Ascot's prize money for next year will amount to a record £17 million over 25 fixtures at the course. That figure represents an increase of 8.5% on this year's total, which was itself up by more than 14% on prepandemic levels. It means Ascot will offer approximately a tenth of all prize money offered in Britain, which was projected to reach £170m this year.
The track's figure excludes the purses offered on Qipco British Champions Day, a fixture which is owned by the industry. Much of the increase will be aimed at Royal Ascot, prize money for which will go up by 10% to £9.52m. Every Group One race in the week will now be worth at least £600,000, up from £500,000, a rise which affects the Gold Cup, the King's Stand Stakes, the St James's Palace Stakes, the Coronation Cup and the Commonwealth Cup.
The fund for the Queen Anne Stakes will soar by 25% to £750,000. The minimum prize money for any race at the meeting will continue to be £100,000. The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup meeting in August will be worth £640,000, an increase of 15%, while there will continue to be £25,000 in stable bonuses that day and on King George day.
"We are delighted to have reached the £17m prize money mark for the first time," said Nick Smith, Ascot's director of racing. "It's never been so important to focus on the top end of the British programme, with competition for the best horses so intense internationally. "Against a backdrop of reduced central funding, an increase of more than £1.1m or almost 14% in executive contribution has been required to get to this figure.
That represents a significant investment and, while many of the headline increases are at Royal Ascot, there are also boosts to Class Two and Class Three handicaps on the Flat driven by the welcome increase to minimum values in this area. "We have focused again on raising the profile of the Shergar Cup, which attracts international jockey talent from around the world, and are delighted that each of the eight races will be worth £80,000.
"We are also pleased to improve returns for developmental races, including two high value maidens on the Flat.”
