2026 Festival schedule

The Ebor Festival runs across four afternoons, Wednesday to Saturday. Each day has seven or eight races with a Group 1 or major handicap as the featured race.

Wednesday — Juddmonte International Day

• Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1, 1m 2f) — open-age middle-distance championship. Widely regarded as the strongest 1m 2f race in Europe after the Irish Champion Stakes.
• Ebor Handicap (Premier Handicap, 1m 6f) — the festival's namesake race and the richest handicap in Europe. 20+ runners typical.

Thursday — Yorkshire Oaks Day

• Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1, 1m 4f) — fillies'/mares' middle-distance championship. Winners often target the Arc.
• Lonsdale Cup (Group 2, 2m) — the principal stayer's race of the meeting; Irish St Leger trial.

Friday — Ladies' Day / Lowther Day

• Lowther Stakes (Group 2, 6f) — 2YO fillies' championship; winners often target the Cheveley Park next month.
• Strensall Stakes (Group 3, 1m 1f) — strong 3YO handicap.

Saturday — Nunthorpe Day

• Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1, 5f) — the minimum-trip sprint championship of the European summer. 2YOs take on older sprinters — one of the few Group 1s where 2YOs can win.

Detail	Value
Festival start	Tuesday 18 August 2026
First race off time	TBA
Going	TBA
Typical daily field size	per Group 1

Ante-post markets

Ebor Handicap ante-post books open in early August and attract heavy punting. The Juddmonte International typically attracts 6-10 runners — short-priced favourites are common. Nunthorpe produces the festival's biggest upsets, with 20/1+ winners a regular occurrence. Each-way terms on the big Ebor Handicap typically 5 places.

History and signature races

York has hosted flat racing since 1731, but the Ebor Festival in its modern four-day format dates to 1973 when the course expanded from a three-day August meeting. Each of the four days is now a standalone event in its own right with a Group 1 or major handicap headliner.

The Ebor Handicap itself — the race that gives the festival its name — dates to 1843 and remains one of the most distinctive handicaps in Europe: 1m 6f, open-age, Heritage Handicap status, 20+ runners typical.

The signature races

Juddmonte International Stakes (Wednesday, G1 1m 2f) — named after the Juddmonte breeding operation (sponsorship dates to 1992). Former titles include Benson & Hedges Gold Cup and International. The race's roll of honour includes Frankel (2012), Sea The Stars (2009), Sakhee (2001), Authorized (2007), Ulysses (2017), Nashwan (1989) — a who's-who of European middle-distance champions.

Yorkshire Oaks (Thursday, G1 1m 4f) — the fillies'/mares' counterpart to the Juddmonte. Many Arc winners have used it as their key prep: Enable (2017, 2019), Snow Fairy (2010), Pretty Polly (1904 — one of the race's earliest superstars). The race dates to 1849.

Nunthorpe Stakes (Saturday, G1 5f) — the most democratic Group 1 in Europe because it's open to all ages from 2YO up. Mumtaz Mahal (1923), Dayjur (1990), Lochsong (1993, 1994) are the historic legends. Modern winners include Battaash (2019) who set the course record.

Ebor Handicap (Wednesday, Premier Handicap 1m 6f) — the richest flat handicap in Europe. Heritage race status; 20+ declared runners typical. Persian Punch (2003) is one of the most famous winners; the race regularly throws up 25/1+ shock winners.

Lowther Stakes (Friday, G2 6f) — the 2YO fillies' championship. Winners have included Tepin, Winter, and many future 1000 Guineas winners.

Frankel at York

The 2012 Juddmonte International remains the defining modern performance at the festival — Frankel won his first race over 1m 2f in the softest of going, beating Farhh by 7 lengths while his trainer Sir Henry Cecil watched terminally ill in a wheelchair at the rail. A 2022 statue of Frankel was unveiled at York in his memory.

Recent champions

This section updates after each year's meeting — see /racing-news/ for the most recent race result articles.

TV coverage and how to watch

The 2026 Ebor Festival is broadcast on ITV1 (selected races, free-to-air UK) and Racing TV (full four-day card).

