York Racecourse offering record prizemoney for 2023 season

The figure represents a £750,000 increase on last year’s record sum and a hike of £2million on 2019’s figure and comes at a time when Levy Board funding is being reduced.

All 18 of York’s racedays will offer at least £200,000 for connections with the season highlight Juddmonte International, run during August’s Sky Bet Ebor Festival and won last year by Baaeed, still offering a £1 million purse.

In addition, a £50,000 injection to the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur prize fund means all four Group 2 contests at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival will be worth at least £250,000.

The Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe, Yorkshire Oaks and Sky Bet Ebor Handicap will continue to have a prize fund of £500,000.

For the first time, all 28 races at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival are to have a minimum prize fund of £100,000 – up from £80,000 – meaning a total of 39 of the 126 races run will offer at least a six-figure prize.

The Group 2 Sky Bet City of York Stakes will receive the biggest single boost to £500,000 – up by £100,000 – making it the richest racecourse funded Group 2 in the UK.

The racecourse says it is offering the large increase to support a possible upgrade of this seven-furlong contest by effectively offering a Group 1 prize fund.

The race achieved a Group 1 rating of 115.50 in 2022, with the victory of Ralph Beckett’s Kinross following multiple Group 1 winner, Space Blues, in 2021.

York’s season starts with the traditional three-day Dante Meeting on May 17 and will also stage a new British Horseracing Authority (BHA) fixture on Saturday, September 23, with a prize fund of £200,000.

A spokesman for the course said the race programme had been carefully constructed in consultation with the BHA to be respectful of other tracks racing that day so as to focus on horses competing in the Class 3 and 4 handicap arena.

Off the track, the course will be staging its popular Music Showcase Weekend, featuring Sheffield’s Human League on Friday, July 28 and Craig David the following day, with tickets on sale now.

Chairman of York Racecourse, Bridget Guerin, said “We are incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors, racegoers and partners that allows York Racecourse to make this bold commitment of approaching £11m in prize money to British Racing.

"Facing up to the ongoing economic challenges, we wanted to demonstrate a commitment to the best in our sport.”

Leyburn handler Karl Burke, last season’s top trainer on the Knavesmire, said: “York is a favourite place for our owners and our team to visit.

"It is the ongoing investment into both prize money and the raceday experience that makes it so popular.

"I am particularly pleased to see that the prize money increases will reach a lot of different types of horses which can only be a good thing.”