Ascot Racecourse and Jockey Club Racecourses will reinforce historic links with America from 2024 with an exciting new runners initiative in partnership with Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI).
The partnership will link historic races in the UK and high-profile, top quality turf races in the USA. The ultimate aim is to build the international profile of these races by increasing the number of runners travelling from the US to the UK and vice versa.
To that aim, two races at the 150th Kentucky Derby meeting will offer ‘wild card’ entries for three races at Royal Ascot. A runner from the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes, (Grade 2, 3yo+, 5.5f, $500,000), run on Kentucky Derby Day, will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King’s Stand Stakes, Group 1, 3yo+ 5f, £650,000) at Royal Ascot (Tuesday 18th June).
A runner from the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes, (Group 1, 4yo+, 1m1f $1,000,000), run on Kentucky Derby Day, will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in either of the Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1, 4yo+. 1m, £750,000, Tuesday 18th June) or the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1, 4yo+, 1m2f, £1,000,000, Wednesday 19th June) at Royal Ascot.
Yoshida won the Turf Classic Stakes in 2018 before travelling to Royal Ascot and finishing fifth in the Queen Anne Stakes later that year.
In return for the above incentives for USA-based runners, a runner from both the Queen Anne Stakes and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the Colonial Downs’ Arlington Million Stakes (Group 1, 3yo+, 1m2f, $1,000,000) in mid-August.
A runner from each of two turf contests staged at the Kentucky Derby Meeting will also receive a “wild card” entry for the two Classics staged at Epsom Downs four weeks’ later – the Betfred Derby and Betfred Oaks.
Winners of the above races will receive the invite to run in the corresponding races across the Atlantic. In the event that the winners aren’t able to take up that invite, racecourses may then also invite placed horses. The elimination procedures in these races will remain as they are now.
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said: “We are very excited to be working with Churchill Downs and the UK Jockey Club on this exciting new initiative.
“We were very pleased to play our part hosting the Churchill team at Royal Ascot last year, with the Kentucky Derby trophy on display as they built up to this important 150th running of the world’s greatest dirt race.
“We have a rich modern history of American runners at Royal Ascot and their success always adds hugely to the meeting - with NBC covering the event all week, the Saturday on the main network channel, hopefully this innovative link up of races will add a new dimension to their and ITV’s coverage.”
The partnership will link historic races in the UK and high-profile, top quality turf races in the USA. The ultimate aim is to build the international profile of these races by increasing the number of runners travelling from the US to the UK and vice versa.
To that aim, two races at the 150th Kentucky Derby meeting will offer ‘wild card’ entries for three races at Royal Ascot. A runner from the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes, (Grade 2, 3yo+, 5.5f, $500,000), run on Kentucky Derby Day, will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King’s Stand Stakes, Group 1, 3yo+ 5f, £650,000) at Royal Ascot (Tuesday 18th June).
A runner from the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes, (Group 1, 4yo+, 1m1f $1,000,000), run on Kentucky Derby Day, will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in either of the Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1, 4yo+. 1m, £750,000, Tuesday 18th June) or the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1, 4yo+, 1m2f, £1,000,000, Wednesday 19th June) at Royal Ascot.
Yoshida won the Turf Classic Stakes in 2018 before travelling to Royal Ascot and finishing fifth in the Queen Anne Stakes later that year.
In return for the above incentives for USA-based runners, a runner from both the Queen Anne Stakes and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the Colonial Downs’ Arlington Million Stakes (Group 1, 3yo+, 1m2f, $1,000,000) in mid-August.
A runner from each of two turf contests staged at the Kentucky Derby Meeting will also receive a “wild card” entry for the two Classics staged at Epsom Downs four weeks’ later – the Betfred Derby and Betfred Oaks.
Winners of the above races will receive the invite to run in the corresponding races across the Atlantic. In the event that the winners aren’t able to take up that invite, racecourses may then also invite placed horses. The elimination procedures in these races will remain as they are now.
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said: “We are very excited to be working with Churchill Downs and the UK Jockey Club on this exciting new initiative.
“We were very pleased to play our part hosting the Churchill team at Royal Ascot last year, with the Kentucky Derby trophy on display as they built up to this important 150th running of the world’s greatest dirt race.
“We have a rich modern history of American runners at Royal Ascot and their success always adds hugely to the meeting - with NBC covering the event all week, the Saturday on the main network channel, hopefully this innovative link up of races will add a new dimension to their and ITV’s coverage.”
