Total prize money for the 10th QIPCO British Champions Day on Oct. 17 was cut to £2.5 million, QIPCO announced on Thursday. The purse reduction is a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but the raceday remains the richest in Great Britain. The G1 QIPCO Champion S. will be run for £750,000, while the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. sponsored by QIPCO will be £650,000. Both the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares and the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. will be conducted at £350,000 and the G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup will carry a purse of £300,000. Races will close on Sept. 1.
“We are pleased to be able to stage a card worth £2.5 million on QIPCO British Champions Day despite our income streams being so negatively affected and the enormous challenges facing the sport currently,” said British Champions Series Chief Executive Rod Street. “QIPCO British Champions Day has seen some superlative performances over the past decade and it is hugely important to us that we continue to make running a horse on the day as attractive as possible. We are very grateful for QIPCO's long-standing partnership of British Champions Series and British Champions Day which has enabled us to make this early commitment.”
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