Wild Card Initiative Extended to Royal Ascot for American Runners

[Wandering Eyes]

It was announced on Wednesday that Ascot Racecourse, the Jockey Club and Churchill Downs have agreed an extension of the 'wild card' entry initiative launched last year that ties together Royal Ascot, the Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom and the Kentucky Derby meeting at Churchill Downs.

Last year a runner from each of the GII Edgewood Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the GII American Turf Stakes for three-year-old colts received an entry for the Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby, respectively. That will again be the case this year, while an invitation to Royal Ascot will also be offered to a runner from both of those races.

A runner from the Edgewood Stakes will receive an entry and a travel incentive for the G1 Coronation Stakes on the penultimate day of Royal Ascot. Likewise, a runner from the American Turf Stakes will receive an entry and a travel incentive for the G1 St James's Palace Stakes on the opening day of the meeting.

Those two races will join the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes and the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes, both run on the Kentucky Derby card, which also provide 'wild card' entry to Royal Ascot. The Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes links into the G1 King Charles III Stakes and the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes offers the option of either the G1 Queen Anne Stakes or the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes.

Winners of all the races in the programme will receive the initial invite to run in the corresponding races across the Atlantic. In the event that the winners aren't able to take up that invite, racecourses may then also invite placed horses. The elimination procedures in these races will remain as they are now.

In return for the above incentives for US-based runners, a runner from both the Queen Anne Stakes and the Prince Of Wales's Stakes will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the GI Arlington Million Stakes at Colonial Downs in mid-August.

In addition, a runner from the G1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket's July Festival will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the GII Beverly D Stakes on the same card at Colonial Downs.

Launched in 2024, the programme is a commitment between Ascot, the Jockey Club and Churchill Downs to create links between historic races in the UK and high-profile turf races in the US. The ultimate aim is to build the international profile of these races by increasing the number of runners travelling from the US to the UK and vice versa.

Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs at Ascot, said, “We are delighted to extend this initiative to include the two Group 1 three-year-old races over a mile at Royal Ascot. In recent years we have seen top-class clashes between the Guineas winners from Britain, Ireland and France in the St James's Palace and Coronation Stakes, so if we could add the best of the American Classic generation over a mile on turf to those races as well that would be really exciting.

“We look forward to working with Churchill Downs and the UK Jockey Club on this exciting plan once again and hope to build on the recent growth in interest from American connections of having runners at Royal Ascot. Their participation always adds hugely to the meeting and, with NBC once again set to broadcast the whole week, there should plenty of American angles for them to cover.”

Matt Woolston, assistant racing and international racing director at the Jockey Club, said, “We are delighted to continue to work with Churchill Downs and Ascot on this partnership, with the aim to incentivise more runners to travel between the UK and US.

“This initiative provides the opportunity for the winners of prestigious turf races at the Kentucky Derby meet to be given wild card entries into our top three-year-old races in the UK, after the traditional entries process has closed. We look forward to showcasing the historical links between the Kentucky Derby and its forerunner, the Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs.”

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