ONE of the jewels in York's racing calendar, the Juddmonte International, a highlight of the August Ebor Festival, has been included in a new £10m series of races aimed at bringing Britain's top Flat contests to a wider audience and at the same time provide a major new source of prize-money for owners.
The Sovereign Series will feature 10 of the leading Group 1 races, starting with the Stan James 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and culminating with the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes again at Newmarket in October.
The Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes at N
ewbury, the Derby, the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the BGC Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, the Juddmonte International and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot complete the line up.
Racing UK, the media rights company, will be promoting and managing the collective broadcast and multimedia rights. Points will be awarded according to a horse's placing in each of the races with the winner being crowned champion British Flat racehorse for the season.
In addition to existing prize money of just over £5m, a further £5m per annum will be added to the series, culminating in a £2m prize for the overall winner. An extra £3m has been committed to the marketing, promotion and production of the series.
Simon Bazalgette, executive chairman of Racing UK and chief executive designate of The Jockey Club said: "We believe the Sovereign Series will capture the imagination of a new generation which has never before been interested in racing."
Although the series, which is due to start in May 2010, has been given a warm welcome in the racing industry, there are issues which need clarification before the package becomes an integral part of the calendar.
Racing UK's intention is for all races in the series to be run on Saturdays, but York's Juddmonte Stakes is one of the nominated races with a midweek slot, traditionally being run on the opening day of the Ebor Festival, which this year is Tuesday, August 19. The Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot is another major race in the proposed series which is at present run in midweek.
In addition, contracts with Channel 4 and the BBC provide for live coverage of British racing and negotiations would have to resolve how those contracts could be changed to move key races to Saturdays.
The full article contains 423 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
