Ayr races chart high
Ayr Racecourse is ‘charting’ high after two of the track’s principal races featured in a table listing the top 12 of Britain’s Most Valuable Jumps Handicaps for season 2015-2016.
The Coral Scottish Grand National with a prize fund of £210,000 is second only to the £1 million Crabbie’s Grand National at Aintree in the list while the £101,000 QTS Scottish Champion Hurdle is in 12th place.
Scotland’s premier racecourse outperforms blue chip tracks like Cheltenham, Ascot and Sandown who have one race each in the top 12 while Ayr and Aintree are the only two northern courses to feature.
Ayr Racecourse Managing Director David Brown said : “This table of the country’s most valuable handicaps proves yet again our commitment to providing top quality racing here at Ayr.
“The Coral Scottish Grand National is not only the second most valuable jumps handicap but also the second richest jumps race run on a Saturday while it is the fourth top race in the UK in terms of betting turnover and in 2014 was also the fourth best watched race on Channel 4.
“The QTS Scottish Champion Hurdle is now established as one of the top five handicap hurdles in Britain and attracts some of the leading two mile hurdlers in the country.
“It is an honour to have these two races featuring so prominently in such a ‘league table’ and underlines their importance in the racing calendar.”