A prestigious four-day horse racing festival featuring the oldest, richest, fastest and most famous races at York Racecourse.
York Racecourse hosts the Sky Bet Ebor Festival from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 August, four days of flat racing that bring together some of the course's oldest, richest, and fastest races. It's the biggest week on the York racing calendar, and the programme changes each day, so it's worth knowing what's on when if you're planning to head in.
Wednesday 19 August opens with the Juddmonte International, a Group 1 that's the richest race of the season. It's been named The Longines World's Best Horse Race in 2024, 2012, and 2020, and the roll of honour reads like a who's who of the sport: Sea The Stars, Frankel, Baaeed, and City of Troy have all won it. Thursday 20 August is Ladies Day, centred on the Group 1 Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, which the 'Queen of the Turf' Enable won twice. There's also the Ebor Fashion Lawn on that day, so it's the one to dress up for. Friday 21 August brings the Group 1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe, the course's fastest race, which set a new course record of under 57 seconds back in 2019. Saturday 22 August is the Sky Bet Ebor, run since 1843, making it the oldest and most famous race of the lot, and the richest flat handicap in Europe. The upgraded Sky Bet City of York Stakes also runs on Saturday.
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Across the four days, the festival mixes high-stakes racing with a lively atmosphere where fashion and tradition sit side by side. The Juddmonte International is the big one for the purists, the Nunthorpe for the speed, and the Ebor for the history. If you're only going for one day, Thursday is the one for the outfits, and Saturday is the one for the biggest field. It runs from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 August at York Racecourse.
