A total of £10.8 million in prize-money will be offered across 39 fixtures in 2019, Newmarket Racecourses announced on Tuesday. In addition, three pattern races received a prize-money boost: new Group 3s the Zetland S. and the Pride S., both held over 10 furlongs at the Dubai Future Champions Festival, saw their purses increased by £20,000 apiece, while the G3 Bahrain Trophy, slated for opening day of the Moet & Chandon July Festival will boast total prize-money of £175,000. It was run at £150,000 in 2018. The bet365 Trophy, a 14-furlong handicap conducted during the second day of the Moet & Chandon July Festival, will be worth £120,000 with the support of bet365. Full details of the race conditions and Newmarket's 55 pattern and listed races and four heritage handicaps will be included in the Newmarket Racecourses Pattern & Listed Programme Book, published this week.
“We are delighted that the Pride and the Zetland have earned their upgrade to Group 3 status,” said Jockey Club Racecourses East Region Regional Director Amy Starkey. “These upgrades are an endorsement for the make-up of the autumn fixture list and the quality of horses the programme is attracting. The Bahrain Trophy is a valuable stepping stone for potentially top-class stayers and we are pleased to support the industry's drive to develop an attractive programme for quality staying horses in Britain. We are also delighted to continue our relationship with bet365 by introducing the bet365 Trophy for 2019.”
The prize-money changes were unveiled in light of the impending law change regarding FOBTs (Fixed Odds Betting Terminals), which adversely affected the purse money of the 2019 £350,000 Cesarewitch H., up £100,000 compared to 2017's prize-money.
She added, “Last year we embarked on the ambitious plan to make the Cesarewitch worth £1 million, but unfortunately circumstances have changed since we made the announcement in April 2018 and with both the short and longer-term outlook being uncertain, it was deemed neither sensible nor sustainable to stick blindly to the proposed year-on-year increases.”
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