Racing Post: Winter Million jumps fixtures to be relocated to Windsor starting next year

Under its new title of the Berkshire Winter Million Weekend, Windsor and Ascot are partnering to provide three consecutive days of top-class jumps action, with over £1.2 million in prize-money. The Grade 1 Clarence House Chase will now be showcased at Ascot on day two of the meeting, which was previously a lucrative all-weather card at Lingfield. The Fleur de Lys Chase remains the feature race on Sunday. All three days of the event will be covered by ITV. Lingfield will still have its valuable Saturday card, but it will no longer be a part of the Winter Million.

Mark Spincer, the managing director of Arc’s racing division, confirmed the plans and expressed excitement about the event. He mentioned that the announcement was long-awaited and believed that the new arrangement would be beneficial for all parties involved. He emphasized that jumps fans have a lot to look forward to, with £1.25 million in prize-money on offer.

Last July, it was announced that Windsor would be hosting jump racing for the first time since 1998, with the first meeting scheduled for December 15 of this year. Spincer mentioned that one of the reasons for switching to Windsor was the ease of access for attendees. He also mentioned that ticket sales for the first meeting were going well and expressed hope that there was a strong demand for jump racing to return to the track. The layout of the track has been modified, and preparations, such as trackwork and ordering of fences and hurdles, have been underway for the past year.

Overall, the partnership between Windsor and Ascot for the Berkshire Winter Million Weekend is expected to bring back high-quality jumps racing to the Windsor track, with three exciting days of top-class action and substantial prize-money for the participants.