Action from York Racecourse

Mike Vince looks ahead to the Sky Bet Ebor Festival at York

By Mike Vince

Horse Racing

Tue August 06, 2024 · 7M ago

Next year York Racecourse will celebrate 20 years since it hosted Royal Ascot- a year later it was home to the St Leger while Yorkshire neighbours Doncaster had the builders in.

Those happy days seemed a distant memory in 2008 when weather and track issues forced the abandonment of the entire Ebor Meeting- dark dark days for Yorkshire racing- and nowhere is the Sport of Kings celebrated more passionately- remember in recent years the day Frankel came to town?

Now we are just days away from the 2024 Sky Bet Ebor Festival, the anticipation of which is probably greater than in any recent year- just look at the potential cast list… City of Troy, the brilliant Derby hero, Calandangan, the Royal Ascot winner and Zarakem for France, Alflaila, dual winner of the Sky Bet York Stakes, and the Japanese St Leger winner Durezza head the possibles- or mainly probables for the richest ever Juddmonte International in a fortnight, with the sponsor's colours likely to be carried by Bluestocking- the runner-up in the King George at Ascot. She’s also in the Pertemps Yorkshire Oaks the next day.

And the Coolmore Nunthorpe is shaping up to be one of the best renewals, with Aussie raider Asfoora, the Royal Ascot hero, bidding to become just the second Wonder from Down Under (Ortensia was the first) to land the fastest race of the week and squaring up to the likes of Big Evs and Bradsell.

And that’s before we even mention the Sky Bet Ebor itself - won for the last two years by a certain Frankie Dettori.

It’s all shaping up to be one hell of a cast list, with many questions yet to be answered and 'will brilliant Dante winner Economics trained by Yorkshireman in exile William Haggas return to the Knavesmire?' is one of them.

It does give food for thought though - record prize money and investment by York of course but also the management look set to reap a spectacular dividend.

They reacted to the track issues of 2008 by spending big on the racing surface - especially the drainage, which few other tracks would dare to do.

As they look forward to their big four days, while praying Goodwood didn’t steal their weather, they can surely reflect, especially if most of the big names turn up, it very much is a case of ‘money well spent’.

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