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UK’s Jockey Club, 1/ST Create Turf Incentive Program

The Jockey Club for the United Kingdom and 1/ST, the North American Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company, announced April 4 a new partnership that aims to create synergy between prominent turf races on their respective continents.

The new initiative will allow the winners of two American spring turf stakes to gain an automatic entry and a travel incentive for The Jockey Club’s Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1) and July Cup (G1), while the winners of the Coral-Eclipse and July Cup will an earn automatic entry and a travel incentive to September turf stakes at 1/ST’s Santa Anita Park.

Santa Anita’s $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T) going 1 1/4 miles kicks off the program May 4, with the winner gaining an entry to the £750,000 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park July 6 at the same distance. Pimlico Race Course, also operated by 1/ST, next will run the five-furlong $100,000 Jim McKay Stakes May 18 with its winner earning a spot in the July Cup, a six-furlong race July 13 at Newmarket worth £600,000.

The Coral-Eclipse winner will subsequently earn a start in the $750,000 California Crown John Henry Turf Stakes (G2T), which is run at 1 1/4 miles, while the July Cup winner earns an automatic entry into the $750,000 California Crown Eddie D Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) at 6 1/2 furlongs. Both California Crown stakes will be run Sept. 28.

“We look forward to welcoming in competitors to the inaugural California Crown at Santa Anita Park this autumn,” said Aidan Butler, president of 1/ST. “This partnership with The Jockey Club is part of our wider global strategy for improving international interest and top-class participation in the world’s biggest races—as evidenced by a similar alliance we have with Royal Ascot, via our Royal Palm juvenile series at Gulfstream Park, which delivered Crimson Advocate , the winner of the prestigious Queen Mary Stakes, in its inaugural year.”

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Matt Woolston, The Jockey Club’s assistant racing and international director, said he is delighted with the race schedule that he believes will provide incentives for top runners to travel across the Atlantic Ocean.

“By pairing two of the UK’s most famous and prestigious group 1 contests in the summer with a quartet of valuable North American turf contests in the spring and autumn, we feel we have the perfect race schedule for transatlantic runners,” he said. “In addition, British and other European trainers now have the chance of an incentivized trip to North America in the autumn for races at Santa Anita’s exciting new California Crown meeting.”

This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.

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