King Richard III Stakes: Leicester feature replaced by valuable handicap

A valuable new handicap worth £50,000 will replace the Listed seven-furlong King Richard III Stakes as the early Flat-season feature at Leicester racecourse from next year.

Indentified as surplus to the overall programme’s requirements by the British Horseracing Authority, the Listed prize - won most recently by the Andrew Balding-trained Happy Power - has now been revamped as the new King Richard III Cup Handicap Stakes. The new race will also be staged over seven furlongs and the inaugural running of the new Class 2 contest will take place on Saturday, 29 April 2023.

Clerk of the Course Jimmy Stevenson said: "Whilst it’s a shame to lose the Listed race, we are keen to commemorate our royal heritage with a suitable contest and a seven-furlong handicap for horses rated 0-105 is just the ticket.

"We’re excited about the new race - it will be worth £50,000 in total and we expect it will prove very competitive, which will be great for our racegoers and the Racing TV and ITV audiences watching at home as well."