Wed 21 Oct 2015
Eight valuable handicaps for fillies and mares, run between seven and nine furlongs, are being introduced during the third season of the All-Weather Championships, which starts next week on Thursday, October 29, 2015 and concludes with the £1.1 million Finals Day at Lingfield Park on Good Friday, March 25, 2016.
The Class Two and Three handicaps, worth up to £27,000 each, take place between January and March next year at Lingfield Park, Kempton Park and Wolverhampton Racecourses.
The European Breeders Fund (EBF) is backing the new races, which provide extra opportunities for fillies and mares through the winter months with the best horses set to compete on Good Friday in the 32Red Fillies and Mares Final worth £150,000.
This extension of its support means the EBF is contributing a total of £109,000 towards prize money during the third season of the All-Weather Championships.
The significant figure is spread across 44 races with EBF conditions at the five All-Weather racecourses in Great Britain – Lingfield Park, Wolverhampton and Southwell, run by the Arena Racing Company (ARC), the Jockey Club’s Kempton Park and Chelmsford City, during the All-Weather Championships. The races range from two-year-old maidens to Listed events.
Philip Freedman, the British EBF Chairman, said: “The British EBF is very pleased to be increasing support for the All-Weather Championships this season by providing funding to assist the programming of a new series of worthwhile opportunities for fillies and mares.
“These races have been designed as specific stepping stones leading towards participation in the 32Red.com Fillies’ and Mares’ Final worth £150,000 on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield Park on Good Friday, March 25, 2016.”
Martin Cruddace, the ARC Chief Executive, welcomed the EBF’s involvement: “ARC established the All-Weather Championships to raise the profile and prestige of All-Weather racing.
“We are extremely grateful to the trustees of the British EBF and stallion owners of British-based sires for extending their existing prize money contribution to include extra races on the All-Weather.”
Kerry Murphy, the EBF Chief Executive, added: “The British EBF’s support of the All-Weather Championships reinforces our commitment to encouraging quality racing across Europe throughout the year.”
EBF SUPPORT BY RACECOURSE DURING THE THIRD SEASON OF THE ALL-WEATHER CHAMPIONSHIPS, 2015/16:
CHELMSFORD CITY: 2 races, EBF contribution £5,500
KEMPTON PARK: 10 races, EBF contribution £29,500
LINGFIELD PARK: 19 races, EBF contribution £51,000
SOUTHWELL RACECOURSE: 5 races, EBF contribution £2,500
WOLVERHAMPTON RACECOURSE: 8 races, EBF contribution £20,500
THE NEW HANDICAPS FOR FILLIES & MARES DURING THE THIRD SEASON OF THE ALL-WEATHER CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Lingfield Park
27 Jan, 7f, £16,500
19 Feb, 7f, £16,500
1 Mar, 8f, £27,000
Wolverhampton
6 Jan, 8f, £16,500
1 Feb, 8f, £27,000
19 Mar, 7f, £16,500
Kempton Park
21 Jan, 8f, £16,500
2 March, 7f, £16,500
Tue 6 Oct 2015
The British EBF sponsors tomorrows ‘stayers maiden’ at Nottingham over 8f for two year olds. Worth a minimum of £10,000 in prizemoney the concept of this race, one of four to be held in 2015, is to offer opportunities for late maturing two year olds who may be campaigned in staying races throughout their career. The conditions of the maiden races are that the horses entered must be sired by a horse that won over 10f or more and be EBF eligible. There are four of these races scheduled over the autumn programme including today’s race:
7 October Nottingham over 8f
13 October Leicester over 7f
21 October Newmarket over 8f
9 November Kempton over 7f
The ‘stayers maidens’ have been created following an ongoing review of the race programme for staying horses by the BHA’s Flat Racing Committee, which includes representation from the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, owners, trainers and racecourses. The BHA have also announced that this initiative will see a further ten maiden races with these conditions programmed for the latter half of next season.
Philip Freedman, Chairman of the British EBF, said, “With the majority of our funding coming from British stallion owners and having many of the best sires in the world standing in Britain, we are pleased to support these staying maidens and, in turn, the British bloodstock and racing industry. Attention has been drawn to the lack of opportunities for the true staying type and it is hoped that these races will be the first step on the ladder to an enhanced stayers programme”.
