
New summer jumps championship incentive unveiled
There will be awards for the leading jockey, owner, trainer and small trainer.
The small trainer prize will be open to yards with less than 30 winners from the 2024-25 trainers' championship.
The trainer and small trainer awards will be split between the stable staff of the winning yard, with each category offering a pot of £7,500.
Top-three finishes will accrue points, with more on offer for bigger fields of eight or more runners.
The competition starts at Cartmel on Saturday and will conclude at Newton Abbot on September 19.
The championship was devised by the Racecourse Association and racing director Kevin Walsh said: 'It has been a longstanding aspiration of the RCA to develop a championship to celebrate summer jumps racing.
'I am pleased that with the support of stakeholders across the sport we have been able to launch the championship this year, which should create additional excitement for followers of summer jumps racing and reward the most successful jockeys, owners and trainers who support it.
'This inaugural championship will hopefully be the first of many, and we look forward to growing this new asset to British racing's calendar with the support of the participating racecourses and members of the Thoroughbred Group.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘People don't know this' – Michael Owen breaks silence on ‘well done he's 13' meme 26 years on from humiliating teenager
IT IS probably the cringiest moment from Michael Owen's long list. But now he has broken his silence on the infamous "well done, he's 13" gag from Neville Southall. 6 6 Owen featured in a Michael Owen Soccer Skills video in 1999 where he faced a young goalkeeper at an empty Stoke City stadium. The former England striker did his best to humiliate the 13-year-old Jamie Hutchinson, who was given goalkeeping tips from Southall. To his credit, Hutchinson did make some saves. But the video is remembered for Owen chipping, rounding and firing past the helpless child between the sticks - before shamelessly celebrating each finish. The laughing ex-Liverpool man clenched his fists, ran away with his arms aloft, mocked the goalkeeper for nutmegging him and pointed to his name on the back of his shirt. But it was his embarrassing shout of "get in there - game, set and match, Owen" that triggered Southall's brilliant quip. Southall said: "Well done, he's 13," a comment which remains a viral sensation and etched into British football heritage. But now, 26 years on, Owen has opened up on the clip - and revealed not all was quite as it seemed because he was told to play up for the cameras. He told talkSPORT: "I was only a couple of years older than him myself!. It's probably funny now. 'I got back from the World Cup in 98 and there were loads of commercial opportunities, things like that. Virgil van Dijk 'destroys' Michael Owen with brutal 13-word put-down on live TV after Liverpool beat Everton 'I was asked to do a soccer skills video and a soccer skills book. So I had to explain, talk through finishing, volleying, heading, whatever the skill was. Inevitably, you need a goalkeeper there. 'I never picked them and so I turned up to do the show and to talk through how I see scoring a goal and what I think in certain scenarios and whatever. 'There was a kid in goal that I had to score past and when I scored they're like, 'Come on, no, you need to show a bit more animation. Like celebrate when you score, this is going on a video.'" talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein clarified: "So people don't know this, right?" And Owen continued: "People just laugh at you no matter what. Then they take a little extract of anything. 'There's loads of things like that on the internet on me.' 'NOT EXACTLY IDEAL' Hutchinson spoke about the viral video in 2016 and admitted he knew it would not come out too well for him. He said: 'Being the goalkeeper on a programme headlined by a striker wasn't exactly ideal for me. 'It was made clear that it wouldn't make good filming if the goalkeeper was saving all the shots taken by the other kids after they had been coached by Michael.' And even Southall himself did defend Owen's actions earlier this year. The 92-cap Wales goalkeeper - who reunited with Hutchinson a few years ago - added: "I think he was being ironic to be fair, but I think he was enjoying himself and being ironic. 'But the poor kid, he scored a squillion goals past him and I was thinking 'give him a break'. 'On the day, Michael was okay and he's always okay. 'People judge him on that and that's not him." 6 6 6


Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Red Bull make Max Verstappen replacement plan as new request made to F1 bosses
