All change for Champions fixture at Headquarters
Amy Starkey, Newmarket Racecourses managing director.
Newmarket will provide one half of a two-day end of season racing extravaganza in 2014, it has been announced.
The Rowley Mile and Ascot will share six Group 1 races in a £4.5 million Champions’ Weekend with QIPCO Champions’ Day preceded by Dubai Future Champions’ Day in October next year.
The downside for Headquarters is that its race day is moved from its usual Saturday date to a Friday, which could have an impact on crowd figures.
However, Newmarket will gain a high profile race day by moving the Betfred Cearewitch a week earlier alongside the Rockfel and Autumn Stakes . A cash injection to a £250,000 pot will match the Betfred Ebor as Europe’s richest handicap.
With the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes being transferred from Ascot and the Abernant Stakes being upgraded to Group 3 status, Newmarket will also be staging the highest number of Group races in Britain.
Newmarket Racecourses boss Amy Starkey said: “I’m very pleased that Dubai Future Champions’ Day will increase its status as Europe’s two-year-old championship day by featuring three Group 1 races for the first time in 2014 and as part of a superb two-day climax to the Flat racing season.
“We have made this move in the best interests of British racing, working with multiple interested parties, and listening to feedback from trainers who asked us to help resolve the outstanding issues with the two-year-old Pattern.”
Michael Prosser, Newmarket’s director of racing, added: “Remember there are only five Group 1 two-year-old races in this country and four of them are run at Newmarket.”
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Weather for Newmarket
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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