INTRODUCTION

ADDITION OF DUBAI GOLDEN SHAHEEN AND NEW BONUS SCHEME FOR 2012 GLOBAL SPRINT CHALLENGE

As we build up to the 2012 Global Sprint Challenge, we are delighted to announce a further enhancement to the program as the Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m Tapeta) at Meydan on Dubai World Cup Night becomes the 10th series race.

The Global Sprint Challenge began in 2005 as a series of sprint races in Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, the UK program has expanded with the addition of the July Cup to supplement the two sprints at Royal Ascot, Hong Kong have joined with the Hong Kong Sprint and last year, Singapore’s premier turf sprint, the KrisFlyer International Sprint, joined the series.

With Singapore and now Dubai aboard, the 2012 Global Sprint Challenge showcases 10 elite sprint races across six different countries, providing the opportunity for the very best sprinters to compete on the world stage and chase a US$1 million bonus.

The bonus will be available to the connections of any horse that can win three series races in three different countries, with the prize split 75% to the owner and 25% to the trainer. In the event of more than one bonus qualifier, the bonus pool will be divided amongst winners.

This is a significant change to the previous format, which required the horse to win in three countries outside its home jurisdiction.

As has been the case from the start, the Coolmore Lightning Stakes, first of the two Australian Challenge legs, will kick off the series, which then moves on to Asia for Japan’s first leg, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen on turf at the newly renovated Chukyo Racecourse and then to the new Dubai leg, the Dubai Golden Shaheen on the final day of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

Singapore’s KrisFlyer International Sprint in May follows before the series focus shifts to the UK's three legs – the King’s Stand and the recently renamed Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Darley July Cup at Newmarket.

The Challenge then returns to Japan for the Sprinters Stakes at the end of September, followed by the Patinack Farm Classic in Australia in November, and its culmination, the Hong Kong Sprint in December.

In less than a decade, the Global Sprint Challenge has added a completely new dimension to the international landscape and we look forward to seeing the best sprinters of the world travelling around the globe once again in 2012.

Leigh Jordon
Chairman, Global Sprint Challenge Committee
November 2011