Ayr and Sandown to host £100,000 finals for new BHA handicap programme

National Hunt trainers will have two major new prizes to aim at for the end of the jumps season with the announcement that the BHA's development fund will support major handicaps for novice hurdlers and novice chasers.

Sandown will host the £100,000 final of the Championship Hurdle Series on the last day of the campaign, seven days after Ayr stages a handicap chase for novices for the same prize-money.

While there will be no qualifiers for the chase series, entrants will need to have finished in the first eight in at least one weight-for-age novices' or beginners' chase during the 2017/18 Season.

"The addition of a novice championship chase final adds another top-quality race to what is already the premier race day of the jumps season in Scotland," said Ayr's managing director, David Brown.

"In addition to the £215,000 Scottish Grand National and the £105,000 QTS Scottish Champion Hurdle we now have another race with a six-figure prize in the pot, giving us more than £550,000 of money on offer on the day."

The hurdle series will comprise 36 weight-for age qualifiers and the Sandown final – run as an open handicap – all to be run at or around two miles.

The BHA's head of racing, Paul Johnson said: "Encouraging more horses from the Flat to go novice hurdling and ensuring our novice chase programme remains competitive are two areas we are keen to focus on following feedback from the jump racing and novices’ chase reviews."

Sandown and Cheltenham boost prize-money

Sandown viewed from the home straight open ditch during a handicap chaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

The news comes on the day Sandown announced its prize-money for the coming jumps season will pass the £2 million mark for the first time.

The bet365 Gold Cup, the traditional final day highlight of the British jumps campaign has received a major boost and in 2018 will be worth £565,000, an increase of £80,000.

The Surrey track hosts the first of nine fixtures this coming Sunday and clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: "To get beyond the £2m mark for the first time is fantastic and the increases will be spread across every class of race."

Cheltenham was another track to reveal a major investment in one of its flagship pre-Christmas races, with the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup receiving a 20 per cent increase which takes it to £120,000.

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