· Record equalling £2 million contribution to British racing’s prize money in 2025
· Renewal of £2.3 million British EBF 2yo Series
· Lead contributor to £3.3 million project to enhance Novice and Maiden programme
· £250,000 Future Stayers Series celebrates ten-year anniversary
· Support of £150,000 National Hunt Junior Hurdle programme
· Support of two pilot equine veterinary research projects
· New sponsorship Flat Stallion Parade; ROA Flat Achievement Award and Barleythorpe Cup (TBA Stallion Award)
The British EBF has secured its place as racing’s most active supporter, releasing details of their programme of 700 races, which sees £2 million of contributions to horseracing’s prizemoney from 35 British stallion studs.
Flat Racing
Headlining the Flat racing initiatives is the British EBF 2yo Series, with a total prize fund of £2.3 million and two finals, worth £100,000 each for fillies (Goodwood 24 September) and colts and geldings (York 10 October). Over 170 Restricted Maiden and Novice races, worth up to £30,000 each, act as qualifiers. Any EBF eligible horse who finishes in the top six of a qualifier, can enter one of the finals with no early closing restrictions and no staged entry fees.
Now in its fourth year, the series continues to strengthen, already boasting a combined runners/ Black Type performers strike rate of 17.5%. Graduates include Jersey Stakes (Gr.3) placed STREETS OF GOLD and Listed winners: CHIC COLOMBINE, SIRONA and GLAMIS ROAD.
Quality and development are the watchwords for the British EBF’s increased support of the £3.3 million programme of High Value Development races. Contributing £400,000 to the project in 2025, Chairman Simon Sweeting explained how the cross-industry collaboration is producing positive results:
“These races focus £3.3 million of prize money into a vital, foundation area of the programme. Our 2024 races produced fantastic graduates, led by Manton Thoroughbreds' RASHABAR. Second in a British EBF Maiden at Chester's May meeting, he went on to win a scintillating Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and finished second in both the Group 1 Prix Morny and Jean-Luc Lagadere. Our races alone have produced a further 10 stakes winners or performers including Listed winners ENGLEMERE and LADY WITH THE LAMP.”
With the BHA, Darley, Juddmonte and Tattersalls, the British EBF support 88 races for 2yos and 3yos with minimum values of £40,000 for Open Maiden and Novice races and £30,000 for Restricted races. The collaboration seeks to provide owners and trainers with regular development opportunities and the ability to start making returns on training fees and the purchase price of a horse earlier in its career.
GLAMIS ROAD, proved a British EBF flag-bearer in 2024, winning a high value Maiden at Doncaster in June having cost just £30,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze Up sale. Purchaser Nick Bradley recognises the value of having these races in the programme:
“Myself and Lewis Poskitt look to add value to our owners experience in our race planning. We picked out the EBF £30,000 race for GLAMIS ROAD about a month before the race, such was the lure of the prize money on offer. She won nicely that day and went on to finish 4th in the £100,000 EBF Final for the Fillies at Goodwood which we won with another cheaply bought filly LOVE TALK.
“The fixture book is now out for the 2yo races until June and we have already started highlighting the EBF Series of races which we can target with our 2yo fillies of 2025.”
The £250,000 British EBF Future Stayers Series celebrates its 10 year anniversary in 2025, returning with a programme of 12 races run for no less than £20,000 (Class 4), rising to £30,000 for a Class 2.
It headlines the British EBF support for the breeding and racing of Middle Distances horses, with races only open to the progeny of sires and dams that ran over 10 furlongs or more.
With a runners to Black Type strike rate of 10%, the British EBF Future Stayers races have produced some of our finest distance horses in recent years including Gr.1 winners CRACKSMAN and STRADIVARIUS and Classic winner HURRICANE LANE.
National Hunt Support
The British EBF is the new sponsor of a series of 19 Junior Hurdle races for National Hunt bred horses with over £150,000 on offer across the current season. The races enhance the potential of young horses through earlier jumping education. Racing against their own age-group, the development of this programme aims to mirror the early education options available to National Hunt trainers in France and Ireland.
The Junior NH Hurdle initiative is the latest addition to the British EBF jumps portfolio which includes the NH Mares’ Hurdle Series and the longstanding trainer favourite, the “EBF Final”. Also known as the EBF NH Novice Hurdle Final, this year saw a thrilling renewal at Sandown when won by LAURENS BAY, coming from “out of the clouds” to provide connections with over £45,000 of winning prizemoney.
Coupled with further feature races at Sandown and Perth, the British EBF support of National Hunt racing stimulates total prize money exceeding £900,000 across its 80 races.
Support of Veterinary Research
British EBF support for racing and breeding doesn’t stop on the racecourse. The British EBF Trustees are again working with the HBLB to fund two research projects of direct benefit to the Thoroughbred as Chairman Simon Sweeting explains:
"To date, the British EBF has directly funded over £1.3 million of equine veterinary research projects, in addition to our £42million prize money allocations and we are pleased to be building on that support by fully funding two projects in 2025. The Trustees selected a study covering Inbreeding depression in Thoroughbreds and methods for non-invasive diagnosis of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. Both subject areas are of importance to the long-term health of the Thoroughbred and we are delighted to be supporting the aims of the HBLB in this important work."