Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) and Bath Racecourse are delighted to launch the Value Rater Racing Club Sprint and Stayers Series, which gets underway on Wednesday 26 June.
Aimed at supporting the grassroots of the sport, the popular Series will offer opportunities for horses at Class Five and Six with two £17,500 Finals taking place on Sunday 15 September.
As part of a wider partnership deal with Bath Racecourse, Value Rater Racing Club become headline sponsors of the 2019 Series. Value Rater Racing Club aims to engage with and develop novice racing fans and bettors, help them to learn more about the sport and feel more confident and informed in betting on British Racing.
As in previous years, the Value Rater Racing Club Sprint and Stayers Series will offer ten qualifying races between 26 June and 27 August, alongside the Finals, in each category.
Horses will be rewarded points according to their finishing position within each qualifier, with regular runners also rewarded with a bonus nine points for any horse running in three or more qualifiers.
The horses with most points will receive the greatest protection from elimination from their respective Final. Qualifiers in the Value Rater Racing Club Sprint Series will range in distance from five to six furlongs, with a 5 furlong final. The Value Rater Racing Club Stayers Series will offer qualifiers between 1 mile 3 furlongs and 2 miles 1 furlong, with a Final over 1 mile and 6 furlongs.
The 2018 Sprint Series winner was the Tony Carroll trained Red Alert, ridden by Poppy Bridgwater, whilst Irish raider Xinbama, trained by David Dunne, was victorious in the Stayers Series.
Bath Racecourse Executive Director Jo Hall, said, “Value Rater Racing Club has been a fantastic partner at Bath Racecourse this season, and we’re enjoying collaborating with them on engaging with racegoers. The Sprint and Stayers Series have proved popular here for the last few years, and we hope that by working with Matt and his team at Value Rater Racing Club to promote our regular runners and, of course, the Owners, Trainers and Jockeys connected with them.”
Matt Mitter of Value Rater Racing Club, said, “The appeal of getting involved with the Sprints and Stayers Series at Bath was that it offered opportunities for horses and connections competing at the grassroots of the sport to race for enhanced prize money. I hope we will see some great momentum this year and that connections once again get behind this great initiative.”
Launched in 2017, Bath Racecourse will once again be staging the popular Value Rater Racing Club Sprints & Stayers Series. There will be 20 qualifying fixtures taking place from Wednesday 26 June to Tuesday 27 August. Horses that compete in any of the qualifying races will earn points. Those with the highest points will be eligible to compete in the two finals on Sunday 15 September; both with a minimum total prize fund of £17,500.
Series Entry Conditions
All horses which start in a qualifying race, as defined in the Rules of Racing, will be eligible to enter THE VALUE RATER RACING CLUB SPRINTS’ AND STAYERS' SERIES (FINALS) to be run at Bath Racecourse on September 15th respectively with a Minimum Total Prize Fund of £17,500 in each final.
In the event of the abandonment of these qualifying races, any horse which has been declared to run in this race under the provisions of Rule (F)89, or any horse entered to run in this race if the time of the abandonment was prior to the declaration stage, will be qualified to enter the Finals.
Any horse which has been eliminated from these qualifying races will also be eligible, subject to the Rules of Racing, to enter the Finals. The British Horseracing Authority will modify Part B of Schedule (F)8 for the purposes of the Final, such that a horse will gain protection from elimination by obtaining points throughout the series.
Points will be awarded in each qualifier as follows: Winner-10 points, 2nd-8 points, 3rd-6 points, 4th-4 points, 5th-2 points, 6th-1 point. The horse obtaining the highest number of points will be afforded the greatest protection from elimination.
In the event of two or more horses entering the Final with the same number of points, the horse allotted the lowest weight will be eliminated first. If two or more such horses have the same weight, their position in the elimination sequence will be allocated by random ballot.
For more information about the Series and how to enter your horse, contact the Clerk of the Course, Tim Long (tlong@bath-racecourse.co.uk)
