Monmore Green Launches Winter Series with Increased Prize Payouts
Monmore Green Launches Winter Series with Increased Prize Payouts
Monmore Green has commenced the Monmore 1000 Winter Series tonight with a new initiative designed to attract high-quality Open race entries ahead of the festive season. The track begins the program with a 480m Category Three event featuring significantly boosted prize money, marking a substantial increase from standard rates until December 12.
Monmore Green has launched the Monmore 1000 Winter Series tonight, introducing a new initiative aimed at attracting high-quality Open race entries ahead of the festive season. The track begins the program with a 480m Category Three event featuring significantly boosted prize money, marking a substantial increase from standard rates until December 12.
The heats for the opening event offer £400 to the winner and £110 to other placings, while the final will award £1,000 to the victor and £200 to others. These figures represent a marked rise from the usual Category Three payouts at Monmore, which typically provide £300 for heats and £500 for finals.
Jake Pain, Monmore’s deputy racing manager, stated that the series will introduce a new Category Three event each week. He noted that the increased financial incentives are intended to draw quality competitors to the track over the coming weeks.
"Having also ran the Monmore Open Championship earlier this year, we’re excited to start the Monmore 1000 Winter Series which will see a new Category Three event start each week," Pain said. "There is greater prize money on offer, and hopefully we’ll see some quality races over the next several weeks."
Tonight’s card features three heats for the 480m competition, with seven trainers bringing their dogs to Monmore. Home handlers Nathan Hunt, Richie Taberner, David Page, and Kim Billingham-Hine are also participating.
In the first heat of the series at 6:54 pm, Hunt will run Ballymac Kandoo against experienced campaigners Naochra, trained by John Flaherty from Newcastle, and Ballymac Blanco, handled by Maxine Locke from Central Park.
Taberner enters Moanteen Hatton in the second heat. The dog recently finished second in the Steel City Cup at Sheffield and followed an impressive run at Dunstall Park last weekend. Page and Billingham-Hine will also compete with Vampire Bob and Droopys Poker, respectively.
The final heat features Hunt’s Anglesey Milo and Whyaye Mister facing Headford Cian, a finalist in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup 2026, and Darcys Dude, trained by Craig Morris from Yarmouth. Darcys Dude won one of Monmore’s supporting races during the track’s gala night in August.
Pain described the evening as a "nice card" that includes two minor Opens over the six-bend trip alongside the graded action. He expressed hope that the winter series would prove successful and deliver top-tier racing as the track prepares for a busy festive period.
J.Sharp--TNT
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