Owners & Trainers

The guide is produced specifically for Owners and Trainers, containing important information to assist in planning a visit to York Racecourse during the season.

Our brochure can be downloaded below.

Twelve of Britain’s 60 racecourses have been named as the best in the country for owners, and awarded Gold Standard status for 2016, of which York Racecourse is one. The six tracks in each category that were considered to provide owners with the best raceday experience will hold the Award for the next 12 months.

ROA representatives visited every track in Britain at least once between January and early October to assess every aspect of the owners’ raceday experience. In addition, feedback was provided by hundreds of ROA members following their racecourse visits.

Alan Pickering, Chairman of the ROA’s Raceday Committee, said: “Happy racehorse owners say that a good raceday experience is critical in maintaining their loyalty to the sport. Certain racecourses are not just good but excellent".

The latest going will be updated on the homepage of this website.

Or can be found by:

- Calling 01904 683932 or on the 24 hour telephone information system by calling 01904 620911 and following the instructions.

- Following our York Clerking Team, @YorkClerk on Twitter.

Owners and trainers wishing to speak to Anthea Morshead, Assistant Clerk of the Course, please call 07837559861.

Pre-Racedays:

- William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course 

   Tel 01904 683932

- Jane Richardson, PA to Chief Executive

   Tel 01904 683932

   Fax 01904 611071

   Email jane.richardson@yorkracecourse.co.uk

- Louise Armour, Owners' Restaurant Manager

   Tel 07968 434807

   Fax 01904 611071

   Email louise.armour@yorkracecourse.co.uk

Racedays:

- Rachel Blizzard, Owners and Trainers' Manager

  Tel 01904 709246

  Fax 01904 706127

  Email rachel.blizzard@yorkracecourse.co.uk

- William Derby (Clerk of the Course) and Anthea Morshead (Assistant Clerk of the Course) will be on hand in the Parade Ring throughout the race meeting and will be pleased to help you with any requests that you may have.

York Racecourse lies within a mile of the city centre and is served by convenient road, rail and air access routes, including:

• Fast and frequent trains run from London Kings Cross, taking as little as 1 hour 52 minutes (taxi, regular shuttle bus or a brisk walk to the racecourse).
• Direct trains running from Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham.
• Leeds/Bradford International Airport (approximately 40 minutes away) and Manchester International Airport (approximately 90 minutes away).
Light aircraft can be accommodated at Rufforth, only 6 miles from the course.
• Owners approaching by car should follow the A1036 northbound (Tadcaster Road) from the A64 and then turn right into Knavesmire Road. Your ROA car park label or your 'Guide for Horsemen Booklet', will act as a car park pass enabling you to park. Please note one-way systems may apply, follow signs for ‘labels’ which will direct you to the appropriate car park.

The racecourse is within a mile of the A1036 York (West) exit of the A64 (sat nav postcode YO23 1EX). Please note sat nav will direct you to Racecourse Road, please instead follow signs for ‘labels’ which will direct you to Car Park A. Please tune to local radio (BBC York 103.7FM or Minster FM 104.7) for regular travel updates.

Should you choose to arrive by helicopter please can you contact Helicopter & Aviation Services Ltd on 01427 718800.

The Owners and Trainers entrance is located adjacent to the Owners & Trainers Car Park at the northern end of the racecourse enclosures, near the unsaddling area and pre-parade ring. Within this entrance, our Owners and Trainers Manager, Rachel Blizzard, and her team operate the PASS system and to help with any on the day queries. Please remember to bring your swipe card in order to obtain your Owners and Trainers badges. A single owner, partnership or syndicate with a runner declared will be entitled to a total of six complimentary Owners and Trainers County Stand Badges for the raceday.

Extra Badges may be purchased from Rachel, subject to availability.

Rachel will be on hand to help throughout the meeting with any Owners and Trainers queries and can be contacted after 10am on raceday mornings on 01904 709246, or by fax after 10am on racedays on 01904 706127 or email rachel.blizzard@yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Owners and trainers queries before a raceday should be directed to Jane Richardson on 01904 683932 jane.richardson@yorkracecourse.co.uk.

The Owners & Trainers car park is at the front of Car Park A and is signposted. From the A64 follow the A1036 (Tadcaster Road) north towards York City Centre and then along Knavesmire Road.

Access is controlled so please display your ROA/RCA car park pass or your copy of, 'A Guide for Horsemen'.

If you require more information please contact the Racecourse Office on (01904) 620911.

The Owners & Trainers’ Club is situated on the first floor balcony level of the Melrose Stand, the stand closest to the parade ring. The Owners & Trainers’ Club is reserved exclusively for the use of owners and trainers with a runner on the day. It is situated close to both the Weighing Room and the Parade Ring. The Owners and Trainers Club forms part of the County Stand where the following dress code applies, gentleman are required to wear jacket, collared shirt and tie.

Wheelchair access is via the original Melrose Stand lift lobby with a second lift access point in the new main entrance.

There is a television and DVD for owners and trainers to view the races run on each raceday. A DVD of each race will be placed in these facilities throughout the day.

A single owner, partnership or syndicate with a runner(s) on the raceday will be entitled to a total of up to four complimentary lunches in the Owners Restaurant, irrespective of how many runners on the day, if reserved in advance of the raceday. Lunch will be a choice of starter, chef's carvery and dessert, served in the Owners’ Restaurant followed by tea or coffee in the Lounge Area. Timings for lunch will be from 11.30am through to 3.30pm.

The booking form can be be found here, and will be included in the five day letter sent from Weatherbys.

