Additional incentives for owners to accompany the new Irish EBF Academy Hurdles races, were announced by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Friday.
Running from Sunday, October 12 through the end of December, the races will be sponsored by the Irish European Breeders' Fund and will be open to 3-year-old horses which have not had any previous run under either Rules of Racing or I.N.H.S. Rules other than in Academy Hurdle races. Firstly, an IRE Incentive-style sales voucher will go to the owners of any Irish-bred horse which wins or is placed either second or third. Each winning owner will receive a €5,000 voucher while the owners of the runner-up and the third-placed horses will each receive €3,000 and €2,000 respectively. Additionally, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's (ITBA) support of Irish EBF Academy Hurdles will now see all races benefit from being part of the Weatherbys National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme (in association with The Irish Field). This means that 3-year-old Irish-bred fillies that win an Irish EBF Academy Hurdle in 2025 will be awarded an additional €7,500 bonus on top of the race prize money and will still be eligible for the €5,000 scheme bonuses available if subsequently winning a bumper, a steeplechase, but not a maiden hurdle.
Fillies must be entered by their owners with the ITBA and payment of €300 per filly made by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 30 in order to qualify for the Weatherbys National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme (in association with The Irish Field) in Irish EBF Academy Hurdle Races.
For more information, please visit the HRI website.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
