THE British Horseracing Authority will continue to strengthen the racing programme for three-year-old stayers with significant prize money boosts in the pipeline.

The race types and specific contests eligible for funding increases have been spread throughout the middle-distance and staying three-year-old race programme to ensure that incentives are in place at varying levels of ability.

A total of 62 races for the staying horse population will be supported over the next three years, of which 25 are upgrades of existing races and eight are new contests.

Racecourses have made commitments to increase the prize money for the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket, the Gordon Stakes and March Stakes at Goodwood, and the Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot.

The Queen’s Vase was worth £161,250 this year and will increase gradually in value over the next three years and will be worth £250,000 in 2020.

Four contests for fillies and mares of three-years-old and older have also been offered, based on the same three-year commitment.

These will take place over July and August at Chelmsford, Newbury, Newmarket and Goodwood.

A number of initiatives focussed on jump racing have also been identified for extra support in 2018.

These include a £100,000 novice handicap chase staged at the end of the core jumping period, which runners will need to qualify for by running in weight-for-age novice chases throughout the season.

Similar initiatives are planned for novice hurdles, while there are also plans to increase the funding to enhance the programme for mares’ jump races by £200,000 and the programme of juvenile hurdles by £150,000.