Sky Bet City of York Stakes: David Johnson with the Timeform reaction

In some ways, the elevation of the City of York Stakes to Group 1 level provides a case study for what racing can achieve by adding investment and taking a longer term view. Back in 2015, the City of York was a listed race worth around £57K to the winner yet on Saturday afternoon, connections of Never So Brave took home over 6.5 times that, but did York and the racing public get sufficient bang for their buck?

The City of York attracted three 3 previous Group 1 winners at declaration, the same as last year (Kinross a NR on the day), but was arguable slightly fortunate to do, Rosallion coming here as plan b, and while attracting the Sussex Stakes winner in the first year since upgrading sounds a feather in the cap of the York executive, it’s less impressive remembering the circumstances behind Qirat’s victory there.

In pure ratings terms, the City of York is arguably fortunate to have got an upgrade from the European Pattern Committee at the time it did on the back of the below-par 2024 renewal that saw the winner Breege earn a Timeform rating of 111. The median ratings of the first 3 from the City of York over the last 5 years is 119/109/109, which is a little way below the level of the Prix de la Foret, the only other established European Group 1 at the trip which over the same period is 122/116/115 and it also compares unfavourably with the Sussex whose average rating of the first 3 is 122/120/116.

Never So Brave has been awarded a provisional Timeform rating of 120, which is a little below the usual standard for an open Group 1, but rather in keeping with the sort of level Group 1 sprinters have been awarded over the last couple of seasons and slightly ahead of the ratings awarded to recent winners of the City of York as a Group 2, Kinross running to 119 in 2022 and 2023 and Safe Voyage the same in 2020.

Given the City of York follows close on the heels of the Prix Maurice de Gheest and Jacques le Marois and comes shortly before the Sprint Cup at Haydock, it perhaps will never be favoured port of call for milers trying to show their speed or sprinters trying to stretch out their stamina, but that’s not to say it doesn’t deserve its place in the calendar. Given the opportunities at Group 1 level over so many other trips, it’s arguable that it has been a long time coming.

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