Ebor Festival 2026 Schedule: Times, Dates and ITV Coverage
The Ebor Festival takes over York Racecourse from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 August 2026, with seven races each day and 28 across the meeting. Gates open at 11am, racing begins at 1:50pm and finishes at 5:20pm. ITV1’s live programme starts at 1:30pm each afternoon, giving viewers time to assess the card — and anyone planning a bet can compare the latest free bets and betting offers before the action starts rather than chasing prices between races.
Ebor Festival 2026: key times
| Detail | Time/date |
|---|---|
| Festival dates | Wednesday 19–Saturday 22 August |
| York Racecourse gates open | 11:00am daily |
| ITV1 coverage starts | 1:30pm daily |
| First race | 1:50pm daily |
| Feature race | 3:35pm daily |
| ITV1’s final scheduled race | 4:10pm daily |
| Sixth race | 4:45pm |
| Final race | 5:20pm daily |
| Number of races | 28 |
*York lists an 11am opening time on all four days, while ITV’s current schedule has its Ebor Festival programme beginning at 1:30pm each afternoon.
Full Ebor Festival 2026 schedule and race times
Wednesday 19 August: Juddmonte International Day
The opening afternoon is built around one of the Flat season’s biggest races, the £1.5 million Juddmonte International at 3:35pm. York currently lists seven races from 1:50pm to 5:20pm.
| Time | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 1:50pm | Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Stakes | ITV1 |
| 2:25pm | Tattersalls Acomb Stakes — Group 3 | ITV1 |
| 3:00pm | Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes — Group 2 | ITV1 |
| 3:35pm | Juddmonte International Stakes — Group 1 | ITV1 |
| 4:10pm | Sky Bet Stayers Stakes | ITV1 |
| 4:45pm | Irish Marketing Stakes | Racing TV |
| 5:20pm | Sky Bet Nursery Handicap | Racing TV |
The Juddmonte is run over just over a mile and a quarter and carries £1.5 million in prize-money in 2026. Ten horses remained in the field at the latest published stage, with Ombudsman and Constitution River dominating the betting.
Thursday 20 August: Yorkshire Oaks and Ladies Day
Thursday combines Ladies Day off the track with the Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks at 3:35pm. The Group 1 for fillies and mares is worth £600,000.
| Time | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 1:50pm | Sky Bet Lowther Stakes — Group 2 | ITV1 |
| 2:25pm | Harry’s Half Million by Goffs Stakes | ITV1 |
| 3:00pm | Sir Kevin Sinfield 7 in 7 Grand Finale Stakes | ITV1 |
| 3:35pm | Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks — Group 1 | ITV1 |
| 4:10pm | British EBF and Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes — Listed | ITV1 |
| 4:45pm | Mews Hotel EBF Stallions Nursery Handicap | Racing TV |
| 5:20pm | British EBF Fillies’ Handicap | Racing TV |
York’s latest raceday listing is used for the race names above; sponsorship titles can occasionally differ between TV listings and racecourse schedules.
Friday 21 August: Nunthorpe Day
Friday is about speed. The Coolmore City of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes is a five-furlong Group 1 open to horses aged two and upwards and carries £600,000 in prize-money. It goes off at the familiar feature-race time of 3:35pm.
| Time | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 1:50pm | Sky Bet Mile Stakes | ITV1 |
| 2:25pm | Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup — Group 2 | ITV1 |
| 3:00pm | Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes — Group 2 | ITV1 |
| 3:35pm | Coolmore City of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes — Group 1 | ITV1 |
| 4:10pm | Assured Data Protection Stakes | ITV1 |
| 4:45pm | British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes | Racing TV |
| 5:20pm | Sky Bet EBF Fillies Stakes | Racing TV |
Bacio is the current Nunthorpe favourite at around 3/1 in the latest market, with the final field considerably tighter than the original ante-post entry list.
Saturday 22 August: Sky Bet Ebor Day
The meeting finishes with its namesake race. The Sky Bet Ebor Handicap is scheduled for 3:35pm and is worth £500,000, with £300,000 to the winner.
