Marathon Final Renamed Easter Plate, As All-Weather Championships Return

[Wandering Eyes]

The 13th season of the All-Weather Championships kicks off at Newcastle on Tuesday, October 21 and ends on Good Friday, April 3 with the £1-million Finals Day at Newcastle and the All-Weather Vase at Lingfield Park.

Some of the changes announced ahead of the season include the rechristening of the Marathon to the Easter Plate. The two-mile race will boast a maximum field of 20 and total prize-money of £175,000. Also, Midnite is now one of the title sponsors alongside BetMGM. The former will sponsor the Marathon, Middle Distance and Sprint categories, while BetMGM will back the Fillies & Mares, Mile and 3YO divisions. The G3 Winter Derby and Listed Hever Sprint will return to Lingfield Park. Both the Listed Churchill Stakes and Listed Golden Rose Stakes move from Newcastle to Southwell. There will also be All-Weather Championships Trials Day fixtures at Newcastle on January 16 and Lingfield Park on February 27, each hosting six £45,000 open handicaps in the respective categories.

The winner of each AWC Trials Day race will be eligible for free entry to the corresponding Finals Day race at Newcastle, as well as a £15,000 bonus should they go on to also win on Good Friday. Any horse that wins at both AWC Trials Days in the same category and goes on to also win at Newcastle will be eligible for a total bonus of £35,000.

As in previous years, there will be cash prizes awarded to the jockey, trainer and owner who accumulates the most wins during the season:

• AW Champion Jockey – £10,000
• AW Champion Jockey runner-up – £5,000
• AW Champion Apprentice – £4,000
• AW Champion Apprentice runner-up – £1,000
• AW Champion Owner – £10,000
• AW Champion Trainer – £10,000

The rules for the All-Weather Championships remain unchanged, with horses requiring a minimum of three runs on all-weather surfaces in Britain, Ireland, France and the US during the qualifying period to be eligible for Finals Day. One of these three qualifying runs will continue to be permitted to take place on dirt in either Dubai or Saudi Arabia.

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