Action for the 2025 season at York Racecourse gets underway with the three-day Dante Festival with record prize money of over £1.5m starting on Wednesday 14 May. 

The winners of all four Group Two races at the 2024 Dante Festival each went on to be Group One victors by Christmas. As running plans firm up, who might follow; Mill Stream - 1895 Duke of York Clipper Logistics & July Cup, Bluestocking - Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Middleton & Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Economics- Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante & Irish Champions Stakes , Giavellotto- Boodles Yorkshire Cup & Hong Kong Vase.

It will set the tone for a record investment across the season of more than £12m in prize money, up 36% since 2019 when the track last staged eighteen racedays. When compared to the seventeen days of racing in 2024, the increase is over £800,000.  This investment in the race programme saw a record number of runners at York in 2024 with the highest average field size of any racecourse in Britain.

York Racecourse and Juddmonte are proud that the feature Group One of the season was rated as the Longines World’s Best Race in 2024, the record investment of £1,250,000 for this flagship race remains in place. The other established Group One races at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival in August will both be increased in value by 20%. Each of the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks and Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes will have a £600,000 purse.

York Racecourse is delighted that the investment in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes has been rewarded with an upgrade to Group One status for 2025. The only, all-aged, seven-furlong Group One in Britain will also have a £600,000 prize pot, also being a 20% boost from last season and means that there is a Group 1 contest on all four days of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival.

For the first time at York, every race at York will be worth at least £25,000 (previously £20,000) which is the highest of any recourse in Britain – so rewarding connections of all levels of horse at and race type at York.

On the opening day of the season, Wednesday 14 May, the £150,000 Group 2 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes is the first of thirty races across the York season to offer black type. It is also the first of forty-two races which will have at least a six-figure purse and the first of 14 (2024: 12) designated Premier Racedays.  A feature race for three-year-old fillies, the £130,000 Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora has proved to be a leading form indicator for the Betfred Oaks, with eight champion fillies now having gone on to achieve Classic glory. Typically, fillies from the Musidora return as older horses to contest the £150,000 Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Middleton Stakes on the Thursday of the Dante Festival. 

This season it is eighty years since Dante left the Middleham yard of Matt Peacock to head south to become the last northern trained winner of the Derby. The colt lends his name to the feature race of the Festival, The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante. This £180,000 Group Two contest is likely to attract colts capable of becoming the lucky twelfth thoroughbred to achieve the Knavesmire/Epsom double, with the most recent being Desert Crown in 2022.  Aidan O’Brien’s winter favourite for the Derby and previous York winner, The Lion In Winter, has the Dante as his intended seasonal debut, according to the trainer.

Friday’s principal race is another worth £180,000, the Group 2 Boodles Yorkshire Cup, which sees the leading jewellery brand supporting the leading stayers over one mile and three-quarters.  With dual winner Giavellotto looking at shorter distances this season, the race looks an open affair with the locally trained Epic Poet targeting the race.

A fully sponsored May programme includes a £40,000 novice race is supported by both the European Breeders’ Fund and Darley who are backing a valuable series of such maiden or novice contests over the summer. It is amongst twenty-two races at York to be backed by the EBF, including the £100,000 Final of the series for juvenile colts & geldings, set for Friday 10 October.

Despite this investment, all on the day admission prices at the Dante Festival have again been frozen since their post covid 2022 rate, meaning admission to the Clocktower Enclosure remains just £8, with further age, group and advance concessions across the enclosures, starting at £23.50 for a group into Grandstand & Paddock. Car parking is free of charge, no booking fees are charged and racegoers into County Stand receive a complimentary racecard.

Prize money increases continue through subsequent meetings, for example the feature sprint on the 54th Macmillan Charity Raceday will be worth £125,000 (+£25,000) and a 10% increase to the value of the only evening meeting, Friday 25th July. 

A brand new raceday to York, Saturday 28 June will be a Premier Raceday with c£300,000 on offer, including an increase for the transferred Group Three Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Criterion Stakes to £100,000.  The winner of this seven-furlong contest will receive a “run for free” in the Group 1 Sky Bet City of York Stakes in August.

With the 2025 Sky Bet Sunday Series already underway, York will host the Final Leg on September 7th as part of its traditional family raceday entertainment with includes Children’s TV character appearance, pony racing and a multitude of free rides and activities for children. Consistent with offering attractive race values to a fresh cohort of connections, this day will be increased in value to in excess of £250,000.

Turning to the feature event on the Knavesmire in August, the Sky Bet Ebor Festival has cumulative prize money of over £7 million. The minimum prize value is £100,000 whilst there are a number of races that are the most valuable in their respective categories, further highlights include:

• Sky Bet Ebor at £500,000 is the most valuable handicap run on the flat in Britain, as well as being the only European race that is ballot exempt for the Lexus Melbourne Cup
• Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes is the richest Group 2 for juveniles in Britain, worth £250,000
• Delivering parity between the sexes, the Sky Bet Lowther is the richest Group 2 for juvenile fillies in Britain, also worth £250,000.
• Sky Bet Strensall Stakes is the richest all-age Group 3 in Britain, worth £170,000 and an automatic entry into the Bahrain International Trophy in November.
• Tattersalls Acomb is the richest Group 3 for juveniles in Britain, worth £165,000, and was the highest rated race of its type in 2024.  It remains free of any entry restrictions and a “Win and you’re In” race for the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Turf; with similar links afforded to each of the three weekday Group One contests.
• European Breeders’ Fund Convivial at £100,000 is the richest maiden race in Britain.
• Sky Bet Nursery, another worth £100,000 is the richest nursery race in Britain.
• The  “Harrys Half Million” Stakes is again run for a guaranteed sum of £500,000 for graduates of the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale.

Further investment will also see the continuing improvements to the facilities for racegoers, connections and horses, not to mention a full programme of music and entertainment with bonus features across the 18 raceday season.