The £1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus will return for the 2026/27 season, with horses competing across Britain’s all-weather fixtures from October 20 through Good Friday, March 26.
Runners at Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Southwell and Wolverhampton will be eligible for a series of monthly competitions, culminating in the £100,000 Horse of the Year title. Chelmsford City will also join the programme for the first time, with all fixtures operated under the scheme included during the coming campaign.
The competition will again reward consistency throughout the winter months, with five Horse of the Month contests forming part of the programme before the overall championship is decided.
Last season’s Horse of the Year title went to Yorkshire Glory, who compiled an impressive record of eight victories and five placed efforts from 14 qualifying appearances. Trained by Ben Haslam, Yorkshire Glory accumulated 293 points across the campaign.
The final round at Wolverhampton on March 23 produced a decisive finish to the championship. Yorkshire Glory came out on top over fellow contender Aisling Oscar, securing the £100,000 prize after a season-long contest.
Aisling Oscar, trained by Adrian Keatley, finished second on 281 points, while Francesi took third place for trainer Tony Carroll with 263. Latin, one of three runners trained by James Owen to finish inside the top 10, completed the leading quartet.
Yorkshire Glory’s campaign proved particularly rewarding beyond the overall title. The horse also collected £25,583 from the monthly competitions after tying for first place in the March and April contest, while also finishing inside the top 10 in February.
£1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus expands for 2026/27
The new season will retain the established monthly structure, with prize funds increasing at different points of the campaign.
The October and November competition will carry £35,000 for the leading three finishers, with another £35,000 available in December. The January, February and March competitions will each offer £101,500, with prizes extending to the top 10.
Across last season, the Horse of the Year competition distributed £710,500 among the top 30 finishers, while 39 horses received monthly prizes totalling £374,500.
The organisers are also continuing additional rewards for the stable staff connected with winning horses, while the most successful jockeys riding at the participating tracks will have opportunities to earn further recognition during the winter.
Ben Cook, Racing Director, said the £1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus had proved popular since its introduction in 2022 and highlighted Yorkshire Glory’s consistency as a major factor in last season’s championship success.
The battle between Yorkshire Glory and Aisling Oscar also provided a close finish to the previous campaign, and the organisers will be hoping for another competitive championship as the new season gets under way.
With Chelmsford City added to the participating venues, the 2026/27 programme will give more horses, trainers and jockeys the opportunity to accumulate points across the winter and chase the major prizes at the end of the campaign.
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