York Racecourse is thrilled that another of its races has been upgraded to Group One status – the highest ranking in the sport.
The City of York Stakes will now be the fourth Group One contest hosted on the Knavesmire.
The European Pattern Committee announced the new gradings today (Tuesday).
York had long been campaigning for the City of York to be run as a Group One due to the lack of such a race in Britain and Ireland.
It’s staged on the final day of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival – Saturday 23 August in 2025.
Along with another cash injection from the course and sponsors Sky Bet, it means there is now £600,000 in prize money up for grabs – a 20% increase.
And the race becomes the only Group One seven-furlong race in the country, and one of only two in Europe.
The upgrade means there will now be a Group One race on all four days of York’s Ebor Festival in August.
James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at York Racecourse, told YorkMix: “The only other place that has a Group One race on every day of its feature festival is Royal Ascot.
“There are only 24 Group One races anywhere in England and Ireland. To qualify for that exclusive club, you need to attract the best horses over a number of years, so it’s a pretty high bar, and we’ve achieved that.”
Chairman of the York Race Committee, Bridget Guerin, said: “This is simply fantastic news and a real credit to everyone involved, especially our valued partners, Sky Bet, who have made a significant investment to help us build the prize fund and status of the City of York Stakes.
“My thanks to the European Pattern Committee and to all the connections who have supported the race and so helped it achieve this new status.”
York will also be the new venue for the Group Three Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Criterion Stakes, transferred from Newmarket and run on 28 June.