Jockey Club prize-money boost for smaller tracks

Paul Fisher, group managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses, believes "all levels" of racing will benefit from a planned year-on-year increase of £2.1million in prize money in 2017.A total of £22.9m will be contributed by JCR this year, split between £11.6m to jumps racing and £11.3m to Flat racing. The National Hunt sphere will benefit from a£1.4m injection with the group's seven small courses - Carlisle, Exeter, Huntingdon, Market Rasen, Nottingham, Warwick and Wincanton - seeing budgeted increases to their prize money of more than £100,000 each and by as much as £241,000 in the case of Carlisle. Total prize money across the 15 JCR tracks is scheduled to exceed £45m in 2017 across 341 fixtures, with average prize money of more than £132,000 per fixture. Fisher said: "All levels of British racing will benefit from the prize money increase we announce today, but I hope the clear boost for National Hunt racing and the grassroots of our sport is particularly welcome."The Jockey Club recognises that prize money provides an important return for racehorse owners and is vital to the livelihoods of trainers, stable staff and jockeys. It's also essential to our sport's competitiveness, so this is a real area of focus for us."In the last 10 years we have contributed more than £162m to prize money, which has seen us work hard to put in industry-leading sums each year from our own resources and I'm pleased we will be able to go further again this year to support the sport."Welcoming the news, Malton-based dual-purpose trainer Brian Ellison said:"It's great to see the Jockey Club investing further money into National Hunt Racing with particular focus on the grassroots. "The fact that smaller courses will benefit and courses in the north such as Carlisle is a big step forward for the sport."