The newest ignominy following the Virginia Giuffre incident will not be forgotten by Prince Andrew’s mother, who has a strong interest for horse racing and reads the Racing Post first thing in the morning.
The Duke Of York Stakes, a prominent race for sprinters held each year at York racecourse’s May meeting, has been renamed to separate itself from the embattled monarch, and the tale will undoubtedly make headlines in Wednesday’s edition.
“The race has been with us in various guises, over different lengths and at different times of the year, since 1895,” James Brennan, the track’s head of marketing and sponsorship, told the daily turf bible.
“It was created in honor of the Duke of York, who later became King George V, and I believe that most of the pubs grappling with this issue have the same origin.”
“We don’t want the race’s name to detract from what is a fantastic competition, so we’re working to clarify the history and link.” The current favorite, albeit we must follow the European Pattern Committee’s rules, is a race similar to the 1895 Duke Of York Stakes.
“This establishes that it is a long-established race with no other ties than Prince Andrew.”
Giuffre, an American, is suing the present Duke of York, alleging that she was enticed into the service of Jeffrey Epstein, a millionaire and convicted sex offender who died in custody in New York in 2019.
Giuffre was “given out” to Andrew for sex while she was a 17-year-old minor, according to her lawyers, in Epstein’s New York house, his property in the US Virgin Islands, and in London, implying that the prince is liable for her “battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
Andrew has categorically disputed the claims.
In 2015, the Duke of York was named York’s first patron, and he officially launched the course’s new weighing room at the time. Following his terrible BBC Newsnight appearance, Andrew gave up that post, as well as a few others, in 2019.
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York is not aiming to totally change the name of the May competition, as he does not want to cause confusion among fans of the sport.
“Any new race title takes time to settle in, and the whole point of [big race] championships is to allow everyone to follow the top echelon of the sport,” Brennan explained.
