Festival plays its cards right

Supported by Welcome to Yorkshire, Sky Bet, Keepmoat plc, the Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Radio and Racing for Change, the Festival, running from July 17 to July 25, offers race-goers unique opportunities to enjoy quality sport at enticing prices, win a great day out at a meeting of their choice and an opportunity to visit one of the most successful stables in the country.

For race-goers pre-booking tickets before the end of the June, there is a discount of up to 35 per cent on admission prices during the Festival.

A Festival Card can be obtained for a minimum of 20 and holders can attend up to eight days racing of their choice for just 10 per person, per day. Accompanied children under 16 years of age are admitted free.

Card-holders will be entered into a free draw to win a VIP three-course lunch for two in the grandstand restaurant at the racecourse they have booked and the opportunity of presenting the trophy to the winning owner of one of the SkyBet supported feature races.

Festival Card-holders will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis the opportunity to attend an exclusive morning stable visit to leading trainer Richard Fahey, who is based at Malton, with the chance of meeting his stable jockey and Yorkshire's leading rider last season, Paul Hanagan, along with Freddie Tylicki, Britain's reigning Champion Apprentice jockey.

Festival cards can be pre-booked on www.yorkshire.com/goracing.

Looking forward to the Festival, Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome To Yorkshire said: "Yorkshire is passionate about horse-racing and the Festival is a wonderful opportunity for us to share some of that passion with visitors from across the world who have come to Yorkshire on holiday.

"By working together, I believe we can encourage more people to come to Yorkshire for a wonderful summer's racing and exploring."

Simon Channon, chairman of Go Racing in Yorkshire, the marketing arm of Yorkshire's courses, said: "Thanks to the additional support from Welcome to Yorkshire and Racing For Change, we've been able to widen our marketing net; we're now aiming to attract racegoers from all over the country with our Festival Card offer. If we succeed, then what's good for the Yorkshire courses will be good for the county as a whole."

Synchronised could line up in the Scottish or Irish National after his plucky success in the John Smith's Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter.

The JP McManus-owned gelding got the better of front-running mare L'Aventure in a stirring finish in the hands of Tony McCoy and trainer Jonjo O'Neill said: "He's not the biggest but is such a good jumper."

Summer racing festival dates

Saturday, July 17 – RIPON

Sunday, July 18 – REDCAR

Monday (evening), July 19 – BEVERLEY

Tuesday, July 20 – Richard Fahey open morning

Wednesday, July 21 – CATTERICK

Thursday (evening), July 22 – DONCASTER

Friday, July 23 – THIRSK; (evening) YORK

Saturday, July 24 – YORK

Sunday, July 25 – PONTEFRACT