King George to Become Britain’s Richest Race in 2026 at £2m

[Wandering Eyes]

On the 75th anniversary of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot has announced a prize-money boost for next year to £2 million, which means it will become Britain's richest-ever race.

This year's race, worth £1.5 million, is already the most valuable race to be run at Ascot. Last year's King George was officially the best mile-and-a-half contest in the world in the 2024 Longines World's Top 100 Group Races.

“The roll call of winners over the last 75 years is unrivalled, and we are committed to ensuring that we continue to attract the very best horses to our midsummer highlight,” said Ascot CEO Felicity Barnard.

That roll call includes such great names as Ribot, Nijinsky, Brigadier Gerard, Grundy, Shergar, Dancing Brave, Nashwan, Galileo and Enable.

She continued, “We are also conscious of ensuring that the race remains internationally relevant in an increasingly competitive global picture. These days, there are plenty of options for connections to run their horses worldwide and year-round, so it's vital that we find the right balance of prize-money and prestige. By making this announcement now we hope that connections will be able to start planning backwards from the race already

“We are very conscious of the fact we need to continue to invest in prize-money across the programme at all levels and we look forward to making further announcements regarding 2026 in due course.”

 

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