Saturday sees the final day of York's festival with the main feature of the four day meeting being the Ebor set to take place with up to 22 horses all looking to land the £1 million prize on offer.
However, Officials at the track are expecting at least 2000 less faces than last year because of closures to East Coast mainline taking place that is set to cause havoc to people looking to travel by train from the South East.
The closures on the line are the first in 20 years which is very unlucky that it has landed on the day of the Ebor race card with Network Rail advising passengers not to travel on services that start or terminate in the capital.
The closure sees travel problems for people looking to go from London King's Cross to York which would normally take close to two hours but now if people are wanting to travel from the capital they will have to go from London St Pancras International and change at either Chesterfield, Derby or Sheffield.
This however adds a fair bit to the journey time and sees travellers taking 3 and a half hours to get to the racecourse with it expected to be really busy and a nightmare for passengers.
(Credit Racing Post) James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at York, said: “We’re disappointed for southern-based racing fans as with all the work that has gone into hosting the first £1 million Ebor we wanted everyone to see it.
“We’ve had some disappointed people tell us they have been for a number of years but now won’t be able to attend.
“It’s hard to gauge just how it will affect the attendance on Ebor day but we’re estimating around 2,000 people to not make the journey as a consequence.
“The investment in the East Coast mainline infrastructure will in time be a benefit for racing fans travelling to us, Doncaster and Musselburgh. It's disappointing for the works to take place on Saturday, although we do see the bigger picture.”
Brennan added: “There are other routes to come, by St Pancras and via Sheffield, which takes longer but is achievable, and we would like to stress to people in Doncaster, Newcastle and Edinburgh that the line will work perfectly well for them.
“It’s just an issue for those in the south-east who will need to either take alternative trains or change their mode of transport if possible. We do provide plentiful parking here so there’s no need to fret in getting a car park space.”
This weekend sees a huge two days of sport and other major events taking place with the bank holiday offering the Rugby League Challenge Cup final at Wembley, third Ashes Test at Headingley and Leeds and Edinburgh music festivals taking place.
(Credit Racing Post) Ed Akers, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said: “Major work to upgrade the East Coast mainline will mean significant changes to services this August Bank Holiday weekend.
“We’re urging passengers not to travel on August 24-25 as there will be significant disruption.
“We appreciate this will impact on people, however this work is absolutely vital to make sure we continue to provide a railway which is fit for purpose and this upgrade will bring significant benefits to passengers once completed.”