The skies above Ripon this Saturday afternoon (July 17th) will be capturing the attention of anyone looking heavenwards as masses of balloons will be released at the racecourse to mark the official start of the 2010 Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival.

The celebratory yellow and white balloons are all biodegradable and each will contain a card entitling the finder to a free Yorkshire Racing Season Ticket worth £300 if their balloon has travelled the furthest.

The five hundred balloons will be released before racing begins at 2.25pm by popular Yorkshire-based actress, Claire King, who won the hearts of many in her role as Kim Tate in ITV’s Emmerdale and went on to play Karen Betts in Bad Girls. Originally Claire Seed, she changed her name on becoming an actress to King in deference to her love of horse racing (the sport of kings). She will be joined by Gary Verity, chief executive of ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ to mark the start of the week long Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival.

Organised by Go Racing in Yorkshire the Festival showcases the best of racing in the county, with fixtures at all of the Yorkshire courses featuring racecard competitions and a chance to win a luxury stay at the new 5-star Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa in the centre of York.

Ripon has earned its reputation as Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse and on summer days is one of the most attractive courses in the country, with the balloons set to make it even more colourful on Saturday. James Hutchinson, Clerk of the Course at Ripon said “We’re delighted that we’re hosting the start of the Summer Festival and these balloons will certainly capture everyone’s attention and remind them of the excitement of Yorkshire racing now that the excitement of the World Cup and Wimbledon are over. It will be interesting to see which direction the wind will be blowing the balloons and a wonderful surprise for whoever finds the furthest one to win the Season Ticket.”

Yorkshire Radio will be broadcasting ‘live’ from the course on Saturday and musical entertainment on Saturday will be provided by The Ripon City Band. The permanent giant screen above the finish line will enable racegoers to see even more detail of the action, including racing from the big meeting at Newbury.

The course opens at 12 noon, giving two hours before the first race at 2.10pm to enjoy a relaxed lunch. A wide selection of bars, cafes and restaurants is available to choose from across the course, offering everything from the elegance of the Champagne & Seafood Bar or fashion marquee to take-away fish and chips.

Visit www.ripon-races.co.uk for more details.