YORK RACES is to hold an additional Saturday of action next July.

Knavesmire is to host racing on Saturday, July 24 - a fortnight after the traditional July meeting featuring the John Smith's Cup.

York still has 15 days racing in 2004, having reduced their October meeting from three days to two.

The July 24 date will probably be featured on Channel 4, even though it clashes with the Ascot meeting featuring the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Redcar, who would have raced on July 24 have moved their fixture to Easter Monday.

Wetherby will have an extra Sunday next season. Their Easter Monday fixture will now be held on Sunday, April 25, the opening day of the 2004/05 jumps season.

The two-day Christmas meeting at Wetherby will be held on Boxing Day (Sunday, December 26) and Boxing Day Bank Holiday Monday (Monday, December 27).

There will be three blank days before Boxing Day.

Beverley will host an extra day's racing, going up to 20 days.

The changes are just part of a massive shake-up in racing which will see meetings on Easter Sunday for the first-time ever.

The total of number of fixtures are up by 70 to a record 1,340. There will be 804 Flat meetings, including 204 all-weather meetings. Jump meetings are down from 544 to 536.

There will be racing on 357 days, producing 320 days' racing from February 2 to December 18 inclusive, broken only by Good friday (April 9).

Racing will be held on 47 Sunday in 2004, compared with 24 this year and 20 last year. There will be 125 Sunday race meetings - an increase of 55 - including the Evening Press-sponsored Raceday on Sunday, September 5.

There are 12 dates with two meetings and 34 with three meetings. The number of meetings on Boxing Day will reduced to six - at Wetherby, Kempton, Market Rasen, Towcester, Uttoxeter, and Wincanton.

There will be a record 223 evening meetings, including a run of 20 consecutive Saturday evenings from April to August.

The York fixtures for 2004, including some of the feature races are:

Tuesday, May 11 (Musidora Stakes); Wednesday, May 12 (Dante Stakes); Thursday, May 13 (Yorkshire Cup); Friday, June 11; Saturday, June 12 (Timeform Charity Day - William Hill Trophy); Friday, July 9; Saturday, July 10 (John Smith's Cup and Foster Silver Cup Rated Stakes); Saturday, July 24; Tuesday, August 17 (Juddmonte International Stakes, Great Voltigeur Stakes); Wednesday, August 18 (Yorkshire Oaks, Tote Ebor, Gimcrack Stakes); Thursday, August 19 (Nunthorpe Stakes, Lowther Stakes); Wednesday, September 1; Sunday, September 5 (Evening Press Sunday raceday); Friday, October 8; Saturday, October 9 (John Smiths Sprint Championship and Coral Eurobet Sprint Trophy).

Fixtures for all the Yorkshire courses will appear in tomorrow's Evening Press.

Updated: 11:39 Thursday, August 07, 2003