UK terrestrial — ITV1 / ITVX

ITV Racing's Ebor Festival coverage typically runs from 1:30pm on each of the festival's four afternoons, carrying the Juddmonte International (Wed), Yorkshire Oaks (Thu), one Friday feature, and the Nunthorpe (Sat). Not every festival race airs on ITV — only the Group 1s and the headline handicaps.

ITVX carries the shown races live and on demand after the event, free to UK viewers.

Racing TV

Racing TV carries the full four-day festival (~28 races across Wed-Sat) with extensive pre- and post-race analysis. Racing TV's Ebor Festival Pass is typically offered as a four-day bundle — the best value if you want every race.

Sky Sports Racing

Sky Sports Racing does not hold rights to the Ebor Festival — York is on Racing TV and selected ITV. Sky Sports Racing will cover complementary UK afternoon fixtures (typically Ripon, Salisbury or Bath).

International

• Ireland: Racing TV (via UPC / Sky Ireland) carries the full festival.
• US: TVG / FanDuel Racing for the Group 1s; US-turf punters follow the Juddmonte closely.
• Australia: Sky Thoroughbred Central carries the Nunthorpe and selected races.
• Japan: Green Channel — Japanese owners regularly target the Ebor Festival.

Replays

ITVX (free) + Racing TV (subscriber) keep the races on demand. The Racing Post and York's official YouTube channel post the Group 1 race videos within hours of each race.

Off-time reminders

York's first race each day is around 1:55pm — the festival runs seven races per afternoon. The big-field Ebor Handicap (~20 runners) on Wednesday typically loads a little slower than the Group 1s; expect TBA to move by 2-3 minutes on that one. Group 1s run to tight schedule with ITV.

Raceday at York

Getting there

York Racecourse (the Knavesmire) is at York, North Yorkshire, YO23 1EX — 1.5 miles south of York city centre. The nearest station is York (LNER, GNER, TransPennine Express — direct from London Kings Cross in ~2 hours), then a 20-minute walk or short taxi/park-and-ride bus to the Knavesmire.

Drivers: A64 from the M1 (Junction 32) via Leeds, or A1(M) then A64 from the south. Multiple car parks: Centre Course (Category 1), Railway Car Park, Terry Avenue. Premium parking requires advance booking.

The enclosures

Four tickets for the Ebor Festival:

• County Stand — the premier enclosure, best grandstand views, hospitality options. Smart day-dress expected.
• Grandstand & Paddock — main public enclosure with excellent paddock and rails access.
• Clocktower Enclosure — mid-course enclosure with bars and big-screen viewing.
• Course Enclosure — budget option on the far side with picnic space. No dress code.

Ebor Festival tickets sell in advance — book by mid-July for County Stand. Ladies' Day (Friday) sells fastest.

On the day

• Gates open around 11:00am.
• First race is usually 1:55pm.
• Group 1 feature is typically the fourth race, around 3:35pm — exact times vary day by day.
• Parade ring is busy 30 minutes before each feature — worth being there for the Juddmonte, Yorkshire Oaks and Nunthorpe.
• The Knavesmire: York's course is known as one of the fairest in Britain — wide, flat, with minimal camber. Draw bias is usually minor; galloping gallopers have the advantage.

Dress code

County Stand: smart day-dress expected. Men typically suit + tie for Group 1 days; women wear dresses with hats or fascinators. Ladies' Day (Friday) is the festival's dress-up highlight — full hats on. Grandstand & Paddock: no strict code but festival crowd is well-dressed. Clocktower / Course: no dress code.

Food and drink

York has extensive hospitality including the prestigious Northern Hospitality packages. Standard food outlets across all enclosures offer traditional Yorkshire fare (pork pie, fish and chips) alongside street-food traders. Bars across all enclosures. The Course Enclosure is picnic-friendly.

Betting

Tote facilities and on-course bookmakers across all enclosures. ATM cash machines on-site — expect queues on Ebor Handicap Wednesday and Nunthorpe Saturday which are the two biggest betting days. Bring cash for the rails. Our bookmaker comparison guide covers online alternatives for betting from the stand.