Britain’s York Racecourse is to rename the Duke of York Stakes in an effort to distance itself from Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, Prince Andrew, who is facing a US civil case for sexual assault.
The six-furlong (1,200m) sprint was named in 1895 after another Duke of York — Prince George, Duke of York, who later became King George V.
However, officials want to make its history clearer.
Prince Andrew has effectively been stripped of his position in royal life, after Buckingham Palace announced last week that he had given up his honorary military titles and charitable roles.
Calls have also been made for Andrew to lose his York dukedom, which was given to him by his mother on his wedding day in 1986.
James Brennan, head of the racecourse’s marketing and sponsorship, told the local Yorkshire Post newspaper: “It [the race] was named in honor of Prince George, who went on to become King George V. It has never been directly about Prince Andrew. With that in mind, however, we are going to explore how we can make the name a lot clearer about its history — and that the name refers to an entirely different Duke of York.”
The favorite as a replacement name is the 1895 Duke of York Stakes. Any change would have to be carried out with the European Pattern Committee, the body that regulates Group races, which are high-profile events.
The Duke of York Stakes is a Group 2 sprint at the Dante Festival, which is held in May.
Queen Elizabeth, 95, is known for her life-long love of horses and racing, as well as being a successful owner and breeder, with eight decades of involvement in the sport.
Andrew was appointed the racecourse’s first patron in 2015, but gave up the position in 2019 after stepping down from public duties in the wake of a television interview in which he defended his ties to the US financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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