Shergar Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Record Prize Money of £17M at Ascot in 2023

Ascot Racecourse announced total prize money will be a record £17 million across 25 racedays in 2023, an increase of £1.33 million (8.5%) from 2022. The overall figure excludes the industry-owned QIPCO British Champions Day. Prize money for Royal Ascot 2023 will also be a record £9.52 million, up from £8.65 million (10%).

All Group 1 races will be run for a minimum of £600,000 for the first time with increases to the King's Stand S., St James's Palace S., Gold Cup, Coronation S. and Commonwealth Cup (all £500,000 in 2022), while the Queen Anne S. will be worth £750,000 (£600,000 in 2022).

The Group 2 King Edward VII S. will be increased to £250,000 (£225,000 in 2022) while two Group 2 races for fillies and mares–the Duke of Cambridge S. and Ribblesdale S.–are raised to £225,000 (from £175,000 and £200,000). Both the Group 3 Hampton Court S. and Jersey S. also receive increases to £150,000 (from £100,000 and £110,000).

As in 2022, no race at Royal Ascot will be run for less than £100,000.

Outside Royal Ascot, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup meeting will be worth £640,000, a 15% increase, with all eight races run for £80,000 in addition to £25,000 in stable prizes. The same stable prize bonus will also be in place on QIPCO King George Diamond Day.

Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said: “Against a backdrop of reduced central funding, an increase of more than £1.1 million or almost 14% in Executive Contribution has been required to get to this figure. That represents a significant investment and whilst many of the headline increases are at Royal Ascot, there are also boosts to Class 2 and Class 3 Handicaps on the Flat driven by the welcome increase to Minimum Values in this area. We have focused again on raising the profile of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup which attracts international jockey talent from around the world and are delighted that each of the eight races will be worth £80,000.”

For more information, visit www.ascot.co.uk

The post Record Prize Money of £17M at Ascot in 2023 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kerrin McEvoy Back In European Classic Action

Classic-winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy is making the most of his week-long trip to Europe by riding in the Shergar Cup on Saturday followed by the G1 Preis de Diana in Dusseldorf on Sunday.

A treble winner of the Melbourne Cup, McEvoy joins Christophe Lemaire, Takeshi Yokoyama and Jason Collett on the Rest of the World team for Saturday's unique fixture at Ascot, which welcomes back McEvoy's former Godolphin colleague Frankie Dettori to the Shergar Cup for the first time in six years.

The Australian spent four years riding in Britain, predominantly for Saeed Bin Suroor, from 2004, during which time he won the St Leger on Rule Of Law, as well as the G1 St James's Palace S. on Shamardal and the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois aboard Dubawi (Ire). His most recent big-race success in his home country came in May in the G1 Doomben Cup when riding Huetor (Fr) for Peter and Paul Snowden.

The rider confirmed by text message as he was about to board a flight from Sydney to the UK on Monday that he will also return to European Classic action on Sunday when he takes the ride in the German Oaks equivalent on Toskana Belle (Fr) for Andreas Wohler. The German trainer previously teamed up with the owners of the filly, Australian Bloodstock, to win the 2014 Melbourne Cup with Protectionist (Ger), who sired Sunday's G1 Grosser Dallmayr Preis-Bayerisches Zuchtrennen runner-up Amazing Grace (Ger).

Toskana Belle, a daughter of Shamalgan (Fr) was third in the G3 Diana Trial after winning the Listed Henkel-Stutenpreis at Dusseldorf in May. She is currently around 14/1 for the Preis der Diana, with the Aidan O'Brien-trained Toy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) co-favourite with Gestut Schlenderhan's Mountaha (Ger) (Giuliani {Ger}) at 9/2.

The post Kerrin McEvoy Back In European Classic Action appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Star-Studded Line-up For Shergar Cup as Dettori Captains European Team

The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup has attracted a star-studded line-up with Frankie Dettori, Kerrin McEvoy and Hollie Doyle committed at this year's team event which takes place on Aug. 6 at Ascot.

There will be 10 nations represented across the four teams for the 21st renewal of the Shergar Cup with Dettori, the most successful jockey in Royal Ascot history of those who still hold a licence, captaining the European team.

Dettori, who will be making his 11th appearance at the Shergar Cup, said, “It's been a few years since I've ridden in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup and I'm looking forward to it. I love Ascot and it's always a great day so I hope people put it in their diary and come along to have a good time and enjoy something a bit different.

