British EBF to support junior hurdle programme

British horseracing’s most active sponsor, the British EBF, is to re-focus part of its National Hunt prizemoney contribution to support the junior hurdle programme.

Now in their third year, Junior National Hunt Hurdle races enhance the potential of young horses through earlier jumping education.  Racing against their own age-group, the development of this programme aims to mirror the early education options available to National Hunt trainers in France and Ireland.

Open exclusively to three-year-olds from October to December and four-year-olds from January to April of the following year, Junior Hurdle runners must not have previously competed, except for running in a NH Flat or Junior ‘NH’ Hurdle. They carry the same status as NH Flat and P2P races, in that winners will not be precluded from competing in novice hurdles during the following Jump season.

The renewed British EBF National Hunt programme for 2024 – 2025 will comprise:

• National Hunt Novice Hurdle Series with £80,000 final Sandown Park on 8 March 2025
• Mares’ NH Novice Hurdle Series with final at Newbury on 22 March 2025
• Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race Sandown on 8 March 2025
• British EBF Junior NH Hurdle races (races to the end of the year shown):

“We are constantly looking at the best ways to strategically support the race programme” explained Simon Sweeting, Chairman of the British EBF.

“With guidance from the BHA, we agreed to lend support to this relatively new initiative so it had time to gain traction with owners and trainers and give its creators (the TBA and BHA) time to assess its value to the wider National Hunt racing and breeding landscape.”

Simon Cox, Chairman of the TBA National Hunt Committee thanked the British EBF for taking up the support:

“We are delighted that the British EBF are supporting the Junior ‘NH’ Hurdle races from this autumn through sponsorship. These races provide a vital education for NH-bred horses to compete against each other at the same development stage, without the burden of taking on more mature Flat-breds. As a NH Committee, we were pleased with the interest that these races have had from the first to the second year, and as more and more stakeholders understand the concept and its benefits, we anticipate the standard to keep on improving.”

The British EBF is funded by British stallion studs and contributes £2,000,000 to racing’s prize money in 2024 across its Flat and National Hunt programmes.