THE subject of breeders’ prizes is being kept in the news by Fairyhouse Racecourse, Frank Motherway and Harry Fowler, all of whom are contributing towards a €1,000 prize for the winning breeder in the YellowFord & Drumlin John & Chich Fowler Memorial Irish EBF Mares Chase on January 1st.

Motherway’s YellowFord Farm is sponsoring the race, along with Drumlin Stud, owned by his daughter Dee and son-in-law Conor Cashman.

Last year Motherway broke with convention by putting up a €500 breeders’ prize for the Grade 3 race, payable only if the winner was Irish-bred. As it transpired the race was won by a French-bred mare. For the 2026 running of the race, the breeders’ prize has been raised to €1,000.

Motherway is putting in €250, as is Fairyhouse, and the remaining €500 is being sponsored by Harry Fowler, whose late parents are celebrated in the race title.

Fowler, a National Hunt breeder himself, said: “I would love to see the racing authorities here support breeders’ prizes. We need to do more to get the next generation of breeders engaged, especially in National Hunt.

“I believe in France the winning breeder is recognised before anyone else during the post-race presentation ceremony. There were breeders’ prizes before, both here and in Britain, but they were scrapped at some stage.”