The Yorkshire Oaks, sponsored by the Darley stud group, is a Group 1 Flat horse race for fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a mile and a half at the Ebor festival at York in mid-August.

The 2011 running will be held in August.

History of the Yorkshire Oaks

The race was first run in 1849 and it was restricted to three-year-old fillies until opened to older fillies and mares in 1991. The only dual winners are Only Royale (1993 and 1994) and Islington (2002 and 2003).

The Yorkshire Oaks was not run from 1912 to 1918 or from 1940 to 1945. When the Ebor meeting was washed out in 2008, a replacement version of the race was staged at Newmarket.

Five fillies have won the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks in the same season: Fair Salinia (1978), Diminuendo (1988), User Friendly (1992), Ramruma (1999) and Alexandrova (2006). Sariska was beaten at 4-11 when attempting to match that feat in 2009 - the sixth time that the Epsom winner had been beaten in this race since 1997.

The race was sponsored by Aston Upthorpe Stud from 1989 to 2005 and has been backed by Darley since 2006.

York Racecourse

York is the premier racecourse in the north of England and stages Flat racing only, on a horseshoe-shaped course known as the Knavesmire. The biggest meeting is the three-day Ebor festival in mid-August, featuring the Ebor handicap as well as major Group 1 races such as the Juddmonte International Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes.

Horse racing in York traces back to Roman times and records show that the origins of modern racing were in 1530, when the city authorities gave support to horse racing. In 1607 racing is known to have taken place on the frozen River Ouse and the first detailed records of a race meeting date from 1709, held at Clifton Ings. In 1731 racing was moved to the Knavesmire, a mile to the south of the city centre, where today's course remains.

Yorkshire Oaks Betting

The Ebore Festival in itself attracts as many bettors as it does spectators, especially since the rise of online horse racing betting. As a Group 1 and feature race of the Festival the Yorkshire Oaks has become one of its most popular betting events.

European and UK bookmakers alike offer a steady selection of betting markets for the horse race and it is worthwile to keep an eye out for betting specials for the race which periodically are offered by some of these sportsbooks.

Yorkshire Oaks Facts

• The only dead-heat was in 1932 between Nash Light and Will O' The Wisp.

• Super Tassa, who was bought for just 1,300gns as a yearling, gave Italy its first win in a high-profile British race for four decades when springing a 25-1 surprise in the 2001 running.

• There was a rare meeting of Oaks winners in this race in 2000 when Love Divine took on year-older stable companion Ramruma - but the pair were beaten into second and third respectively by Petrushka.

• The Yorkshire Oaks used to be run on a Wednesday, the middle of the three days of the Ebor meeting. But now that the fixture has been extended to four days it has been switched to the Thursday.