Champions Day prize money cut due to pandemic

PA Sport Reporters
August 6, 2020 4:01 pm

Ascot fixture remains richest raceday in Britain.

Prize money for this year’s Qipco British Champions Day on October 17 has been cut to GBP 2.5million due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fixture, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, will still be the richest raceday in Britain, but the amount of money on offer has taken a hit, with the headline Champion Stakes worth GBP 750,000 having been run for GBP 1.3m in 2019.

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes will be worth GBP 650,000, while the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes and British Champions Sprint will each have prize money of GBP 350,000 and GBP 300,000 will be on offer in the Group Two British Champions Long Distance Cup.

Rod Street, chief executive of British Champions Series, said: “We are pleased to be able to stage a card worth GBP 2.5 million on Qipco British Champions Day despite our income streams being so negatively affected and the enormous challenges facing the sport currently.

“Qipco British Champions Day has seen some superlative performances over the past decade and it is hugely important to us that we continue to make running a horse on the day as attractive as possible.

“We are very grateful for Qipco’s long-standing partnership of British Champions Series and British Champions Day which has enabled us to make this early commitment.”