York Ebor: Most valuable races

There are a number of prestigious races to come at the 2025 York Ebor Festival, and here we take a look at the races that offer the winner the most prize money.

The 2025 York Ebor Festival is set to arrive at the famous and historic York Racecourse for four days of enthralling action in what is one of the most prestigious events in the world of horse racing. It is set to take place from Wednesday 20th August to Saturday 23rd August 2025.

There will be seven races each day, which means that a total of 28 will be run, from the Symphony Group Stakes at the start of the first day to the Sky Bet Finale Stakes, the concluding race of the fourth and final day of action. Races start at 13:50 each day, with the seventh and final contest taking place at 17:20 in the evening.

Here, we are going to take a look at the races that offer the most prize money to the winner.

5: Tattersalls Acomb Stakes – £165,000

We will be starting this list with the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes, which will be offering a very cool £165,000 in prize money for whoever comes out on top as the winner of the 2025 renewal of this race.

The Lion in Winter, ridden by Jockey Ryan Moore, are the most recent winners of this race after securing victory ahead of the likes of Silvestre De Sousa’s Wimbledon Hawkeye and William Buick’s Ruling Court, who both had to settle for a second and third place finish respectively in the end.

4: Sky Bet Strensall Stakes & Sky Bet Melrose Stakes – £170,000

Up next are the Sky Bet Strensall Stakes and the Sky Bet Melrose Stakes, which both have prize money amounting to no less than £170,000 for the winner of both races for 2025.

Starting with the Strensall Stakes, they were most recently won by Oisin Murphy, who successfully rode See The Fire to victory in 2024, fending off some stern competition from runner-up Phantom Flight and Checkandchallenge in third.

As for the Melrose Stakes, the most recent running of this race was won by Rossa Ryan and Tabletalk. Meanwhile, Gavin Ryan’s The Equator had to settle for second, whilst Silvestre De Sousa’s Master Builder came in third place.

3: Sky Bet Voltigeur Stakes, Sky Bet Lowther Stakes, Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup & Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes – £250,000

Next on the list are the Sky Bet Voltigeur Stakes, Sky Bet Lowther Stakes, Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup, and the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes which all offer prize money standing at £250,000 for the winners of each of these races.

The most recent Voltigeur Stakes at York back in 2024 were won by Los Angeles who was ridden by Jockey Ryan Moore, who won the year before that in 2023 with Continuous. The two remaining spots in the top three were filled by Wayne Lordan’s Illinois (2nd Place), and by William Buick’s King’s Gambit (3rd Place).

It was Tom Marquand on board Celandine who won the most recent running of the Lowther Stakes, with Richard Kingscote’s Time For Sandals and James Doyle’s Leovanni coming in second and third overall.

Marquand won the year before that in 2023 with Relief Rally.

The most recent Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup was Vauban, who was led to victory by Jockey William Buick and just ahead of Al Nayyir, the runner-up. James Doyle’s Gregory came in third.

As for the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes, they were won most recently in 2024 by Oisin Murphy and Cool Hoof Luke. It was Shadow Of Light and Symbol Of Strength who had to settle for second and third place overall.

2: Harry’s Half Million by Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes, Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes, Sky Bet City of York Stakes & Sky Bet Ebor – £500,000

With prize money of no less than £500,000 for each of the winners, the following races offer the joint second most prize money at the 2024 York Ebor Festival, and they are as follows: the Harry’s Half Million by Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes, the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes, the Sky Bet City of York Stakes and the Sky Bet Ebor.

Starting with the Yearling Stakes, they were won in 2024 by Diligently and Jockey Rossa Ryan, followed by pre-race favourite Arizona Blaze in second place and Sensorium in third.

Moving on to the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, it was pre-race favourite Content, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Jockey Ryan Moore, who came out on top in the most recent running of this race in 2024. You Got To Me and Emily Upjohn came in second and third place respectively.

The 2024 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes were won by Hollie Doyle’s Bradsell, and the jockey was able to fend off some stern competition from the likes of Believing, who was the runner-up, and Starlust, who came in third place.

When it comes to the most recent running of the Sky Bet City of York Stakes in 2024, where Breege came out on top with the victory in the race ahead of runner-up Vafortino, ridden by James Doyle, with Shouldvebeenaring coming in third.

Now for the Sky Bet Ebor, which is the final race worth £500,000 in prize money. Billy Lee won on board pre-race favourite Magical Zoe, whilst it was Kihavah and Oneforthegutter who came in second and third respectively.

1: Juddmonte International Stakes – £1,250,000

The iconic Juddmonte International Stakes is of course prestigious and amongst the highest profile races at the York Ebor Festival each year, and this is most certainly set to be no different in 2025. The prestige of this race means that the prize money for the winner will be an extraordinary £1,250,000, more than any other race at the event this year.

The most recent winner came back in 2024, with Ryan Moore’s City Of Troy victorious. Stephane Pasquier’s Calandagan came in second, whilst Ghostwriter came in third place.

There is plenty of excitement and anticipation for the enthralling action to come across all four days at the historic York Racecourse for the 2025 York Ebor Festival, which is set to start on Wednesday 20th August before coming to a close on Saturday 23rd August 2025.

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