“The European team looks really strong. I remember when we won it in 2014 it was a really special day and hopefully we can lift the trophy again this year.”

Dettori will be joined by compatriot Antonio Fresu as well as last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Rene Piechulek from Germany and nine-times champion Spanish jockey Jose-Luis Martinez.

The Great Britain and Ireland team will be captained by Jamie Spencer, who is one of just a handful of jockeys to have ridden more than 2,000 winners, including 26 at Royal Ascot. He will have Danny Tudhope, who enjoyed an excellent Royal Ascot this year with four winners, Neil Callan and Kieran Shoemark alongside him.

The Ladies team, victorious last year for the third time, will once again be captained by Hayley Turner and she will be joined by last year's Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle winner Nicola Currie and multiple Royal Ascot winner Hollie Doyle. The side is completed by Canadian star Emma-Jayne Wilson, who has appeared at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup six times, including when on the winning side in 2015.

Turner said, “I love the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, it's always one of my favourite days of the year. It's great for the event to have lots of international riders travelling over for the day again and I'm excited to have Emma-Jayne back again on our team.

“Winning last year for the third time was really special as they let me keep the trophy which I've now got at home. The Ladies look strong again with Hollie and Nicola so hopefully. we can retain the crown and win the new trophy as well.”

The Rest of the World team features two of Japan's leading riders at the moment in Takeshi Yokoyama and French-born Christophe Lemaire who represents Japan as a JRA licensed jockey. They are joined by three-time Melbourne Cup winner Kerrin McEvoy from Australia and New Zealander Jason Collett, who has enjoyed a superb season in Sydney.

Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said, “This is an exciting year for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup which is breaking new ground with an extended race programme, more jockeys riding and more prize money on offer than ever before.

“In fact, with £500 available to the horses that finish 11th or 12th, and no entry fees, it is all upside for running in these unique races. Additionally, we will also have our stable bonus scheme in operation for the second time following the King George, with £20,000 going to the three leading trainers on the day and £5,000 to their staff.”

The post Star-Studded Line-up For Shergar Cup as Dettori Captains European Team appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Ascot To Pay Out Record Prizemoney In 2022

Ascot Racecourse will offer record prizemoney of £15.64-million across its flat and jumps programmes in 2022, up nearly £2-million (14.4%) on 2019, the last year that planned prizemoney was distributed before the pandemic. These figures exclude the industry partnership QIPCO British Champions Day.

Royal Ascot on June 14 to 18 will offer £8,652,500, up 18% on 2019. Royal Ascot Tuesday will be the meeting's first-ever card to reach £2-million in prizemoney, and the G1 Prince of Wales's S. and the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. (formerly the Diamond Jubilee S.) will be the meeting's first races contested for £1-million. The minimum purse at Royal Ascot will be £100,000.

Outside of Royal Ascot, the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco S. will return to its pre-pandemic value of £1.25-million. The minimum purse for flat races will be £15,000, and the Shergar Cup will be worth a record £550,000 as it goes from six races to eight, with 12 runners in each, up from 10. An additional £25,000 in stable prizes will be offered on King George day and at the Shergar Cup.

Guy Henderson, chief executive officer at Ascot Racecourse, said, “We are pleased to be able to announce a return to our pre-pandemic prize money plans as we re-build. Whilst these plans have been unavoidably delayed, today is about looking forward. It is vital we maintain the quality of the British Pattern and the top end programme generally. For obvious reasons, a large proportion of the increases announced today are focused on our 35 races at the Royal Meeting.

“Prize money is racing's equivalent of remunerating the players on the pitch. We need to offer the best we can in order to attract the best and help maintain international investment in British racing. Our next ambition, as we build Ascot as a global brand wrapped around world-class racing, is to be able to offer at least £1-million for each of our nine Group 1 races in the coming years.

“Field sizes for races of both codes are under pressure. With this in mind, we have applied a number of targeted increases across our programme and raised our minimum prize money levels for both codes. Specifically, we have made some changes to QIPCO King George Diamond Weekend and expanded the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup to eight races with fields of 12; the established races increase from £60,000 to £75,000 and we have added two new £50,000 races. Our aim is for the stable prizes to incentivise owners and trainers to target these two fixtures and build on the successful trial at this year's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.

“I wish to conclude by thanking Ascot's staff, our customers and commercial partners for all their loyal support in 2021 which has so significantly contributed to the business being able to advance again in 2022.”

The post Ascot To Pay Out Record Prizemoney In 2022 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post