- Race to be staged at Newbury Racecourse on Sunday, 19 July
- Revised Prize Fund and refund conditions
- No further payments required to stay in the race
Following consultation with the Horsemen’s Group, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today announced that Newbury Racecourse’s application to revise the conditions of the Weatherbys Super Sprint has been approved.
The race, which closed on 3 March 2020, will now be staged on Sunday, 19 July with a reduced Total Race Value of £150,000. As a result, owners of horses remaining in the race after the first scratching stage of 5 May, will receive a partial refund of their stake of £256; those horses which were scratched before 5 May will be reimbursed £128.
Furthermore, horses which remain in the race will not be required to make any further payments. However, in line with the original conditions of the race, horses eliminated at the 48-hour declaration stage will not receive any further refunds of stakes paid up to 5 May. It should be noted that, HORSES SHOULD BE CONFIRMED AS NORMAL ON 13 JULY in order to remain in the race.
Keith Ottesen, Clerk of the Course for Newbury Racecourse commented:
“As a result of the ongoing public health situation, we have taken a collaborative approach to provide a practical solution to ensure the success of the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury Racecourse next month in response to the pressures now faced by both racecourses and horsemen since the cessation of racing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We feel this is a viable and fair solution to ensure the race is run and our thanks go to the horsemen as well as our sponsor, Weatherbys for their support.”
Rod Millman who won the race last year with Bettys Hope added:
“This is a difficult time for the industry, but this is a popular, valuable race for many of us and this seems like a fair approach to ensure its continuation and success.”
Owners and trainers should also note that ANY HORSES WHICH DO NOT HAVE A REGISTERED NAME AND WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN MICROCHIPPED ON 23 JUNE, THE SECOND SCRATCHING STAGE, WILL BE DISQUALIFIED AND REMOVED FROM THE RACE.
The race conditions have been updated on the BHA Administration site and those entitled to refunds will be notified in due course.
