Friday, a horse travelled from Florida to win the fastest race of the year, with Bacio storming home in the Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe before his rider continued a theme of travelling at speed, to dash back to the States to ride in California on Saturday.

Continuing the international sporting theme, Satono Reve came from Tokyo to run in the Group One Sky Bet City of York Stakes, delivering a creditable run in behind Notable Speech, who added a sixth top drawer title to his glittering CV.

On the final afternoon, the connections of Daiquiri Bay the winning horse in the £500,000 Sky Bet Ebor collected the prize. This success, meant that Help 4 Homeless Veterans were the winning charity in the Sky Bet Ebor Community Sweepstake, receiving a donation of £20,000 towards their good work.

Racegoers supported the festival in even greater numbers than last year, meaning an overall 3% rise in attendance, which is a tribute to them as the opening two days saw a return of more typical Yorkshire summer with some disheartening rain.

A record investment in prize money approaching £7.5m across the Ebor Festival delivered fantastic racing action with an increase in runners, to a record 459 declared, making an average field size of over 16.

Commenting on the Sky Bet Ebor Festival, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course William Derby said; “A memorable four days saw some twenty-five horses that had already won a Group On race compete for record prize money in front of a knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd. Of course, a highlight was the visit of our Royal Patron who spent time with the unsung heroes who delivered the wider festival. Everyone at York can look back with huge pride on four days where world class racing and an investment in the racegoer experience contributed to a fabulous atmosphere. I would like to thank everyone who supported the meeting and made for such a wonderful occasion, as the economic backdrop remains a challenge in many households. By Friday afternoon, even the rain abated, meaning racegoers could enjoy the sport as well as everything else the Sky Bet Ebor Festival had to offer. It remains greatly to the credit of the York Race Committee that they took a long-term view to invest all data and betting related media rights, including from World Pool, back into prize money. We hope everyone enjoyed the centrepiece of our season, whether they were here in person or following from afar.”