York Racecourse delight as Sky Bet City of York Stakes will become fourth Group One contest at Ebor Festival
For William Derby, chief executive of York Racecourse, the decision that the Sky Bet City of York Stakes will become the fourth Group One contest hosted on the Knavesmire, produced feelings of both “delight” and “huge relief”.
The announcement by the European Pattern Committee, the body that oversees the quality of Europe’s principal races, was the culmination of more than ten years’ work and marks a very rare move to upgrade a race.
William said: “It’s been a plan that we’ve been masterminding for over a decade in terms of the race, the type of race and how it fits in the European racing calendar. You only get awarded the race when you prove that it merits it. We identified this race over ten years ago and it was, in football terms, in the Second Division. We have got it back to back promoted through the First Division and Championship to Premiership status, Group One.
"In each of those promotions from Listed to Group Three to Group Two to Group One you have to prove the rating for three years at that level and we’ve done that by a combination of investing in the prize fund for the race itself and promoting the race to the best horses. Group Ones are the Champions League spots in our sport. There are only 34 Group Ones in Britain across the season, they’re as rare as hen’s teeth and hard won. To have had one of our races taken to the top echelon of world racing is hugely important for us in our quest to deliver the best in racing at York. It will give us a Group One on each of the four days of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival.”
Staged over seven furlongs on the final day of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival, the newly-elevated race will offer a record £600,000 in prize money for its first running at the highest level. This represents a 20 per cent increase on the remarkable support already given to the race as a Group Two, since the sport returned post-pandemic. It is also the first all age, seven-furlong race to gain Group One status in Great Britain and Ireland, with its timing allowing the runners to also compete in the Prix de la Foret in early October, over the same distance.
William added Space Blues and Expert Eye, two winners of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the top mile race in America, had won the Sky Bet City of York Stakes race on their way to America, which had added to the credentials of the race. He said he was hoping the additional Group One race would attract a greater number of fans to the Ebor Festival’s final day. William said: “What it means is you suddenly get horses from America, Australia and Japan considering the race which they wouldn’t do if it wasn’t a Group One and a lot of interest in the race from the global racing community. That will bring with it increased media rights revenues which we can re-invest in the prize fund.”
The case for the upgrade was made by director of International Racing at the British Horseracing Authority, Ruth Quinn. She said: “It really is a significant achievement to see the City of York upgraded to Group One, with this having been our long-term and ambitious plan as the race gradually climbed through the ranks from Listed status. York has been a patient and consistent supporter of the long-term strategy to develop this race into Britain’s seven-furlong Group One race, only the second of its kind in Europe.”
The decision follows an announcement that Knavesmire’s newest raceday would contain pattern quality action, with the Group Three Al Basti Equiworld Dubai, Criterion Stakes confirmed as the feature race of its fixture on Saturday, June 28, following it being moved from Newmarket.
The race will have a £100,000 purse meaning that 42 races will have at least a six-figure reward for connections, over the now 18-day season. Also staged over seven furlongs, it will offer a development pathway to the Sky Bet City of York Stakes, with Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Criterion offering a ‘Run For Free’ connection to the Group One race to the winning horse in June, after which there will be a concert from Olly Murs.
With such entertainments and having been named the best of Racecourse Association’s 58 venues just three months ago, York has underlined thar achievement this week by being named amongst the highest-rated racecourses of the year for customer experience by the body. William said the string of successes was due to the vision of the York race committee, in effect the racecourse’s non-executive board, which had helped masterplan the progress of York, alongside the quality of the facilities, stands and the racing surface. He added: “We’re staging the best horses and jockeys in the world and the team – we spend a lot of time working with the people that are here in a working capacity on a race day and that pride, friendliness and Yorkshire welcome is hugely valuable to people’s enjoyment of the day."