YORK RACECOURSE'S showpiece Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival will see its prize pot boosted by nearly £400,000 this August.

Chiefs at the Knavesmire track have announced the total cash on offer during the four day horse racing extravaganza will be a massive £3.8 million - a ten per cent increase of £370,000 on last year.

Having already decided to pump more than a quarter of a million into the event, which runs from Wednesday, August 19 until Saturday August, 22, an extra £140,000 has now been added because of the "strong performance of the business across racing and non-racing events".

Every race at the meeting will now be worth at least £50,000, with prize funds running down to at least sixth place. Twenty three of the 25 Ebor races will see an increase on last year's levels.

A total of £1.25 million will be up for grabs on the first day, with just over £1 million to be won on the second, £730,000 on the third day and £825,000 for the climax.

As well as staging their richest ever race, the £850,000 Juddmonte International which is the feature of the opening day, York chiefs have increased the Group 2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes to £220,000 - up £20,000 from last year.

It means the contest is cemented as the richest race of its type for juvenile colts in Britain. The Group 2 Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes is also now the richest Group 2 race for juvenile fillies, benefitting from a £50,000 increase on last year and now offering £200,000.

The Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes will be run at a record £85,000, while the EBF Convivial Maiden's £50,000 haul makes it the richest maiden race in the country.

Feature races at the Ebor Festival have already seen significant extra investment with the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, over five furlongs, worth £310,000 this year and the signature Betfred Ebor the richest Flat handicap in Europe at £275,000.

Lord Grimthorpe, York Racecourse chairman, said: "York is delighted that our continued commercial success has allowed us to invest in the facilities, prize money and experience of racing at York. Our aim at the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival is to attract the best horses and jockeys to race at York and to stage compelling, competitive race action.

"Our investment in prize money has already been rewarded with tremendous entries for our three Group 1 contests and our hope is that these further increases will be rewarded by first-class fields and top quality contests

"Our continued thanks to our supporters and sponsors who help us to invest in racing at York.”

William Derby, York Racecourse chief executive, added: "It is a huge statement of intent in our aim to attract the best horses to come and race at York. We will continue to invest in prize money to retain the status of the races we run.

"We have had tremendous entries for our Group 1 races at the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival with American and Australian horses targeting races at York. We want to build on the competitive nature of every race at the meeting.

"A prize fund of £50,000 for the least valuable race is a huge support to the meeting and supports the racing industry in North Yorkshire, which has 120 training yards in the county."