Ascot Racecourse

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Over £1.4 Million On Offer For Ascot's Opening Six Jumps Fixtures
08/05/06

The six days of jump racing at Ascot later this year will offer a total prize fund of £1,427,000, including two day fixtures in November and December, each worth in excess of £500,000.

Overall prize money on offer over the jumps in 2006 represents an increase of over £600,000, or 85%, on the equivalent period from October to December in 2003 (5 racedays in the period in the last year of racing pre-redevelopment).

United House, sponsors at Ascot for 16 years, will continue to back the feature race on Ascot's first jumps day of the season on Saturday, 28th October - a three mile open handicap chase worth £100,000. Also on the card will be a new two mile open handicap hurdle worth £80,000 and the £40,000 Listed two miler, previously the feature United House Chase.

The17th and 18th of November meeting is worth £537,000 with the Friday fixture branded "Allied Irish Bank Day." AIB were announced as an Ascot Founding Partner in December.

The feature chase on Saturday's card is a new race for Ascot, the £175,000 Woodford Reserve Handicap Chase, an open race over two miles and the second most valuable handicap chase in the calendar after the John Smith's Grand National.

Woodford Reserve is a premium bourbon distributed in the UK by Bacardi Brown-Forman.

Sharing the spotlight on that day is the Grade Two Coral Ascot Hurdle which will be run for £100,000, an increase of £65,000 from when it was last run at Ascot in 2003.

"We're delighted to be back sponsoring at the new Ascot and particularly excited about the Coral Ascot Hurdle," said Coral spokesman Simon Clare.

"Both we and Ascot identified this race as a potential improver and one apt for a significant prize money boost. Equally, by reducing the trip just slightly to 2 miles 3½ furlongs, we'll be looking to attract both Champion and Ladbrokes World Hurdle types at a time when their Cheltenham targets may not yet be clear."

Also on the card is the Grade 2 £70,000 Amlin 1965 Chase, commemorating the year that jumping began at Ascot.

Ascot's December fixture, worth £520,000 in total, returns on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th December, rebranded as the BGC Christmas Meeting, as CEO and Chairman Lee Amaitis explains:

"Having sponsored this fixture for six years under Cantor subsidiary banners, we are delighted to be back at Ascot sponsoring the BGC Christmas Meeting and indeed four individual races, including the £100,000 Grade One Cantor Long Walk Hurdle. There can be few better places to showcase the best jumps horses than the new Ascot and we're tremendously excited about staging such a high profile meeting there."

The Ladbroke Hurdle, returning to this fixture having been seconded to Sandown's January meeting during the redevelopment, is the feature race of the meeting.

"Worth £150,000, the Ladbroke is the most valuable handicap hurdle in Europe in 2006," said Mike Dillon of Ladbrokes.

"We're delighted to be bringing it back to its home venue and look forward to enhancing further its reputation as one of the highest quality and most competitive betting races of the season."

The year closes with a £100,000 fixture on Saturday 30th December.

"Jumps racing is returning to Ascot with a real bang this year," said Douglas Erskine-Crum, Chief Executive at Ascot.

"However, this is very much Phase One as we look to increase the profile of jumps racing at Ascot and to enhance our fixtures over the next couple of years. In the Ladbroke and the new Woodford Reserve Handicap Chase, we have the most valuable handicap hurdle in Europe this year and the second richest handicap chase. With races like those, the United House Chase, the Coral Ascot Hurdle and Cantor Long Walk Hurdle, all worth £100,000, we really want to send out a message that we intend to offer highly attractive opportunities to owners and trainers and to play a prominent part in the jumps season.

"I'm delighted to welcome back so many long standing sponsors, and indeed some new ones, and we look forward to promoting their races with them."