Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) today confirm prize money investments for the remainder of 2022, including a £200,000 increase to race values across the Cazoo St Leger Festival.
In addition to further investment in the Cazoo St Leger Festival, ARC are pleased to confirm a minimum total prize money value of £75,000 across all jump racing fixtures over the coming winter. From Thursday 1 September, all National Hunt meetings at ARC racecourses will offer prize money of at least £75,000.
The initiative will operate throughout the core winter jumps season, from 1 September 2022, until 31 March 2023.
Scheduled to take place between Wednesday 7 and Saturday 10 September 2022, the Cazoo St Leger Festival will see a further prize money investment of over £200,000 across the four days of racing, against 2021 race values.
With the return of the Weatherby’s Scientific 2-Year-Old sales race to a total value of £300,000, there will be a total of over £2,600,000 in prize money available at the Cazoo St Leger Festival 2022.
The focus of the additional investment across the four days will be on races supporting the Festival’s feature events, as well the handicap programme. Class 2 Handicaps will see a particular boost, with all races at this class run for at least £50,000, and the 7f Class 2 Handicap for 2-year-olds on Wednesday 8 September run for £35,000, an increase of £10,000.
On Cazoo St Leger Day, the popular Coral Portland Handicap, run over 6 furlongs, will be run for £100,000 for the first time, an increase of £25,000 on 2021 values.
Managing Director of ARC’s Racing Division, Mark Spincer said, “We are really pleased to confirm this investment into the prize money available at the Cazoo St Leger Festival. Across the four days, we have looked at the programme of handicaps and other supporting races, and look forward to getting under way next week.
“With regards our jumps programme this winter, we wanted to continue the initiative that we started in the second half of last season in offering a minimum guarantee of £75,000 at all fixtures. Of course, a number of fixtures will be above that threshold, but from September until the end of March, we hope that it will give racehorse owners running horses across all of our jump tracks reassurance as to the prizes on offer.”
These investments follow on from previous announcements in 2022, including the winner’s bonus scheme that continues to run through to the end of September across Class 4, 5 and 6 flat races and the new £1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus pot which starts alongside Season 10 of the All-Weather Championships on Tuesday 18 October.
For more information regarding the Cazoo St Leger Festival, or to book tickets, please visit www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk.
