Major horse racing event at York Racecourse featuring the William Hill Summer Stakes and the John Smith's Cup.
York Racecourse is back in action on the Knavesmire with two big races over the weekend of 10 and 11 July. Friday 10 July brings the William Hill Summer Stakes, with a £100,000 purse, and Saturday 11 July is the John Smith's Cup, which doubles that to £200,000.
If you've never spent much time there, the course sits on ground known as the Knavesmire, and it's the third-largest racecourse in Britain by total prize money. Racing here goes back to Roman times, and the city corporation has been supporting the sport since 1530. The first grandstand was built in 1754 by the architect John Carr, and the site has seen its fair share of odd history too: the highwayman Dick Turpin was hanged here in 1739, and Pope John Paul II visited in 1982.
These two races are part of a wider calendar that puts York on the map for racing. The course hosts four of the UK's 38 Group 1 races, including the Juddmonte International Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes. It's also been named Racecourse of the Year several times, in 1997, 2003, and 2017.
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So, you've got the Summer Stakes on Friday 10 July and the John Smith's Cup on Saturday 11 July, both at the Knavesmire. If you're planning to head over, keep in mind that the full programme for this edition hasn't been confirmed yet, so it's worth checking the latest before you set off.
