Planned £1m Cesarewitch latest casualty of prize-money cuts

The plan to increase the Cesarewitch purse to £1 million at Newmarket in 2020 has been shelved amid uncertainty over racing's finances.

Instead the big staying handicap of the autumn will decrease in value to £350,000 from last year's £500,000, although Jockey Club Racecourses is still maintaining its contribution to prize-money on offer at its July and Rowley Mile courses at £10.8 million in 2019.

The decrease in the maximum FOBT stake to £2 is expected to leave a significant shortfall in media rights income caused by the anticipated closure of betting shops.

Racecourse operator Arena Racing Company has already responded by trimming its prize-money contribution by nearly £3 million.

Amy Starkey, regional director for the East region of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “Last year we embarked on the ambitious plan to make the Cesarewitch worth £1 million but, unfortunately circumstances have changed since we made the announcement in April, and, with both the short- and longer-term outlook being uncertain, it was deemed neither sensible nor sustainable to stick blindly to the proposed year-on-year increases.

“Consequently, the ambition to make the race worth £1 million is on hold for the time being. However, at £350,000 the 2019 running of the Cesarewitch will be worth £100,000 more than it was in 2017.

“In the current climate, it is all about trying to get the balance right and spreading our investment as effectively as possible.”

There will be no cap on the handicap rating of Cesarewitch entries, which was restricted to a banding of 0-110 last year, while the previous stipulation that a horse must have run twice on the Flat over a mile and a half or further between April and September has been scrapped for a race run as part of the Dubai Future Champions festival.

Prize-money for the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy is up £25,000 to £175,000 and there is a £20,000 increase for the former Listed-class Zetland Stakes and Pride Stakes, which have been upgraded to Group 3 status by the European Pattern Committee.

There is a boost for the stayers’ handicap division with the creation of the £120,000 bet365 Trophy on day two of the Moët & Chandon-sponsored July festival, an open handicap over 1m6f replacing a 0-105 handicap worth £50,000.

Starkey said: “Staging the highest quality racing at our showcase fixtures is what Newmarket is all about and we’re delighted to continue our relationship with bet365 by introducing the bet365 Trophy for 2019.

“We know it took time to get the balance right but Newmarket’s autumn programme is now settled and thriving with the upgrades.”

The independently-owned York earlier this month confirmed the Sky Bet Ebor will become the first £1 million Flat handicap in Britain this year with new conditions as an open handicap.

Discussions aimed at finding a solution to the row over prize-money levels at the lower levels of the sport continued between representatives of the BHA, Racecourse Association and Horsemen's Group on Tuesday.

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