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Aug
Ripon set for £100,000 Great St Wilfrid Handicap
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Ripon Races is preparing for its biggest and most valuable fixture of the season on Saturday (August 15).
The six-furlong Great St Wilfrid Handicap has been held annually since 1960 and since then has attracted leading trainers and jockeys, such as Mick Easterby and Lester Piggott.
The prize money for Saturday’s race is about £100,000, with £52,000 going to the winner. Early betting for the Class 2 race has Fast Track Harry a narrow 11-2 favourite.
Last year’s prize money for all the races on the day was £215,000.
Gambling firm William Hill, which has sponsored the Great St Wilfrid Handicap since 1994, continues the fundraising partnership it started last year with the MND Association.
As part of this, the 2025 raceday featured bespoke number seven saddlecloths to mark the legacy of MND Association patron and Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow.
The second race on the card on Saturday, the Racing For Tamara Ripon Hornblower EBF Novice Stakes, will again be dedicated to Tamara, a former William Hill employee living with MND, whose family will be present on the day to award the trophy.
The Mick Appleby-trained 16-1 shot Intervention won last year's Great St Wilfrid Handicap.
Gates open at 11am and the first race is at 1.45pm. Club enclosure tickets have already sold out.
William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said:
As one of the longest standing sponsorships in racing, Great St Wilfrid Day at Ripon is always significant for William Hill, and this year we’re thrilled to be continuing our partnership with the MND Association after a successful raceday in 2025, which saw over £30,000 donated to our partner charity.
This year we have five co-sponsored races on the card, with the William Hill/MND Association Great St Wilfrid Handicap being the day’s feature race.
Jo Coker, director of income generation for MND Association, said last year’s race day “not only raised significant funds to support people with motor neurone disease and their families but also helped shine a spotlight on the realities of MND and the urgent need for continued investment in support and research”.
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