Prize money funding boost of £2.2m confirmed for 2027

Dear Owner
 
Prize money and the rising cost of keeping horses in training remain central concerns for owners.
 
The have announced a £2.2 million increase in prize money funding for 2027, supported by the Horserace Betting Levy Board. We welcome the investment and thank both organisations for their work. Improving returns for owners remains a priority for the ROA, alongside our work to improve the wider ownership experience in British racing.
 
The 2027 prize money increase includes higher minimum race values across several parts of the programme and an extension of the Great British Bonus including qualifying British-bred Jump geldings.
 
These are positive steps for owners and important to the long-term health of the sport and the Thoroughbred population being bred, trained, owned, and raced in Britain. We will continue to press for improvements to owners’ returns across the sport.
 
Below is a summary for owners from the BHA, together with their full announcement.
 
Best wishes,
Louise Norman
ROA Chief Executive

 

Note to owners from the BHA 
 
Following the publication of the 2027 fixture list earlier this month, the BHA and Horserace Betting Levy Board will this week/have this week confirmed details of prize money for next year.

A boost to prize money funding of £2.2 million has been confirmed, which will result in the increase of the minimum values of a number of races, as well as an extension to the Great British Bonus scheme.

As we have said often in recent months, the sport’s long-term health relies on our ability to see the best horses bred, trained and raced here in Britain and we know that this, alongside prize money, is essential to you as owners.

Thank you for your continued support of British racing.

What’s New?

Developmental races
Following a £2.5 million boost to developmental races in 2026, we are pleased to confirm that a further £1,000 will be added to the minimum values of all developmental races staged in Britain in 2027. This represents a further £1.6 million investment in this area of the race programme.

The revised minimum values will be as follows:

Race	Minimum value 2026	Minimum value 2027
Flat
Open Staying	£12,000	£13,000
Open Non-Staying	£10,000	£11,000
Restricted Staying	£10,000	£11,000
Restricted Non-Staying	£8,000	£9,000
Jump
Novice/Maiden Chase	£15,000	£16,000
Novice/Maiden Hurdle	£10,000	£11,000

 
Class 1 Jump races
In order to encourage owners to place their best Jumpers in the care of British trainers and to race them in Britain, therefore creating competitive and compelling racing at the highest levels, most Grade 2 and Grade 3 Jumps races will see their minimum values increase in 2027.

These increases are as follows:

Race	Minimum value 2026	Minimum value 2027
Grade 2 Chase	£80,000	£90,000
Grade 2 Hurdle	£60,000	£85,000
Grade 2 Novice Chase	£75,000	£80,000
Grade 3 Chase/Hurdle	£75,000	£80,000

 
Great British Bonus extension
In order to boost demand for British-bred National Hunt geldings, funding has been approved for an extension to the Great British Bonus scheme to include male Jumpers.

The aim of GBB Gents is to support British Jumps breeding by making geldings more attractive to owners, with £300,000 of funding in place to provide bonuses in all current races covered by the Great British Bonus, with the exception of Class 3 and 4 handicaps and bumpers.

Bonuses for such horses will be 50 per cent of the equivalent filly or mare bonus, at a maximum of £10,000 per race for qualifying geldings. This value has been agreed in order to ensure the primacy of the existing GBB scheme for fillies and mares.

Elite Midsummer Group 1s
This scheme, introduced in 2026, is designed to increase the appeal of our best midsummer Flat races both to potential overseas runners and those at home, in the face of ever-increasing global competition.

Following encouraging signs in its first 12 months, the Levy Board has approved a doubling of the funding for the scheme to £800,000, meaning an additional £100,000 will now be available to each of the July Cup, Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on a match-funding basis in 2027.

 

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Prize money funding boost of £2.2m confirmed for 2027 following publication of fixture list

1. Horserace Betting Levy Board approves increase in 2027 prize money
2. Increased funding to support strategic goals to support the number of horses bred, trained and raced in Britain
3. Boosts to developmental races and midsummer Group 1s as well as extension of Great British Bonus to male Jump horses
4. Increased minimum values for races in the mid and lower tiers 

A £2.2 million increase in prize money funding for 2027 has been approved by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), a boost that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) estimates will deliver an increase to prize money and associated bonuses.

The increases in prize money funding for next year follows the publication of the 2027 fixture list earlier this month and has been agreed as part of British racing’s strategy to stabilise and, ultimately, reverse the declining number of horses in training by making breeding, owning and racing horses in Britain as attractive as possible.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE: How was the 2027 fixture list developed and why?

The HBLB’s approval of a number of proposals leading this funding increase is supported by the protection of industry revenues resulting from the retention of fixture volume. It will deliver further increases in the value of developmental races in both codes, a doubling of support for the Elite Midsummer Group 1 scheme and an extension of the Great British Bonus to include geldings competing over Jumps.

