prize money

Brian Kavanagh has said that he agrees completely with Johnny Murtagh's assertion that Ireland should not be "resting on its laurels" when it comes to prize-money while Irish Racehorse Trainers Association [IRTA] chief Ryan McElligott expressed a wish that the Curragh boss's decision to up the minimum prize fund at the track to €20,000 could stir up similar change among other racecourses.  Leopardstown, Ireland's only other Group 1 Flat track, has followed the Curragh's lead in raising its basement prize-money levels to €15,000. However, leading trainers Joseph O'Brien and Ado...

The British wing of the European Breeders' Fund (EBF) has announced its contribution of more than £2 million towards prize-money in Britain for 2024. The funds are raised through contributions made annually by British stallion owners.  Along with its backing of more than 700 races on the Flat, the British EBF will lend extra support in certain areas this year, including an injection of £325,000 for novice and maiden races for two- and three-year-olds as part of a wider project with the BHA, Levy Board, Darley, Juddmonte and Tattersalls. The...

If you follow Alan Delmonte on Twitter or X, or whatever they call it these days, you will know him for his offbeat sense of humour. But as chief executive of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for the past 11 years, he has one of the most serious jobs in British racing, overseeing the distribution of around £100m a year. Delmonte is, to some extent, the sport's Chancellor of the Exchequer, but there is an awful lot of important work going on behind the scenes at the Levy Board that make...

We've never had it so bad, apparently. That of course depends on whether you're a glass-half-full or half-empty kind of person. Mine has been mostly empty so far in 2024, of the good stuff at least, but the swapping of a decent claret for chai tea has not lowered the spirits as much as might have been imagined at the start of January. In fact, optimism levels are running high in this very small corner of Newmarket at present.  For a start we have made it through storms Isha and...

Following last week's announcement of record prize-money across the Jockey Club's portfolio of racecourses, Newbury has followed suit by increasing its prize-money for 2024 to £7 million, which is also a record figure. The 13% increase in purses will be spread across 31 fixtures, 11 of which are denoted as 'premier' meetings and the the other 20 as 'core' fixtures.  The G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. will this year be run for £400,000, up from £350,000, and again on a card which is one of the World Pool meetings in...

The Jockey Club has pledged to extend its "commitment to openness" in sharing  figures relating to media rights payments to each of its 15 racecourses and other revenues. The news came on the back of an announcement of increased prize-money of £60.1 million across the 334 fixtures due to be staged by the Jockey Club in 2024. Of that, £31.8 million will come from Jockey Club funds, referred to as "executive contribution", representing a 66.5% increase across the last decade. In 2023, the Jockey Club's executive contribution was projected to...

The total prize-money at Ascot Racecourse in 2024 will increase to £17.5 million, the racecourse announced on Wednesday. This marks a 3.9% increase on 2023's total of £16.8 million. Royal Ascot's prize-money has been raised to an even £10 million, with no races contested at less than £110,000, up from £100,000. All Group 1 races at the iconic stand will be worth £650,000, an increase of £50,000 per race. The affected races include the King Charles III S. (formerly the King's Stand S.), the St James's Palace S., the Gold...

BHA Announces 170 'Premier' Race Days With £3.8m Extra Funding The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has released the 2024 fixture list for British racing which, it claims "includes significant customer-focused innovations designed to deliver a more competitive, engaging and exciting racing product". The major change in next year's programme includes the introduction of a two-year trial of 170 'Premier' race days, 89 of which will be staged on a Saturday afternoon. The move has received a mixed response from within the industry and involves a window during Premier afternoons being restricted...

Ellis Park Racing & Gaming's summer season has come to a close with a substantial 22% gain in all-sources handle and 48% increase in prize money awarded. In total, more than $60.4 million was wagered at the 24-day Ellis Park meet, $11 million more than 2022. Along with the sizable handle increase, the connections who raced at Ellis Park were rewarded with more than $14.1 million in prize money, an increase of 49% from 2022. (includes funds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund). "The racing season at Ellis Park has...

A quintet of black-type races for fillies in Ireland will gain financial backing from Darley this season in the latest announcement in the operation's refocusing of its sponsorship portfolio. The races, which all receive increases in prize-money to between €55,000 and €75,000, are the Listed Kooyonga S. at Navan, the G3 Munster Oaks at Cork, the G3 Brownstown S. at Fairyhouse, the Listed Hurry Harriet S. at Gowran Park, and the Curragh's Listed Brigid's Pastures S. Darley's director of stallions Sam Bullard said, "For many years Darley has supported the...

Edited Press Release For the first time in the 40-year history of the organisation, the British European Breeders' Fund will increase its contribution to prize money to £2 million. "Britain continues to be recognised for the quality of its stallion market: we stand promising young sires and established producers of Champions," said British EBF Chairman Simon Sweeting. "The support of all our stallion owners to the British EBF means we can support well over 700 flat races in 2023 with £1.9million, our biggest commitment to date. With our National Hunt...

Newbury Racecourse will offer a 16% increase in its prize-money for Flat and jump races throughout 2023 to £6.06 million, the racecourse announced on Tuesday. With a further increase planned for next year, the upturn in funding is largely through a record executive contribution by the racecourse of £3.1 million, which has increased by £650,000 from 2022. The G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. and The BetVictor London Gold Cup Handicap S. will both feature in the World Pool programme of races this year, representing the first time that Newbury has...