Wed 23 Sep 2015
Increased Prize Money for Irish European Breeders’ Fund Auction Series Final
The Irish European Breeders’ Fund in conjunction with Horse Racing Ireland is pleased to announce an increase of prize money to € 75 ,000 for the Irish Stallion Farm European Breeders’ Fund Auction Race Final. The seven furlong auction series final will take place on Sunday 18 th October at Naas Racecourse. The two year old race will be the culmination of sixteen races staged the length and breadth of Ireland. The final is restricted to two year olds only that are EBF eligible and which have run in at least one race in Ireland that was sponsored by the IEBF and that was confined to horses sold under the hammer at public auction.
John O’Connor, Chairman of IEBF said:
“We are delighted to support this new auction series, aimed at boosting the middle and lower end of the yearling market, and giving these horses a valuable series of races in Ireland with a big pot for the final.
Our aim is the increase the final next year to €100,000 so anyone heading to the yearling sales this year with a limited budget will have a very lucrative series to aim at.”
Michael O’Callaghan, trainer said:
“The series is a great idea, a great initiative and another reason to buy horses and have them in training in Ireland. Any reward that can be given to people who currently buy at this level is very welcome. It is also an incentive for anyone thinking of purchasing yearlings at the sales this year. With the attractive prize money it should grow from strength to strength each year. I will definitely be trying to get my owners to purchase yearlings with this series as a target.”
Thirteen races have already taken place with three more races to run, Dundalk on 25 th September, Dundalk on 2 nd October and Limerick on 10 th October. All horses that have run in any one of the sixteen races are eligible to enter the final race in Naas on October 18 th . Entries for the final in Naas close on Tuesday 13 th October.
Contact Details:
Nessa Joyce, Manager
IEBF
Greenhills
Kill, Co. Kildare
Mobile: +85 7590970
Tel: +353 45 910 999
Wed 9 Sep 2015
BHA Press Release
9 September 2015
“Stayers’ Maidens” to provide boost to staying race programme
- 10 maiden races to be staged for progeny of staying stallions in 2016 season
- Races will be for two-year-olds whose sire won over 10f or more
- All races will carry enhanced prize money
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today announced a new initiative as part of the ongoing review of the race programme for staying horses. The development will see the conditions of 10 maiden races over distances of 7f, 8f and 9f adjusted by restricting them to two-year-olds whose sires won over 10 furlongs or more.
The 10 races will carry enhanced prize money support from the British European Breeders Fund (BEBF) and be run with EBF conditions. These races will help to prepare a proportion of the two-year-old population for a future staying career as well as provide encouragement for the ongoing production of such horses. The initiative has been approved by the BHA’s Flat Racing Committee, which includes representation from breeders, owners, trainers and racecourses.
The programme of 10 races will be run during the second half of each season, allowing time for the development of the type of horse that such races are aimed at attracting. As such, four of these races have already been programmed during the latter part of the 2015 season. Each race will carry prize money of £10,000. The race details are as follows:
7 October – Nottingham over 8f
13 October – Leicester over 7f
21 October – Newmarket over 8f
9 November – Kempton Park over 7f
Ruth Quinn, the BHA’s Director of International Racing and Racing Development, said:
“The introduction of these races for specific two-year-old maidens should be seen as a step towards bolstering the programme for stayers in Britain. These races will be part of a process to assist in future-proofing the development of what is a key area for British racing and an extremely important, actually global, role that Britain has regarding the ongoing development of the thoroughbred.
“The races illustrate the BHA’s desire to take further steps to ensure that staying races and horses do continue to thrive, and it also reflects the commitment made in January by the European Pattern Committee to review the European staying programme over the next few years.”
Philip Freedman, Chairman for the BEBF Trustees, said:
“The Trustees are delighted to be able to confirm their support for these new races. Attention has been drawn to the lack of opportunities for the true staying-type and it is hoped that these races will be the first step on the ladder to an enhanced stayers programme.
“With the majority of our funding coming from British stallion owners and having many of the best sires in the world standing in Britain, we are pleased to support these staying maidens and, in turn, the British bloodstock and racing industry.”
Julian Richmond-Watson, the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s (TBA) Chairman, said:
“We are delighted that the BHA and the BEBF Trustees are supporting the TBA’s campaign for the staying horse through the creation and sponsorship of these new staying maiden races, thus sharing our commitment to maintaining and improving the thoroughbred breed.”
Notes to editors:
1. The two-year-old population in 2014 was made up as follows:
- 2869 individual two-year-old runners
- Of which 684 (24%) were by sires that had won over 10f or further during their racing careers
- This equates to 82 qualifying sires out of 246 represented by at least one runner.
2. EPC’s announcement of the changes to the 2015 European programme and commitment to staying and middle races can be seen here:
http://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/european-pattern-committee-announces-changes-2015-european-programme/
