York Racecourse

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Resounding Finale to York’s Season
09/10/07

The curtain comes down on another memorable season at York with the traditional two-day October Meeting on Friday and Saturday (October 12 & 13), when racing on both days is set to begin at 2-10 p.m., the highlights being a top-class valuable sprint race, the renowned Band of The Coldstream Guards and also big-match atmosphere as international football will be shown on a big screen as England take on Estonia in Euro 2008 qualifier.

The action on Friday features the £18,000 TSG Stakes, a handicap contest for leading milers supported for the third year by The TSG Group, a provider of IT services to businesses throughout the UK. The opening race – a Conditions contest over the extended one mile and a quarter – is sponsored by local chartered accountants, Garbutt & Elliott who are supporting this meeting for the seventh year, while the afternoon’s Nursery Handicap for two-year-olds is also supported for the seventh time by the West Yorkshire-based specialist printers, Acorn Web Offset. Handicap sprinters line up for The Persimmon Homes Stakes (five furlongs), supported by the York-based Persimmon Homes, the UK’s leading housebuilders, while IG Index support this meeting for the first time, putting their name to a race for maiden two-year-olds.

Friday’s card concludes with The Betfair Apprentice Training Series Finale, the culmination of a special series of eight races for apprentice riders held throughout the UK and which began at Catterick in April. Going into the race, Kirsty Milczarek is the leader of the series, followed by William Carson. The series’ winner will receive a working holiday, valued at £5,000, based with a leading trainer abroad.

Saturday’s principal race is The paddypower.com Sprint Trophy, a prestigious handicap contest over six furlongs offering prize money of £35,000. Won last year by Rising Shadow, trained near Thirsk by David Barron, this competitive race welcomes first time sponsors to York in bookmakers, Paddy Power. The Rockingham Stakes, a £25,000 Listed race for precocious two-year-olds, is supported for the first time by Stowe Family Law LLP, one of the country’s leading private client family law firms, based in Harrogate, as part of the company’s jubilee celebrations,

The York-based Shepherd Group return to the Knavesmire to support the longest race of the meeting – a handicap contest for stayers over two and a quarter miles which utilises the new bend and therefore the entire round course at York. Premium drinks brand, Woodford Bourbon sponsor a handicap race over nine furlongs for the second time; new sponsors, Collingwood Cleaning Services and The European Breeders Fund combine to support a race for maiden two-year-olds. The extended one mile and a quarter is the distance in The Parsonage Country House Hotel Stakes, a handicap contest supported by the Escrick-based renowned hotel as they continue to sponsor at this fixture.

The concluding race on Saturday, The Coldstream Guards Association Handicap Stakes is held over one mile and threequarters and, immediately following the race, the Band of The Coldstream Guards will provide the musical finale to the season from the winners’ enclosure.

Four large screens will show even more of the action, while the popular and informative ‘Punters Panel’ will preview racing on both days from the winners’ podium.

Going into York’s last meeting of 2007, Malton-based trainers, Tim Easterby and Richard Fahey lead the way in the race for The Minster Jaguar Trophy presented to the top trainer of the season at York; they have both registered five winners on the Knavesmire this term, one more than both Luca Cumani and Barry Hills. In The Revolution Bar Top Jockeys’ Award for the leading rider of the season on the Knavesmire, Jamie Spencer, who is in an absorbing battle with Seb Sanders to be Britain’s champion jockey, has recorded an impressive eight winners at York so far this year, and is four winners clear of Australian rider, Kerrin McEvoy.

A fitting climax to York’s 2007 campaign.

For Tickets and more information PLEASE CALL 01904 620911 x225
Or visit www.yorkracecourse.co.uk