RECORD prize money of over £5.5million will be up for grabs at York Races this year.

Chief executive and clerk of the course William Derby revealed £4.3m of the total would be dispensed during York's 15-day season with the rest paid out in September's two-day Ladbrokes St Leger Festival, which has been transferred to Knavesmire because of Doncaster's refurbishment.

The action starts next Wednesday with the start of the three-day May Festival which will provide important clues to forthcoming Classics like the Vodafone Derby and the Oaks.

York's traditional flagship race, the Juddmonte International, run at the Ebor Festival (August 22-24) will have a record prize fund of £500,000 - a rise of £40,000.

"Overall, more than 50 per cent of our races will offer £20,000 or more, with 23 having prize funds running into six figures," said Derby.

The Symphony Group Acomb Stakes, on the opening day of the Ebor Festival, has been promoted to Group Three status. A new Group Two race, to be run on Saturday, July 29, will be called the Skybet York Stakes.

Next week's meeting is bound to be a cracker with the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes and the Duke of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes the centrepiece of the opening day's action.

Godolphin are hoping for a "top run" from Palace Episode in the totesport Dante Stakes the following day ahead of a possible tilt at the Vodafone Derby.

The son of Machiavellian was bought out of Kevin Ryan's Hambleton yard by Sheikh Mohammed's operation after he won the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster last October and has recently been pleasing connections in his homework.

The last two winners of the Dante, North Light and Motivator, both went on to win the Derby.

Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said: "We are aiming Palace Episode at the Dante and in the last month he has really been coming to hand very well. We are very pleased with him. He's put in a couple of nice bits of work and he'll be straight enough next week and we'd be hopeful of a top run from him."

Arch rivals Coolmore are set to take on Palace Episode with Septimus, who was three lengths back in third in the Racing Post Trophy.

On his reappearance Aidan O'Brien's colt finished seventh, beaten less than two lengths by the winner Barastraight, in the Prix La Force at Longchamp last month, a run which satisfied the master of Ballydoyle.

He said: "The plan at the moment is to run Septimus. Our horses are improving a lot with a run. He had a run in France where he ran a lovely race, which came at a time when our horses were very ring rusty.

"We were very happy with him and so was Kieren (Fallon), who thought York would suit him, so the plan at the moment is to go straight to the Dante."

Updated: 10:07 Wednesday, May 10, 2006