Louise Armour our Owners’ Restaurant Manager will run the scheme and will host the facility on racedays. Reservations for the complimentary lunch must be made in advance, after 48 hour declaration stage, by completing and returning the form sent via Weatherbys to Louise Armour (e-mailing louise.armour@yorkracecourse.co.uk, fax 01904 611071 or mobile 07968 434807). Places for lunch can only be guaranteed if booked by 5pm the day before racing and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Two extra lunch places may be allocated, subject to availability, at a cost of £40 per person.

Owners of horses which are declared non-runners will be issued with badges but not complimentary lunch vouchers.

The registered trainer with runner(s) will be entitled to a lunch for themselves, accompanied by a guest, so a maximum of two complimentary lunches, irrespective of how many runners. We are unable to allocate tables for the whole day in this Owners Restaurant, and tables may be shared. Should you, and your guests, wish to have a reserved table for the whole day– we do have various Restaurant and Private Box facilities within the Racecourse which can be reserved, subject to availability, at a special rate by telephoning Annette Wilks on 01904 638971 or annette.wilks@yorkracecoursehospitality.co.uk for details.

Please note, the complimentary lunch is intended for the Owner of the horse that runs or their close friends and family. It must be booked by the Owner themselves – it cannot be transferred to third parties nor booked by anyone other than the Owner. The Owner is required to present their PASS card.

Rachel Blizzard and Louise Armour will be on hand to help throughout the season with any Owners and Trainers queries, and can be contacted after 10am on raceday mornings on 01904 709246, by fax after 10am on racedays on 01904 706127 or email: rachel.blizzard@yorkracecourse.co.uk

During the 2015 season we were pleased to open the new Northern End Development of the racecourse to popular and critical acclaim. The relocated pre-parade ring, new saddling boxes, wash-down area and Winning Connections Room have been welcomed by visitors since 2014 and they have now been joined by a new Weighing Room as well as The Parade Ring Restaurant, offering a fine dining experience for smaller parties at the heart of the racing action, for more information on this option that may hold appeal to connections, please click here. These facilities, as well as our complimentary luncheon for Owners with a runner helped us to secure both the ROA Gold Standard and the RCA Showcase Award for Owners Excellence; two accolades that we are keen to live up to during the coming season.

The Parade Ring itself was regraded and improved ahead of the 2012 season with a new rubberised horsewalk surface. The new bigger, flatter, Pre-Parade Ring complete with saddling boxes, vets facilities and wash down area is located close to the Parade Ring, forming a figure eight shape in the north western corner of the racecourse. The Pre Parade Ring itself and the wider facilities conform to the latest standards and in many aspects set a new benchmark. An example of listening to feedback and developing our facilities, is the provision of water-misting fans as part of our equine welfare programme, should the weather require them.

The vehicle entrance to the racecourse stables is on Tadcaster Road (1036), opposite the Fox & Roman public house (satnav code YO24 1RQ).

To book stables and accommodation for stable staff please fax on 01904 778647 or telephone 01904 709174 or email stables@yorkracecourse.co.uk.

We have specialised equine vets from Minster Equine Veterinary Clinic on site during every raceday to attend to any horses that may require treatment, with the practice’s clinic only a short distance away should it be needed. For the Dante and Ebor Festivals, veterinary cover will be enhanced by having the Equisave Horse Ambulance, designed and used for the equine events at the London Olympics, in addition to the excellent Horse Ambulance team provided by Sebastian Garner.

Minster Equine Veterinary Practice can be contacted on 01904 788840, or email poppleton@minstervets.co.uk.

Our dedicated photographer, Jeremy Phillips, maintains a website of images from the racecourse. Please click here.

Winners and placed connections receive a complimentary DVD. Owners can watch a DVD re-run of each race in the Owners & Trainers Bar.

York Racecourse are delighted that the Knavesmire hosts three international Breeders’ Cup Challenge races for the 2017 season.

The Juddmonte International, the Darley Yorkshire Oaks and the Coolmore Nunthorpe. The winners of the three Group 1 races earn automatic starting berths and travel incentives into the corresponding race in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita on 3 - 4 November.

Please see www.breederscup.com for more details.

York is engaged with the Raceday Experience Group operated by the Racecourse Association with the intention of improving the experience for all involved in the sport. The good work done under the banner of “Commitment to Owners” is recognised by York and we hope that all the essential elements as well as the majority of the desirable elements of the pledge are incorporated into our raceday practices.

- Middlethorpe Hall Hotel (01904 641241)

- Elmbank Hotel (01904 610653)

- Holiday Inn (0870 4009085)

- Hotel Du Vin (0330 016 0381)

- York Marriott Hotel (01904 701000)

- The Grange Hotel (01904 644744)

- The Grand Hotel (01904 380038) 

- The Principal York (01904 653681)

- Cleveland Tontine (01609 882671) 

- Oulton Hall (0113 282 1000)

All these hotels are situated within a short taxi ride or walking distance of the racecourse (with the exception of Cleveland Tontine and Oulton Hall).

Enjoy a short break in the White Rose county, discover more with Welcome to Yorkshire.

We are always happy to try and help with any special requests. Please contact us in advance if possible. Tel 01904 683932 or e-mail jane.richardson@yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Joanne Gunn is the point of contact at the ROA, email: jgunn@roa.co.uk. Please feel welcome to pass on any comments/suggestions to her with regard to the facilities for Owners at York. She will be pleased to help and will liaise with the Chief Executive, William Derby.