Sports Betting News: Epsom & Ascot Forge Link With the US

Epsom and Ascot Racecourses have forged a new partnership with horse racing in North America, opening the door for some exciting battles on each side of the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
Jockey Club Racecourses and Ascot have been coordinating with Churchill Downs Incorporated to create links between top-class races in the United Kingdom and United States. 
 
Read on as we take a closer look at a development which promises to raise the profile of historic events such as the Epsom Classics and the Kentucky Derby. 

The leading horse racing betting sites in the UK could benefit massively from the new partnership, with US runners on track to receive wild card entries for the Epsom Classics in June. 
 
A runner from the Edgewood Stakes, run on Kentucky Oaks day in early May, will receive an entry and travel incentive for the Epsom Oaks. 
 
A colt from the American Turf Stakes on Kentucky Derby day will also get the same offer for the Epsom Derby – a factor which will raise the international profile of each of the races. 
 
The Epsom Classics generate massive interest in with UK and Irish punters, and adding US runners into the mix will undoubtedly broaden the appeal of each race. 

The new agreement will also strengthen the pre-existing links between Royal Ascot and North American racing, with wild card spots up for grabs in races on both sides of the Atlantic. 
 
A runner from the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes will receive an entry for the King Charles III Stakes – a race that US trainer Wesley Ward won with Lady Aurelia in 2017. 
 
Links will also be forged between the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes in the US and either the Prince of Wales’s Stakes or the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. 
 
A runner from the latter two races will receive the same incentive for the Arlington Million, while a horse from the Falmouth Stakes will be invited to the Beverly D Stakes. 

Nick Smith, the director of racing and public affairs at Ascot racecourse, believes the new partnership is a thrilling development for UK betting sites and the industry as a whole. 
 
“We are very excited to be working with Churchill Downs and the UK Jockey Club on this exciting new initiative,” Smith said. 
 
“We were very pleased to play our part hosting the Churchill team at Royal Ascot last year, with the Kentucky Derby trophy on display as they built up to this important 150th running of the world’s greatest dirt race. 
 
“We have a rich modern history of American runners at Royal Ascot and their success always adds hugely to the meeting.”