The new flat season at Ripon, Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse, begins on Thursday 15th April with an afternoon of racing excitement featuring the £30,000 purse Ripon Silver Bowl Fillies Stakes.

Following on from the course’s most successful year ever in 2003, the calendar of fifteen fixtures looks to be a promising season with the course continuing to attract the country’s top trainers, jockeys and horses.

The start of the season coincides with news that the highly successful Ladies Day festival is to be sponsored this year by Debenhams. James Hutchinson, Clerk of the Course explains "We are looking forward to working with the team from the Harrogate store to host a day of fashion shows and cosmetic concessions with our usual Best Dressed Lady and Best Hat competitions." Ladies Day falls on 17th June this year.

Annual membership is still available for the new season, which equates to less than half price admission to all Ripon’s meetings, plus free visits to 14 other leading racecourses across the country.

For further details see www.ripon-races.co.uk