York Racecourse and Sky Bet are teaming up to celebrate their partnership over York’s most famous race, the Ebor and are turning furlongs into funding for a local community cause with a £5,000 grant to a community project or charity based in and around York.

The 2019 Ebor Community Fund offers twenty-two local organisations a chance to win £5,000 if their allocated horse wins the Sky Bet Ebor itself. Local charities and community groups have been asked to nominate a project or cause for a chance to receive the cash prize.

Each local cause will put forward a submission outlining their project / charity and how they would put the funds to good use. Each of the 22 projects will then be allocated a runner in the big race run on Saturday 24 August, with the action on the track being the way to determine the winner - the organisation who is allocated the winning horse will then receive the £5,000.

Commenting on the initiative, Michael Shinners, Head of Sports PR at Sky Bet, commented: “The Ebor is named in recognition of the Roman name for York and has been running for over 160 years. During that time there have been some fantastic occasions and as a Yorkshire based company, we’re proud to support a community based project or charity in the city that has given so much to York Races and the sport as a whole.”

First run in 1843, the race has long been at the heart of the sporting and social narrative of York. In 2019, the latest chapter in a rich history of racing, will be written. The Ebor becomes the richest handicap run on the flat in Europe, offering a prize fund of £1,000,000 for the first time. 

Talking about the 2019 Ebor Community Fund, James Brennan, Head of Marketing at York Racecourse said: “It’s a way to help further connect the famous race and our local community; we hope it all adds to the rich story of the Ebor. York Racecourse is proud to have been in the city since 1731 and is delighted to be in partnership with our Yorkshire based sponsor to support a valuable community project or charity.”

Each organisation will be allocated a stall number for the race. When the draw for stalls is made at random on Thursday 22^nd August each cause will find out their runner for the race. A pair of representatives of each cause will be invited to be present for Ebor day on Saturday 24 August and the representatives will be invited to join in the celebrations with the connections of the winning horse.

Download the Ebor Community Fund Official Entry Form here.

For the full terms & conditions please click here.