Following a board meeting on Monday, Oct. 12, a stimulus package with the goal of boosting the number of juveniles in training was approved by France Galop. This stimulus package is aimed primarily at reversing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on French racing and to support owners and breeders who wish to invest in France in the future. The main decisions decided upon by the France Galop board are as follows:
- Increase the owners' premiums for French-bred 2-year-olds from 60% to 70% in 2021, and for French-bred 3-year-olds in 2022.
- Add 25 new maiden races for 2-year-olds in 2021.
- A new programme for 2-year-old maidens, sired by stallions based in France or abroad, whose covering fee did not exceed €10,000 at the time of conception.
- Waiving of training centre fees for yearlings and 2-year-olds until the month of March.
- Work started earlier this month on a one-mile long, 15-foot wide woodchip uphill track at the Chantilly training centre, which will be finished in the spring of 2021.
Currently, the French juvenile programme contains 557 races, of which two-thirds are either maiden, unraced or early conditions races (Class 2), which collectively carry prize money of €15.4 million. For more information on these decisions, please visit www.france-galop.com.
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