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16
Apr
Ripon under starter’s orders for another season of racing
Racing return to Ripon today with the first meeting of the season.
Horse racing has taken place in the city for hundreds of years, with the current Boroughbridge Road course being used since 1900.
Known as Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse due to its picturesque and intimate atmosphere, the venue is popular with local people as well as race fans from further afield.
Sixteen flat racing fixtures between April and September are listed on this season’s calendar.
The highlight is the annual Great St Wilfrid’s Handicap on August 15, a six-furlong sprint worth £100,000 last year.
The first evening meeting is on June 3, Ladies Day is June 18 and there are two family days in August.
Today’s card features seven races, starting at 2pm, and the going is good to soft. The Ripon Cock O The North Handicap at 4.16pm is the big race.
More than five million people went racing in 2025. It was the first time the figure had passed that figure since 2019.
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