As we move deeper into the summer months, the significant festivals continue to queue up on the horizon, with the northern double of the York Ebor Festival and Doncaster St. Leger meeting next in line.
There are no such spectaculars on offer in the second week of August. However, the racing calendar still provides plenty to keep fans entertained – from Tuesday onward, there is at least one event rated at Listed level or above. The action then moves up a notch at the weekend, with Group class entertainment on the Hungerford Stakes card at Newbury, a standout handicap from Ripon, and a Classic Trial at the Curragh.
Listed Feast in Midweek
The week begins quietly with a mix of low-key all-weather and turf cards, but higher quality fare soon arrives. A total of six contests rated at Listed level or above is a solid tally for a non-festival week, with both British and Irish tracks helping to raise the bar:
- Wed 13 August: Stonehenge Stakes – Named in honour of the most famous ancient monument in Britain, this 1m Listed event for the juveniles first appeared at Salisbury in 2001. Charlie Appleby has claimed three of the last four editions and has debut winners Pacific Avenue and Pacifica Pier among the entries in 2025
- Wed 13 August: Upavon Fillies Stakes – First run in 1964, this 1m2f contest for the fillies and mares has featured on the Salisbury menu for far longer than the Stonehenge Stakes. Sir Mark Prescott’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista achieved her first notable success in the 2020 edition
- Wed 13 August: Darley EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes – Gowran Park lays on a near equivalent of the Upavon Fillies Stakes. Also rated at Listed level and restricted to fillies and mares, the Hurry Harriet Stakes is just a half-furlong shorter than the English event. Seven-time winner Aidan O’Brien targets this race with his second tier of fillies and may be represented by Easy Mover and Sweet Chariot this year
- Thurs 14 August: Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks Stakes – Thursday afternoon sees Cork Racecourse stage its biggest flat fixture of the year. Named in honour of the 1983 Irish Oaks winner, this 1m4f Group 3 contest has fallen to several talented performers, including Dermot Weld’s Group 1 star Tarnawa (2019, 2020). The Listed Platinum Stakes is the chief supporting act on an excellent midweek card from Ireland
- Friday 15 August: St. Hugh’s Stakes – Newbury tees up Hungerford Stakes Day with a six-race card headed by this 5f sprint affair. With four wins in the past seven years, Oisin Murphy needs just one more to join Lester Piggott as the most successful jockey in the history of the race
Racing League at Windsor
Following an exciting evening of action at Chepstow, which saw Charlie Fellowes and The East hang on to their lead, the Racing League heads back across the border to Windsor. London & The South are close enough to claim top spot if enjoying a positive evening at their home track.
Newbury Takes Centre Stage on Saturday
Newbury features heavily in ITV Racing’s coverage on Saturday afternoon. The action kicks off with the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes over a demanding 1m5½f. Recent results suggest it can pay to follow the market in this race, with seven of the past nine editions falling to the favourite. Easy!
The feature event of the day at the Berkshire venue is the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes (7f). Paco Boy, Excelebration, and Dream Of Dreams feature on the roll of honour in a race which offers £150,000 in prize money. Audience, Shadow of Light, Notable Speech, and the popular Kinross stand out among the 2025 entries.
Away from the Group class action, the afternoon’s big handicap takes place at Ripon with the 2025 edition of the Great St. Wilfrid Handicap. Named in honour of the patron saint of Ripon, this 6f affair invariably presents an intriguing puzzle to solve.
Classic Hopefuls on Show at the Curragh
The Comer Group Irish St. Leger Trial Stakes is run over the same course and distance as the main event and tops the Saturday card at the Curragh. Vinnie Roe (2001), Alandi (2009), Order Of St George (2015 & 2017), and Flag Of Honour (2018) all grabbed gold in the September Classic following a win in this contest. Aidan O’Brien has 2023 St. Leger winner Continuous and Curragh Cup runner-up Shackleton among the entries, as he bids for a record-extending 10th win in the race.
More history may beckon for the Ballydoyle maestro in the second Group 3 on the card. Sitting on 12 wins in the Royal Whip Stakes, O’Brien will join the legendary Vincent O’Brien at the top of the trainer’s table if he claims the 2025 edition.
With Listed and Group contests scattered through the week and a quality Saturday card at Newbury, racing fans have plenty of reasons to stay tuned before the late-summer festivals take centre stage.
