ENGLISH TEXTS the winning post. With a tablecloth, Racing Post and picnic laid out on a folding table, they were attentively following ITV Racing on their smartphones while waiting to see the horses“ for real.” Walking further, I overheard two young men behind me debating Sierra Leone and his chances of repeating in the Breeders’ Cup in November. Clearly, these two hadn’ t come to the racecourse just for the beer! Welcomed with a smile at the entrance, I was soon stopped by a punter:“ Excuse me, are you the one who presents French racing on Sky Sports Racing …?” The first of several such encounters- it has never happened to me so often on a racecourse! I see two possible explanations: either the public in the north of England is more open and friendly than that of the south, or they are genuine horse and racing aficionados, loyal viewers of the specialist channel. In any case, they are good people! At York, the magic works. International-class yet human in scale, it is no coincidence that the racecourse has been rewarded in every category: from hospitality( 10-time winner of Best British Racecourse according to the Racegoers’ Club, Best Experience for Co-owners according to the Racehorse Syndicates Association, and even top rating for a British racecourse by the National Association of Racing Staff), to track and grounds maintenance( 2025 Groundstaff of the Year), to environmental commitment( Green
Award from the Racecourse Association), and of course the ultimate pride, the Longines World’ s Best Horse Race for the Juddmonte International Stakes. These accolades are the well-deserved reward for a team that pays attention to every detail and thinks of everyone, from Queen Camilla, who unveiled a commemorative plaque for the 2024 Juddmonte International, to the lads leading up the horses, and every layer of the public. The various restaurants and cafés serve excellent local products( yes, you can eat well in England!) at reasonable prices, the atmosphere is warm with a traditional brass band, best-dressed competitions and the presence of the retired racehorse Goldream. But above all, in front of the grandstand with its emblematic red, white and blue( or why not blue, white and red) spiral pillars, the racing is of the very highest quality. Thanks to years of international scouting and record prize money, Japanese trainers were present for the second consecutive year in the Juddmonte International, alongside Francis-Henri Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs. Later in the week, the racecourse made headlines on the other side of the world with the triumph of the Australian mare Asfoora in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes, while the brand-new Group 1 Sky Bet City of York Stakes lived up to its billing with a high-class field and a thrilling finish. For the French, it’ s not easy to attend the Ebor Festival. In the middle of the Deauville meeting( or beach holidays), its timing doesn’ t make travel any easier— not to mention the trip is already long enough without a private plane! But a road trip to the north of England, or an EasyJet return to Manchester, is certainly worth it for racing fans. And why not extend the stay to discover the training grounds of Karl Burke, who knows the way between Yorkshire and Deauville all too well!
IRE
� PAGE 79
VICKI GIBBINS’ CHRONICLE
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �
FAVOURABLE STATISTICS FOR MINNIE HAUK AHEAD OF QATAR PRIX DE L’ ARC DE TRIOMPHE TARGET
A race in Yorkshire, an Irish winner and a French target: ticking all the boxes for a Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe contender. The Yorkshire Oaks( Gr. 1), held during York’ s Ebor Festival, has played a significant role for fillies and mares in search of a possible Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe( Gr. 1) glory over the past decade and this year’ s renewal proved
147 # 12