York Racecourse and Leeds bookmaker Sky Bet agree a lucrative new £2.7m-a-year sponsorship deal

York Racecourse and Sky Bet have announced a new record-breaking sponsorship deal worth over £2.7million-a-year and which runs to 2028.

The new agreement sees the Leeds-based bookmaker also take over as title sponsor of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival (17-20 August), whilst retaining other races on the Knavesmire.

The deal sees sponsorship of over a total of 12 races spread over each of the four racedays in August, as well as two Sky Bet Race to the Ebor contests and the whole card on Sky Bet York Stakes day in July.

The renewed partnership, which is worth £637,000 more than the previous deal signed in 2018, sees big investment in prize money at Pattern, handicap and developmental race level.

The £500,000 Sky Bet Ebor remains Britain’s richest flat handicap.

On the same Saturday card, the Group 2 Sky Bet City of York Stakes will now be the richest racecourse funded Group 2 in Britain at £400,000), in addition to a new Sky Bet Constantine Stakes, a six-furlong sprint handicap with a six-figure purse.

The Sky Bet Lowther with a prize fund of £250,000 will be Britain’s richest juvenile fillies’ Group 2 and the £100,000 Sky Bet Nursery will be Britain’s richest race of this type. In addition, the Group 2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur increases by £30,000 to a new record value of £200,000.

York and Sky Bet will continue to work in partnership around an expanded Ebor Community Fund in 2022, with £33,000 to be donated to local good causes.

Chief executive and clerk of the course at York, William Derby, said: “This agreement sees this tremendous partnership continue through to 2028 with a record investment in prize funds across our race programme, to support owners and help attract star horses for us all to enjoy.

“We remain hugely appreciative of our partnership with Sky Bet and both organisations are committed to further developing and growing the racedays.”

Michael Afflick, Flutter’s creative and SBG brand and sponsorship Director, said: “We are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the Sky Bet Ebor, as well as being the new title sponsor of the Ebor Festival itself.

“The relationship that we have built with York over the past 18 years has been a fantastic one and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the coming years”

Sheila Lavery’s New Energy is pencilled in for Doncaster’s Park Stakes after disappointing in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville.

The New Bay colt was previously a one-and-three-quarter-length runner-up in the Irish Guineas in May and was then beaten three lengths when eighth in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

At Deauville he started as a 14-1 chance under Robbie Colgan, but ran towards the rear of the field throughout and was never able to throw down a challenge when finishing seventh behind Aidan O’Brien’s Tenebrism.

Lavery felt the run was an underperformance and noted that the chestnut had overheated before the race and became unsettled after loading into the stalls.

“He ran very disappointingly. I think he boiled over before the start, we’re not really quite sure what got to him,” she said.

The trainer will now give the horse a short break before he is prepared for the Park Stakes, a Group Two contest run during Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

“We’re just letting him down a little bit, then his next target will be the Park Stakes at Doncaster,” she said.