York Ebor Festival 2025 Betting Offers

Ebor Handicap (Heritage Handicap)

The Ebor Handicap is unquestionably the feature race of the week, despite being a handicap rather than a group 1 race. It is where the festival gets its name from and has been run for over 175 years.  The race and the festival take their name from the word ‘Eboracum’, which is the Roman name for the city of York. It was first run as the Great Ebor Handicap in 1843, having been introduced by the new Clerk of the Course, John Orton. Back then it was competed over 2 miles before being cut by 2 furlongs.

It has enjoyed a mixed history, with the 2008 running abandoned because of a waterlogged track. A race called the Newburgh Handicap was run at Newbury as a replacement, with the name a reference to the original Norman title given to the town. The most notable thing about it is that it is the most valuable handicap race run on the flat in all of Europe.

Run left-handed over 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 188 yards, it is open to horses aged 3 and over. Because it’s a handicap race there are no weight restrictions, with the horses given the weight they’ll need to carry by the handicapper. In terms of that value mentioned before, in the 2019 running the race’s purse was just shy of £1,000,000, with £600,000 of that going to the winning horse.  That prize money decreased after the Covid pandemic, however, and now stands at £500k/£300k.

Only one horse, Flint Jack, has won the event more than once, winning back-to-back titles in 1922 and 1923. Lester Piggott is the best jockey the race has seen, having won it 5 times between 1958 and 1983. That’s the same number of wins that Tom Dawson managed as a trainer, though that came in a different era.

The 1979 winner was the famous Sea Pigeon, who excelled as both a flat and jump racing horse, adding 2 Champion Hurdles to his list of accolades the year after being victorious in this race. Indeed, there’s an argument that he was a better National Hunt racer, having won 21 of his 40 starts over jumps compared to 16 wins from 45 on the flat.

International Stakes (Group 1)

Run left-handed over 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 58 yards, the International Stakes is for horses aged 3 and over. 3-year-olds have a weight of 8 stone and 13 pounds, whilst those over 4 are 9 stone and 6 pounds. Fillies and mares are given a 3 pound allowance.

Established in 1972, the race was the brainchild of the formed Clerk of the Course at York, Major Leslie Petch. The race is the richest of the season at Ebor and the first winner was Roberto, who won the Derby in the same season.

Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2)

Open to 3-year-old colts and geldings, the Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 offering that is run left-handed over 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 188 yards. The weight is 9 stone, with a 5 pound penalty for Group 1 race winners and a 3 pound penalty for winners of Group 2 events.

The race was first run in 1950 and is named in honour of Voltigeur, who won the Derby and the St. Leger 100 years before and was trained in Yorkshire. Initially the word ‘Great’ wasn’t in the title but it was added in 1957. It is seen as something of a trial for the St. Leger, with 14 horses having won both.

Acomb Stakes (Group 3)

Named after the area of York roughly to the north-west of the course, the race was Listed in 1998 and then promoted to Group 3 in 2006. Winners from the Acomb Stakes sometimes go on to be competitive in Group 1 offerings, including the Classics of the following season.

The track it’s run on is a left-hand elbow and the race is 7 furlongs in length. It’s for 2-year-old horses but excludes those that have won a race before the 12th of July. The following weight restrictions are in play:

• 9 stone 1 pound
• Fillies are given 3 pounds
• Group 1 and Group 2 race winners are given a 5 pound penalty
• Group 3 winners are given a 3 pound penalty

Lowther Stakes (Group 2)

Run on the straight over 6 furlongs, the Lowther Stakes is for 2-year-old fillies Wirth a weight of 9 stone. There are 3 pound penalties for horses that have won Group 1 and Group 2 races.

Established in 1946, the race is named after the 5th Earl of Lonsdale, Hugh Lowther. The best horses often go on to be competitive in the Cheveley Park Stakes, such as Fairyland, who won both in 2018.

Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1)

The Yorkshire Oaks is open to fillies and mares aged 3 and over. It is run left-handed over 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 188 yards and the weight for 3-year-olds is 8 stone 12 pounds. Horses aged 4-year-olds and over have 9 stone 7 pounds as their weight rule.

Established in 1849, it was originally for 3-year-old fillies, not being opened to older horses and mares until 1991. When the current grading system was introduced it was labelled as a Group 1 offering, which it has remained as since. Horses that have previously run in The Oaks are often found competing in this race too.

Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1)

Run on the straight over 5 furlongs, the race is for horses aged 2 and over. The weight ruling will depend on the age of the horse, with the following being the outline:

• 2-year-olds: 8 stone 1 pound
• 3-year-olds: 9 stone 9 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 11 pounds
• Fillies and mares receive a 3 pound allowance

The race was inaugurated in 1922 and is named after the Nunthorpe area of York. There was a version of the race that was a low-grade selling race established in 1903, but it was replaced by this one. It has been part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge since 2011 and winners automatically get a place in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. It is the UK’s only Group 1 race open to 2-year-olds.

Gimcrack Stakes (Group 2)

Named after the successful 18th century racehorse Gimcrack, who won 27 of the 36 races he took part in, the race was first run in 1846. It was open to horses of either gender until 1987. The winning owner is invited to speak at the Gimcrack Dinner, which is held at York Racecourse each December.

The Group 2 race is only for 2-year-old colts and geldings and is run over 6 furlongs on the straight. The weight is 9 stone, with winners of Group 1 and Group 2 races given a penalty of 3 pounds.

Strensall Stakes (Group 3)

This Group 3 race is run left-handed over 1 mile and 177 yards and is open to horses aged 3 and over. There are a number of weight rules in place, which are as follows:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 12 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 5 pounds
• Fillies and mares are given a 3 pound allowance
• Winners of Group 1 races are given a 7 pound penalty
• Winners of Group 2 races are given a 5 pound penalty
• Winners of Group 3 races are given a 3 pound penalty

Named after the village Strensall, which is located a few miles to the north of the racecourse, the Strensall Stakes was initially restricted to fillies and run over 7 furlongs. It was also a Listed offering, but was opened to male horses and given its present length in 1987 before being promoted to Group 3 in 2003.

It has only been part of the Ebor Festival since 2008, ironically having its running cancelled that year because of the course being waterlogged.

Lonsdale Cup (Group 2)

Known for a time as the Lonsdale Stakes, it was 1 mile, 7 furlongs and 198 yards long originally. It was a Listed offering until it was promoted to Group 3 in 1998 and then became a Group 2 race in 2004. It was extended to its current distance 3 years after that and horses that take part in this race often do well in the Doncaster Cup the month after.

The race is run left-handed over 2 miles and 56 yards and is open to horses aged 3 and over. The weight is 8 stone 5 pounds for 3-year-olds and 9 stone 3 pounds for horses aged 4 and up, with fillies and mares given a 3 pound allowance and Group 1 winners receiving a penalty of 3 pounds.

City of York Stakes (Group 2)

Run left-handed over 7 furlongs, the City of York Stakes is for 3-year-olds and over. The following weight rules are in place:

• 3-year-olds: 8 stone 12 pounds
• 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 3 pounds
• Fillies and mares get a 3 pound allowance
• Winners of Group 1 races are given a 7 pound penalty
• Winners of Group 2 races are given a 5 pound penalty
• Winners of Group 3 races are given a 3 pound penalty

The race was a Listed one until 2016, at which point it was upgraded to become a Group 3 offering. That remained the case for just 3 years, having been a Group 2 race since 2019.

Melrose Stakes (Heritage-Handicap)

Run left-handed over the same 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 188 yards as the Ebor Handicap, the Melrose Stakes is a mini-version preview of the big race itself.

It is also a Class 2 heritage handicap race and is only open to 3-year-olds.