French Group 1 Purses Cut By 40%; Grassroots Protected

With racing set to resume in France on Monday, France Galop has announced adjusted prize-money allocations for the remainder of 2020.

In a bid to preserve the country's grassroots racing, there will be no reductions in the purses for PMH races run in the provinces for €15,000 or less, or for races in the Paris area which previously had a value of €19,000 or less.

The most swingeing cuts come at Group 1 level on the Flat, with those races being reduced in value by 40%. All other group and listed races will receive a 30% cut, while Parisian races worth upwards of €20,000 will drop by 15%, as will provincial races with more than €16,000 in prize-money. All other races will drop by 20%.

 In the jumping sector, handicaps, claimers and provincial races will be cut by 10%, and all jumps races carrying black type will be cut in value by 30%.

The France Galop board of directors met by videoconference on Apr. 29 and in addition to these “emergency measures” they agreed to maintain the transport allowance for horses going racing. Breeders' premiums earned by jumpers in races abroad will not be paid.

A statement released by France Galop on Thursday read, “These emergency measures intended to deal with a health crisis with unprecedented consequences will be implemented as soon as racing resumes on May 11, and are for 2020 alone. The situation will be reassessed in the course of the year when France Galop will have a clearer picture of the rate of recovery in horseracing betting activity and its prospects for the later months of 2020.”

The statement stressed that it is the racing authority's intention for prize-money to be restored in full for 2021. Furthermore, France Galop is working with its trottting counterpart LeTROT in attempting to persude the French Government to assist racing's participants by paying €500 per horse per month for the period when racing was suspended in the country.

Following two months without action in France, there will be racing at three tracks in the country on Monday, including ParisLongchamp, which stages four group races and a listed contest on a ten-race card.