'NEVER Ever' will you find two finer days of entertainment and high quality racing than at York Racecourse's Music Showcase.
With Grammy Award winner Jess Glynne ready to blast out her five number one singles following Friday evening's racing action, All Saints take centre stage on Saturday.
Having supported Take That on their recent 'Wonderland' tour, the popular girl band are sure to be a hit with the large Knavesmire crowds.
The only evening fixture of the season at York gets underway at 6pm on Friday with gates opening at 4pm.
The highlight of this valuable six-race card is the ninth running of a Listed race for fillies and mares, the British Stallion Studs EBF Lyric Stakes.
The contests offers an increased prize fund of £50,000 and is one of 21 contests at the course this year supported by The European Breeders’ Fund.
Last year’s race was won by Diploma, another smart sort in the colours of HM The Queen, from the yard of Sir Michael Stoute.
Also featured on a Friday evening card worth over £110,000 is a handicap contest over five and a half furlongs that demonstrates Sky Bet’s commitment to the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival.
This meeting is part of the initiative that links the eight flat courses in the county, over nine days of fantastic sport.
Apprentice jockeys are in the spotlight in the opening race, The Think as One Stakes, with two-year-olds battling it out in The Best One Xtra Local Median Auction Novice Stakes.
Meanwhile, a competitive handicap takes the name of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. A much missed York Annual Badgeholder, Tom Parsons, is remembered by just the sort of handicap that he enjoyed solving.
On Saturday, a high quality seven-race programme means prize money will exceed £250,000.
The action starts at 2.05pm with the entire card sponsored by Sky Bet.
The principal race is the 12th running of The Sky Bet York Stakes, with record prize money of £120,000 (up by £20,000).
This Group 2 contest is run over the extended one mile and a quarter, and was won last year by Time Test – a thoroughbred now running in Group One races in the USA, still in those famous Juddmonte silks.
According to recent history Saturday’s victor could reappear in the best race in Great Britain – and the richest race of York’s season – the £1,000,000 Juddmonte International on Wednesday, August 23.
Also featured on Saturday’s card is the fastest race of the two days, the Sky Bet Dash.
This £50,000 sprint is over six furlongs. Last year’s winner was Kimberalla, yet another quality sprinter trained by David 'Dandy' Nicholls whose passing sees the horse now in the care of fellow Yorkshire handler Richard Fahey.
Former racehorses now in the care of ‘New Beginnings’, a Yorkshire-based charity, are in attendance on Saturday, enabling racegoers to see them at close hand.
Several giant screens will enable racegoers to enjoy even more of the action from both the track and the stage on both days, as well as following the action from the other big Saturday race meeting at Ascot and Test match cricket from The Oval.
Away from the main stage, there will be music from both Doctor Jazz and The Monotones, while the popular ‘Punter’s Panel’ takes place prior to racing helping racegoers to identify possible winners.
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