Nearly €2,000,000 On Offer For Ascot Opening Six Jumps Fixtures

Allied Irish Bank (GB) to sponsor €35,000 Overseas Trainers Challenge Attractive travel and hospitality incentives for overseas owners and trainers

Ascot today launches a major new initiative to promote its jumps season overseas with nearly €2,000,000 prize money on offer in 2006 alone, an overseas trainers challenge, sponsored by Allied Irish Bank (GB), and a wide range of incentives for owners and trainers.

Highlights amongst Ascots early season programme include:

New Carey Group Chase for two milers worth €174,000
The Ladbroke, Europes most valuable handicap hurdle at €217,500, returns
BGC continue Christmas Meeting and €145,000 Long Walk Hurdle sponsorship
Coral to sponsor €145,000 Ascot Hurdle
Curtain to be raised with new €145,000 three mile United House Chase

Overall prize money on offer over the jumps in 2006, €1,914,000, represents an increase of over €750,000 on the equivalent period from October to December in 2003 (last season before the redevelopment).

The17th and 18th of November meeting alone is worth €681,500 with the Friday fixture branded Allied Irish Bank (GB) Day. Allied Irish Bank (GB) were announced as Ascots first Founding Partner in December and, in addition to their raceday, they are backing the Allied Irish Bank (GB) Overseas Trainers Challenge for the 2006 / 2007 season, offering a €25,000 first prize and €10,000 to the runner-up (details and points system can be found in the Jumping Back To Ascot brochure).

For races worth €29,000 or above, Ascot will pay for up to four return flights from Europe to a local UK airport for connections of overseas-trained runners, and accommodation (up to two rooms) in a local hotel. Transport between the airports, hotels and racecourse will also be laid on.

At the racecourse, all jumps owners and trainers, including those based in Great Britain, will be welcomed to an exclusive hospitality area in the Ascot Pavilion, where there will be a champagne reception, three course lunch with wines and full afternoon tea, all with the compliments of Ascot Racecourse.

Jumps racing is returning to Ascot with a real bang this year and important within that is to promote our programme around Europe, starting, naturally, in Ireland, said Douglas Erskine-Crum, Chief Executive at Ascot.

We appreciate the ever increasing number of opportunities open to owners and trainers so have set out to make the option of travelling over to Ascot as appealing as possible by providing an attractive travel package, extremely competitive prize money and free hospitality on racedays.

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