WARWICK Racecourse continues to grow from strength to strength with the addition of a prestigious new race to its busy calender ahead of the new season.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced that Warwick Racecourse is one of four venues to host a Mares Listed Chase, a part of the racing programme that has been subject to sustained enhancements in recent years.
Warwick Racecourse is set to hold its first Listed Mares’ Novices’ Steeple Chase over two-and-a-half miles on December 8, for a total prize fund of £25,000.
It is welcome news for one of the Midlands’ leading racing venues, and follows a substantial close-season investment in the tracks and facilities.
“The fact that we have been considered as a suitable venue for this new race is a further indication that Warwick Racecourse is being taken seriously by those responsible for making these important decisions,” said Andre Klein, general manager at Warwick Racecourse.
“We already have a number of flagship races, the highlights of which are the Classic Chase and the Kingmaker, but inclusion in this new racing series is a great bit of recognition for Warwick as we strive to become the best small jump race track in the country.”
The Listed Mares’ Novices’ Steeple Chase at Warwick is designed to complement the two Listed Chases for mares which were added to the programme last season at Carlisle and Huntingdon, together with the Chase at Doncaster which was introduced for the 2014/15 season.
The races represent a further enhancement to a long list of initiatives aimed at providing incentives to own and train jumping mares.
Other Mares Listed Chases added to the racing calendar for this season include the Market Rasen Mares’ Steeple Chase on November 3, the Bangor-on-Dee Mares’ Novices’ Steeple Chase on November 9, and the Leicester Mares’ Steeple Chase on January 23.
Ruth Quinn, the BHA’s Director of International Racing and Racing Development, said: “The addition of these races marks a further bolstering of an area of the programme which we have developed significantly in recent years.
“The public enjoy seeing talented mares competing over fences, and we hope to provide enough meaningful incentives such that we deliver a growing strength in depth, with the best of them able to compete effectively at the top level.”
Warwick’s fixture list for the remainder of 2016 includes six racedays on September 20, 29, November 4 and 16, December 8 and 31.