Developmental races
Approximately 20 per cent of the race programme is made up of developmental races, which provide platforms for all horses to progress into handicaps or Black Type contests. Ensuring that prize money levels for these races remains competitive when compared to our closest international competitors is important as we seek to encourage the breeding, ownership, training and racing of horses in Britain.

A £2.5 million investment in these races was delivered in 2026 and to ensure they continue to be attractive to prospective owners, £1,000 will be added to the minimum values of all developmental races staged in Britain in 2027. 
 

Race	Minimum value 2026	Minimum value 2027
Flat
Open Staying	£12,000	£13,000
Open Non-Staying	£10,000	£11,000
Restricted Staying	£10,000	£11,000
Restricted Non-Staying	£8,000	£9,000
Jump
Novice/Maiden Chase	£15,000	£16,000
Novice/Maiden Hurdle	£10,000	£11,000

 
Class 1 Jumps races
Most Grade 2 and Grade 3 Jumps races will see their minimum values increase in 2027 as the sport seeks to ensure that our races offer prize money that appeals to the owners of high-quality horses.

Staging competitive and compelling racing at the highest levels over Jumps drives interest in our sport and carries the significant potential to engage new and existing fans, in turn growing the sport’s reach.
This further investment is designed to encourage owners to place their best Jumpers in the care of British trainers and to race them in Britain. Increasing the minimum values of Grade 2 races can also help to provide an aspirational, meritocratic structure to incentivise runners, while boosting Grade 3s allows them to stand out from the rest of the programme.
 

Race	Minimum value 2026	Minimum value 2027
Grade 2 Chase	£80,000	£90,000
Grade 2 Hurdle	£60,000	£85,000
Grade 2 Novice Chase	£75,000	£80,000
Grade 3 Chase/Hurdle	£75,000	£80,000

 
Elite Midsummer Group 1 scheme
Introduced in 2026, the Elite Midsummer Group 1 Scheme aims to increase the appeal of our sport to new and existing fans by showcasing four of the biggest races of the Flat summer at a time when Britain is well placed to attract top-class horses from around the world to compete.

The scheme is focussed on the July Cup, the Sussex Stakes, the International and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and demonstrated encouraging signs in 2026.

In order to continue this work in 2027, a further £100,000 per race will be offered on a match-funding basis, making a total of £200,000 of funding available to each of the four races under this scheme.

Great British Bonus extension
To boost demand from owners for British-bred Jumps geldings and to support the breeding of Jumpers in Britain, the Great British Bonus (GBB) scheme will be extended to include Jumps geldings in 2027.

All races currently covered by GBB, with the exception of Class 3 and 4 Handicaps and Bumpers, will be included in the scheme and will offer bonuses to any 100 per cent British-bred Jumps gelding – specifically, a horse by a British-based stallion, foaled in Britain and registered with a GB suffix.
Bonuses for such horses will be 50 per cent of the equivalent filly or mare bonus, at a maximum of £10,000 per race for qualifying geldings. This value has been agreed in order to ensure the primacy of the existing GBB scheme for fillies and mares.

Support for lower and middle tiers
The majority of owners campaign horses in the mid- to lower-tier of our race programme and, while much emphasis is rightly placed on increasing the number of top-class horses bred and raced in Britain, it is recognised that owners across the programme are seeing their costs increase and that there needs to be support at every level. 

To this end, minimum values for Class 4 to 6 races on the Flat and Class 3 to 5 over Jumps will increase in 2027, representing a further investment in this area of the race programme of more than £500,000.
 

Race	Minimum value 2026	Minimum value 2027
Flat
Class 4	£8,750	£10,750
Class 5	£6,000	£7,500
Class 6	£5,000	£6,000
Jumps
Class 3	£11,500 (Ch) £9,800 (Hu)	£13,500 (Ch) £11,800 (Hu)
Class 4	£7,300 (Ch) £6,500 (Hu)	£8,800 (Ch) £8,000 (Hu)
Class 5	£5,300 (Ch) £5,000 (Hu)	£6,300 (Ch) £6,000 (Hu)

 
Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing, said: 
“British racing has a clear strategy for the coming years to stabilise and, ultimately, grow the numbers of horses being bred, owned, trained and raced in Britain. 

“I am delighted, therefore, to be able to announce details of a £2.2 million increase in prize money funding for 2027 which we believe will translate into an extra £3m in prize money and similar payments. We are grateful to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for approving this further investment in the race programme. 

“Increases in the value of developmental races, of Grade 2 and Grade 3 Jumps races and of middle to lower tier races, and expanding the Great British Bonus scheme, are tangible steps that will build on the work of recent years and make an immediate difference to participants, support racing businesses and help us attract more people to breed, own and race horses here in Britain.

“Further strengthening the Elite Midsummer Group 1 Scheme will also aid with the sport’s growth strategy, helping to make four of our flagship races at a key time of the year as attractive as possible to domestic and overseas competitors as we seek to grow interest in racing.