It’s ‘hats and heels on’ and suits pressed as an estimated 70,000 racegoers prepare to descend on York this week as the city’s biggest racing event of the year kicks off.
Queen Camilla, who is royal patron of the racecourse, is expected to attend Ladies Day on Thursday (21 August) when the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team will also make an appearance ahead of the racing.
There will also be a serious fashion element to the event with prizes up for grabs on the Ebor Fashion Lawn.
This year marks Grantley Hall’s second year as the headline sponsor of Ebor Fashion Lawn, which remains the heart of race-day style as a celebratory catwalk open to all during the races.
Racegoers can compete in prestigious Best Dressed Competitions, which Grantley Hall will be supporting with a range of coveted prizes, including a Champagne Afternoon Tea for Two (worth £170) and on Ladies Day, a midweek overnight stay for two in a suite (worth £1,055) for the winner of the ‘Most Stylish’ prize. On Ladies Day, the runner up will also have the chance to win either an Afternoon Tea for two or a midweek dine & unwind spa experience for two.
The city’s bars and restaurants will be making the most of the city’s visitors., mong them The Rise, The Grand’s AA Rosette restaurant, which is offering a Race Day Brunch, including a glass of champagne, a choice of dish from the A La Carte menu, including a Sirloin Steak Sandwich or a classic smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.
On Thursday The Queen will meet the racecourse’s team, community partners and members of the Yorkshire racing community, before unveiling a plaque commemorating the award of the Longines World’s Best Race in 2024 to the Juddmonte International.
The Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes takes place on Wednesday.
Park House Stables trainer Andrew Balding, whose four-year-old chestnut filly See The Fire will be taking on the competition, says; “The Juddmonte is always, in my opinion, the strongest race of the year.
“It’s where the three-year-olds will always turn up against the older horses and you get that wonderful mix of perhaps horses stepping up from a mile to a mile and a quarter and horses dropping back from a mile and a half.
“I think this year it’s very strong as you’d expect.”
He added: “I think certain horses favour York and she’s certainly one of those – it’s got to be to her advantage. I’m not saying that means she’s going to win the race but it should make her very competitive.”
Andrew Balding also expects to be represented in the Group 1 Sky Bet City of York Stakes on Saturday 23 August.
He finished as York’s top trainer in 2024, recording 10 winners on the Knavesmire. Currently, he and Karl Burke lead the 2025 race for the trophy, cash prize and pair of Charles Clinkard shoes, with six winners apiece.
With John Smith’s Cup hero Fox Legacy (Sky Bet Strensall Stakes) and Coltrane (Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup) among others in his talented York-bound team, Balding will be hoping for success again.
He said: “The Sky Bey Ebor Festival is always a focal point of our summer programming. The prize money at York is fantastic and it is a meeting that has been in our conscious since I was a child.
“There’s some very important races run at the meeting and every single race matters. It’s a fantastic card over four days and we’re always keen to try and get winners at the meeting.”
