New £50,000 Bonus and Prize-Money Boost for Newbury’s Mill Reef

[Wandering Eyes]

Newbury Racecourse announced on Tuesday the introduction of a £50,000 bonus for any horse who wins a two-year-old race throughout the Flat season at Newbury and subsequently triumphs in the G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes. In the event that a horse achieves this feat in 2025, £40,000 will be paid to the winning owner and £10,000 to the yard where the horse is trained for the stable staff.

The European Pattern Committee revealed in February that the Mill Reef was one of two races in Britain at risk of being downgraded in 2026, depending on their performance this year. To increase the appeal of the six-furlong contest, the 2025 edition has also received a prize-money boost of £25,000. It will offer a total prize fund of £125,000 when it takes place on Saturday, September 20.

Meanwhile, the G2 Hungerford Stakes will this year be run for £150,000, having also received a £25,000 increase. The seven-furlong race for horses aged three and above will be staged at Newbury on Saturday, August 16.

George Hill, clerk of the course at Newbury, said, “We are delighted to be able to increase the total prize-money on offer for both of our Group 2 contests this Flat season by £25,000. This highlights our ongoing commitment to increasing the prize-money on offer to attract the best horses and guarantee competitive and compelling racing action.

“With the addition of the new £50,000 Mill Reef bonus initiative this year, we aim to be offering an even more attractive option for connections. We hope that through the introduction of the new bonus, as well as the addition of £25,000 to the total prize fund, connections seek to target the Mill Reef with any exciting two-year-olds that emerge as the season develops.”

Trainer Richard Hannon, who won the 2023 running of the Hungerford with Witch Hunter (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), said, “The Hungerford has always been one of the go to races for me. We always have plenty of good milers and some of those are better over seven furlongs. It comes at a great time of the year and I will probably have a lot of entries. The fact it is worth more prize-money is fantastic.

“Newbury are obviously making every effort to avoid races being downgraded by putting in prize-money. It will attract more good horses and that's what you want. It is good to see them doing that.”

He added, “The idea of the new £50,000 bonus if you win a two-year-old race and the Mill Reef has got to be a massive draw. With the yard getting £10,000 of the bonus if you pull off that double, you'll have the stable staff behind it and the trainers behind it–I think it's a fantastic idea.”

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