Irish EBF boosts purses of two race series amid hard times for the industry

Irish racing’s largest sponsor, the Irish European Breeders’ Fund, has stepped in to further boost prize-money in the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Series and the new Irish EBF Median Sires Series.

Due to Covid-19 related prize-money cuts, races in both series were cut by €1,000, but the Irish EBF are to supplement the drop in prize-money and restore the value of each race to pre-Covid-19 levels.

The Irish EBF had previously announced a record annual contribution of €2,500,000 to Irish racing for 2020 in response to the Covid-19 situation.

With racing now scheduled up to the beginning of August, there are ten Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction races and 11 Irish EBF Median Sires races that will each benefit from the €1,000 prize-money boost.

The first of the Irish EBF Median Sires races is on Monday at Fairyhouse and is now worth €25,000 in prize-money.

The first of the Foran Equine Irish EBF auction maidens will be at Roscommon on June 22 with €20,000 on offer, followed the next day by two further races in the series, each worth €24,000, at Navan.

John O’Connor, the Irish EBF chairman, said: “At this crucial time for the industry it is important to look after both of these vital race series and continue to offer connections of EBF-eligible two-year-olds valuable race opportunities.

"We commend Horse Racing Ireland on successfully scheduling 21 races from both series over June and July and we look forward to seeing connections reap the many benefits on offer.”

The new Irish EBF Median Sires series offers a range of valuable races for EBF eligible two-year-olds where the sire’s median price is no more than €75,000, €60,000 or €30,000, along with weight allowances for runners with a lower median sire price.

To be eligible to enter the Foran Equine Irish EBF series a two-year-old must be bought for €72,000 or less from a designated yearling or breeze-up sale.

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