York Racecourse & Betting Review: Popular Events, Best Offers and Facts

For an overview of the top features of some of the best sites for York betting events, you should first take a look at the short yet concise table (shown above). If you’re after a more detailed look at the venue and would like to discover some historical information, general facts and figures and some technical course info, be sure to continue reading through the remainder of the article. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll have all the most important information about the world-famous racecourse so that you can go ahead and start staking on the races there with assurance.

The Turf Itself

York Racecourse is a flat only racing venue that hosts some of UK’s most anticipated meetings. It underwent some pretty significant redevelopments in 2015 in which the track was extended to make room for a full looped circuit, which is about 2miles all the way around. There’s also a straight track which hosts races of 5 and 6 furlongs and a track that hosts 7-furlong races, however, there is a slight bend. All in all its renowned for being a fair course. There is no draw bias, it’s pretty much flat all the way around, it has wide, sweeping turns, and the course itself is nice and wide, meaning that there’s not too much jostling for position. It’s a course that’s said to suit larger, galloping types that have a high top speed when allowed to stretch their legs.

Most Popular York Horse Racing Events

York horse racing is known for hosting a fair number of Group 1 events, all of which take place during the huge end-of-season thriller Ebor Festival in August. The festival is held over four days and features the International Stakes, a middle-distance race of 1 mile 2 furlongs and 88 yards which is reserved for horse aged three-years-old and is worth a whopping £1million, making it York’s richest race. There’s also the Yorkshire Oaks, another middle-distance contest, which is run over 1 mile 3 furlongs and 188 yards and is reserved for fillies and mares aged three-years-old and above. Last, and by no means least, is the Nunthorpe Stakes, a top sprint race of five-furlongs which is reserved for horses aged two-years-old and above. There’s also the Dante Festival in April which hosts the Yorkshire Cup, the Dante Stakes and Musidora Stakes.

Some Interesting Facts

Did you know that the York horse racing track used to host the world-famous Royal Ascot Festival in 2005?! The Ascot Racecourse was undergoing serious redevelopments at the time, so York was chosen to fill in. It attracted an estimated 224,000 eager racegoers over four days, which speaks volumes of its widespread appeal in the UK. Similarly, it also hosted the St Leger Stakes back in 2005 when the Doncaster Racecourse was under construction. You may also be interested to know that the Racecourse has its own radio station known as ‘York Raceday Radio’.

Racecourse Information:
First Opened:	1709	York Racecourse logo The Grandstand at York Racecourse
Max. Race Distance:	2m 88y
Surface:	Turf
Event:	Ebor Festival
Average Temperature:	1°/21°
Racecourse Capacity:	60000

Did you know that Paul Hanagan is the most successful jockey to have competed at York in the last three years? From 144 runners he’s managed to record 16 wins and 49 places, which has earned him an estimated £502,272 in prize money and given him a track strike record of 11.11%. It was in 2002 that he recorded his first major win; it was in a York Race, the John Smith’s Cup, and he was riding a horse named Vintage Premium at the time. Ever since then he’s gone from success to success. Just something to keep in mind when you’re thinking about York Racecourse betting.

York Racecourse: The Story so Far

York has one of the longest, most interesting horse racing histories of all the different racecourses we’ve featured here in this review. There is substantial evidence to suggest that racing in the town predates the Roman times and goes as back far to the time of Emperor Severus, which was over 2,000 years ago! The first official meeting in York took place in 1709 and the first at the current venue took place in 1731. It would be another 200 years before York horse racing betting really took off as a fully regulated and licensed activity in the UK.

Rather unsurprisingly, the York horse racing track has seen some legends of the sport of kings grace its turf over the years. Frankel, Sea The Stars, Ulysses are just a few of the names that have won the International Stakes. Furthermore, Enable, Islington, Only Royale and User Friendly have featured in the Yorkshire Oaks. The Nunthorpe Stakes sprint race has featured the likes of Mecca’s Angel, that won in 2015 and 2016; Borderlescott, that won in 2008 and 2009, and Sharpo, the memorable British colt of the 1970’s that won in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and the William Hill Sprint Championship in the same years. Head on back to the best tracks throughout the UK for more fantastic reviews on this sport.