Saturday also has an important addition to the top level: the Sky Bet City of York Stakes at 3:00pm is now a Group 1, giving the meeting another elite race immediately before the Ebor.
| Time | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 1:50pm | Sky Bet Strensall Stakes — Group 3 | ITV1 |
| 2:25pm | Sky Bet Melrose Stakes | ITV1 |
| 3:00pm | Sky Bet City of York Stakes — Group 1 | ITV1 |
| 3:35pm | Sky Bet Ebor Handicap | ITV1 |
| 4:10pm | Sky Bet Constantine Stakes | ITV1 |
| 4:45pm | Julia Graves Roses Stakes — Listed | Racing TV |
| 5:20pm | Sky Bet Dav Reid Finale Handicap | Racing TV |
The Constantine Handicap is currently listed at £135,000 by Racing Post, while the final Dav Reid Finale is a £100,000 heritage handicap over just over a mile and a quarter.
What time is the Ebor?
The 2026 Sky Bet Ebor starts at 3:35pm on Saturday 22 August at York Racecourse.
It is the fourth race on Saturday’s seven-race card and follows the newly upgraded Group 1 City of York Stakes at 3:00pm.
The Ebor is run over approximately one mile and six furlongs and has a maximum field of 22. The 2026 race carries a £500,000 prize fund.
Quick Saturday sequence
- 2:25pm — Melrose Stakes
- 3:00pm — City of York Stakes, Group 1
- 3:35pm — Sky Bet Ebor
- 4:10pm — Constantine Stakes
That gives ITV1 a particularly strong 35-minute sequence going into the meeting’s signature handicap.
Ebor Festival TV channel: is York racing on ITV?
ITV1 has live Ebor Festival coverage on all four days. ITV’s current schedule starts at 1:30pm from Wednesday through Saturday and includes the first five York races each day, from the 1:50 through to the 4:10.
York’s race listings place the final two races at 4:45pm and 5:20pm on Racing TV.
| Channel | Coverage |
|---|---|
| ITV1 | Live from 1:30pm; scheduled races at 1:50, 2:25, 3:00, 3:35 and 4:10 |
| Racing TV | Specialist racing coverage, including the later 4:45 and 5:20 races |
ITV does warn that last-minute schedule changes remain possible, so anyone tuning in for one specific race should recheck listings on the day.
The four 3:35pm feature races
One of the simplest ways to remember the Ebor Festival timetable is that the headline race starts at 3:35pm every day.
| Day | 3:35pm feature | Grade/type | Prize fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | Juddmonte International | Group 1 | £1.5m |
| Thursday | Yorkshire Oaks | Group 1 | £600,000 |
| Friday | Nunthorpe Stakes | Group 1 | £600,000 |
| Saturday | Sky Bet Ebor | Heritage Handicap | £500,000 |
The first three are Group 1 races. Saturday’s Ebor is a top-level heritage handicap rather than a Group race, making it a very different betting puzzle.
Ebor Festival betting watchlist: one market leader for each day
With four days of racing, there is little reason to treat the whole meeting as one betting decision. Different races bring very different risk profiles: Wednesday’s Juddmonte is dominated by two elite horses, while Saturday’s Ebor is a much deeper handicap.
The following are market snapshots, not guaranteed prices:
| Day/race | Selection | Guide odds | Market angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juddmonte International | Ombudsman | 10/11 | Defending champion and current favourite |
| Yorkshire Oaks | Kalpana | 5/4 | King George winner heading the market |
| Nunthorpe | Bacio | 3/1 | Current favourite in the five-furlong Group 1 |
| Sky Bet Ebor | Beylerbeyi | 12/1 | One of the shorter-priced Ebor contenders before the final field settles |
Ombudsman was around 10/11 in the current Juddmonte market, Kalpana 5/4 for the Yorkshire Oaks, Bacio 3/1 for the Nunthorpe and Beylerbeyi around 12/1 in the Ebor market at the time of checking on Monday 17 August.
Readers looking for more analysis can use BetBrothers’ horse racing predictions pages.
What time should you arrive at York Racecourse?
The gates open at 11am every day, almost three hours before the 1:50pm opener.
Arriving earlier gives racegoers time to enter, find their enclosure, see the Parade Ring and settle in before betting markets become busier close to the first race.
Anyone attending County Stand should also check the Ebor Festival dress code before leaving home, particularly because the clothing rules differ significantly from Grandstand & Paddock.
