Abseil at York Races for Macmillan Cancer
- Phil Stewart
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
The universe sends out these coincidences every now and then for a reason. Today marks the return of horse racing at York Racecourse with the Dante Festival, but it is also the week in which I said goodbye to my brother due to cancer. Having bravely fought leukaemia for over a year, he recently succumbed to an infection which proved fatal. This year, for the first time, York Racecourse is offering the chance to abseil from the roof of the Knavesmire Stand to raise money for Macmillan Cancer.
The abseil challenge is taking place on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th June 2025 at the June meeting, which is the biggest charity meeting in Britain. You can sign up here for the challenge; pledge to raise a minimum of £500 and then perform the abseil on either of the race days in June from the roof of the Knavesmire Stand. Once completed you will then be able to attend the County Stand for the day as an attendee.
Racing in York has been happening since Roman times, and recent archaeologic evidence suggests that racing has been occurring on the current site since the Neolithic period. The current site, the Knavesmire, has hosted horse racing since 1730 when racing was moved from a location that was more prone to flooding. It is also the site of the hanging of the notorious highwayman robber Dick Turpin in 1739.
York Racecourse is the second largest racecourse in Britain after Ascot in terms of prize money. It has had considerable investment in its facilities in recent years . The Melrose Stand was opened in 1989 and this was followed in turn by the award winning Knavesmire Stand in 1996, with conference facilities. It is actually through its commercial activities as a conference centre in the 2000s that I know York Racecourse well, until I started attending racing here in 2023. 2003 added the Ebor stand and in 2005 York Racecourse hosted Royal Ascot whilst Ascot racecourse itself was being refurbished. More recently, an £8m stand redevelopment was opened in 2024.
York Racecourse hosts a number of meets starting in May with the Dante festival. There is also the largest fundraising race in June with the Macmillan Charity raceday on Saturday 14th June. In August, there is the Ebor festival which runs in late August. Named after the Roman name for York, Eboracum, this is the most important race meeting in York Racecourse's calendar. It hosts one of Europe's premium handicap races. The race seasons concludes with the Season Finale Festival in mid October. In addition to all this there are a number of music festivals and family days hosted at York racecourse, as well of course as their superb conference facilities, when it is not being used on race days. Check out there full calendar of events here.
York Racecourse, aside from the excellent modern facilities, distinguishes itself from other racecourses through the excellent racegoer interaction it provides. Firstly, you can do a free guided tour with retired jockey and former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Robert Earnshaw. Meet times and locations are listed in the day's racecard but usually they start either from outside the weighing room entrance for that tour, or the little hut adjacent to the exit of the Parade Ring. This distinguished jockey gives a valuable insight to action behind the scenes in the world of horse racing, whether it's the strict weight restrictions on jockeys and being weighed prior to each race; or what goes on for preparation at the starting gates. I highly recommend these free tours.
York Racecourse has three enclosures - the most expensive being the County Stand; the mid-tier being the Grandstand enclosure and finally the Clocktower enclosure. The County Stand is the only one with a dress code, and perhaps a quirk of York, only applies to the gentlemen: York Racecourse Dress Code. The Grandstand & Paddock, which is by far the largest of the three, has no formal dress code, although most people do dress up for the day. The Clocktower enclosure is exposed to the elements and is also where people like to have open air picnics when the weather is fine. In the summer meets, there is also a fashion competition to pick the best dressed racegoers from a panel of one of it's sponsors.
Another quirk of York is the restriction on where alcohol can be taken outdoors. It's quite controlled around the County Stand but more relaxed around the Grandstand. Given that York also puts on live music as well (which to me enhances the vibe of the day enormously) it is nice to be outside with a live music soundtrack as you are eating or drinking. I don't get the same vibe from the County Stand where many spend most of their time indoors. I would rather be closer to the action of the racing and hear the live music than see the action on a screen!
You will find a wide variety of restaurants and bars at York Racecourse, ranging from the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Lawn to impromtu bars opening for race days at the side of the Grandstand. Similarly the dining ranges from formal dining to fast food. I've found the food to be excellent at York - I particularly like their Gourmet burgers and the scampi bar serving delicious fried scampi.
So to the racing itself. I don't want to be accused of starting bad racing habits, so I will convey some advice from a friend of a friend at my first race meeting back in 2017. If you want a flutter, then take a limited spending pot, and put a small bet on the race, say £5. If you win, don't be tempted to say "beginner's luck" and spend all the winnings on the next race. Continue to put the same bet on each race, irrespective of any wins. If you want to study form of jockeys and trainers and horses you can do this via these websites: Racing Post. gives some insight into the odds for each upcoming race day; whilst Horse Racing.Net provides some useful stats on the form of jockeys and horses and trainers. Be warned though: at York I've found the favourite often doesn't win, or even come in second. You can also put bets on in advance of the meet via apps although be warned if the odds change in the interim you may be disadvantaged in doing so. To me part of the experience is going up to the totes with old school cash.
York is a well run, clean and efficient racecourse which values racegoer interaction in the form of behind the scene tours and fashion competitions and enhances the experience with live music and great food. It represents good value for money and is well behaved, without being stuffy. I always enjoy the vibe here and the people.
If you know anyone abseiling in June, please do give generously, or alternatively why not have a go at abseiling yourself? Failing that, attendance at the June meet will raise funds for Macmillan Cancer. It is their largest fund raising event of the year.
Thank you.
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