Ripon Racecourse will host an eight-race Flat programme on Monday, August 31, offering a varied afternoon of racing from sprint contests for two-year-olds to middle-distance races for older horses. The card begins at 1:55pm and continues through to 5:50pm, with races spread across several classes and distances on the turf. The meeting features a strong Listed contest alongside handicaps, restricted events and classified races, providing opportunities for horses with different levels of experience and ratings.
Ripon Racecards 31 August 2026
The highlight of the afternoon is the 3:05pm British Stallion Studs EBF Ripon Champion Two Years Old Trophy Stakes, a Class 1 Listed Race carrying a £55,000 prize fund, making it the highest-prize race on the card. The six-furlong contest is restricted to two-year-olds and is expected to provide one of the most competitive tests of the meeting. With Listed status attached to the event, the race carries considerable significance for young horses looking to strengthen their credentials at an important stage of their development.
The meeting opens at 1:55pm with the Squadron Flyer at Aldwark Manor Estate EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes, a six-furlong Class 4 contest for two-year-olds. With £11,000 available in prize money, the race gives inexperienced juveniles an opportunity to gain valuable experience over a sprinting distance. As an EBF Restricted Race Qualifier, the contest also adds an important qualification element to the opening race of the afternoon.
At 2:30pm, the programme moves up in distance for the Harrogate Theatre Panto Tickets Now On-Sale Restricted Novice Stakes. The Class 4 event covers one mile, two furlongs and 190 yards and is open to horses aged three to five. With a £10,000 prize fund, the race presents a different challenge from the opening sprint and should test the participants’ ability to maintain their effort over a longer trip.
The afternoon’s feature arrives at 3:05pm with the British Stallion Studs EBF Ripon Champion Two Years Old Trophy Stakes. The six-furlong Listed race is exclusively for two-year-olds and stands apart from the rest of the programme because of its Class 1 status and substantial £55,000 prize fund. The event is likely to attract considerable attention as emerging young talent takes centre stage at Ripon.
The 3:40pm Ripon Rowels Handicap Stakes provides another major contest, with £30,000 in prize money. The Class 2 race is run over one mile and is open to three-year-olds and older horses rated between 81 and 100. The shorter distance places emphasis on pace and positioning, while the rating conditions are designed to bring together horses of a relatively similar standard.
At 4:10pm, attention turns to the Book Online at ripon-races.co.uk Handicap Stakes. This Class 5 contest is scheduled over five furlongs and is open to three-year-olds and older horses rated between 56 and 75. With a £9,000 prize fund, the race introduces another sprinting challenge to the programme and follows the longer one-mile Class 2 event.
The card then features two divisions of the Napoleons Casino and Restaurant Leeds Classified Stakes, beginning at 4:45pm. Both are Class 6 contests over one mile, one furlong and 170 yards, with horses aged three and older and ratings from 0 to 50 eligible to compete. Each division carries £7,000 in prize money, creating closely matched opportunities for horses competing at this level.
The second division takes place at 5:20pm, following the same conditions and distance as the first. The split into two divisions allows a larger group of eligible runners to compete while maintaining the structure of the programme. Both races should provide an opportunity for participants to demonstrate consistency over a demanding intermediate distance.
The day’s racing concludes at 5:50pm with the AJA Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Stakes. This Class 6 event covers one mile, two furlongs and 190 yards and is open to four-year-olds and older horses rated between 46 and 65. With £7,000 available, the closing race adds another layer of variety to the card and places the focus on horses capable of handling the distance under amateur jockey conditions.
Overall, Ripon’s Monday programme combines juvenile races, Listed competition, handicaps and classified events across distances ranging from five furlongs to more than a mile and two furlongs. The £55,000 Listed feature provides the meeting’s principal attraction, while the £30,000 Ripon Rowels Handicap is another significant race on an afternoon designed to showcase horses across several levels of competition.
With eight races scheduled between 1:55pm and 5:50pm, the meeting offers a broad mixture of racing action and a useful platform for both developing youngsters and more experienced performers. The combination of sprint races, middle-distance contests and different class levels ensures that Ripon’s August programme will provide an engaging conclusion to the month on the Yorkshire track.
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