Max Verstappen is one penalty point away from being handed a one-race suspension by the FIA and Red Bull have decided to apply for a superlicense for their young star Red Bull could hand a British teenager the chance of a lifetime in Formula 1 if Max Verstappen is banned for a race. Verstappen is walking a disciplinary tightrope after colliding with George Russell in Barcelona last Sunday and knows he will be suspended by the FIA if he makes another mistake. The Dutchman has accrued 11 penalty points on his licence after picking up three points for ramming into Russell in a controversial incident at the Spanish Grand Prix. He knows that if he picks up another penalty point in the next two races then he would be slapped with an automatic one-race ban. Red Bull are confident that their star driver can steer clear of more trouble at the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix, but have a contingency plan ready anyway. As Mirror F1 have reported, that does not include former drivers such as Daniel Ricciardo or Sergio Perez. In the event that Verstappen has to sit out a race, it would likely be Liam Lawson, or Isack Hadjar who would step up from sister team Racing Bulls to fill his seat. However, there is another exciting possibility being considered inside Red Bull HQ. The team have applied to the FIA for an exception regarding a superlicense for teenage sensation Arvid Lindblad. The 17-year-old, who was born in London, has caught the eye while competing in F2, but would need special dispensation from the FIA to receive his superlicence before turning 18 in order to compete in F1. It is understood that Red Bull have contacted the FIA simply to broaden their options in the event that Verstappen falls foul of the rules in the upcoming races. But it is still an exciting prospect for Lindblad, who is highly regarded by his team. He isn't the first hotshot driver who has been tipped for greatness: last year Kimi Antonelli, who was also 17 at the time, was being tipped to compete in a practice session for Mercedes. Young drivers have to have 'demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity' behind the wheel in another FIA-approved championship, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explaining the process back then. 'The president of the FIA always had the ability and discretion of letting a driver drive, if you believe that the performance was good enough,' he said. 'I think the change of regulations isn't [about] Antonelli, it is generally to make sure that drivers with the right pedigree, CVs, success and maturity are able to race in F1, rather than a birth date. I think that was the right decision.' Lindblad might be the most exciting option to replace Verstappen for one race, but it is Hadjar who was recently showered with praise by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. "I think he's been the most outstanding of the rookies,' he said. "The expectation on him wasn't as high as he's delivered so far. He's exceeded all our expectations, he's been fast, he's been consistent. He's constantly delivered, and I think it's been a great start to his Formula 1 career. He just needs to keep that momentum running. His future, if he keeps performing as he is, is very bright."


The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Russell Martin says James Tavernier will remain Rangers captain
The Rangers squad will return for pre-season training on June 23. Martin will work alongside new sporting director Kevin Thelwell and technical director Dan Purdy across the summer transfer window to remould a squad to fit his style of play. Martin was unveiled as Ibrox boss on Thursday (Image: Steve Welsh) Tavernier, who has worn the armband since 2018, remains under contract at Rangers until the summer of 2026 and will enter his testimonial year this summer. The right-back continues to divide opinion amongst supporters. He broke the record for the most goals scored by any British defender in 2024, but has also been on the losing side of the last four league titles. 'First and foremost, [he'll be important in terms of] explaining to me and having a discussion about the last two years, his thoughts on the team,' Martin said. 'His thoughts on what we're going to bring and how the players will feel about that. 'I think to play here for as long as he has, to be captain for as long as he has, takes a lot of energy. It's not easy. I've been at a club where sometimes you're the one who's been there the longest and you end up getting criticised a lot because you've been there the longest. You're an ageing player and all that stuff. Read more: 'I think he's been so important for this team and this club on and off the pitch, and I'm looking forward to chatting in more detail with him and speaking to him about it all. Then how much he gets used on the pitch will be down to Tav and how he trains and how he plays, the same as every player.' Tavernier has been a constant at Rangers since arriving under the management of Mark Warburton. To some, he is a player the club need to move on from, to others, Tavernier has been a victim of his circumstances, who can perform well in better circumstances. Martin continued: 'He's going to be hugely important in the culture. I know what he's like a person behind the scenes and he's fantastic. He really was when I played with him and hopefully it hasn't beaten him up, too much football. 'It doesn't seem like it has. He still seems like he plays with a big smile and a lot of enthusiasm. It does carry a big weight to be captain of a club this size. I think he's done it incredibly well. How much he plays on the pitch, I can't sit here and tell you he's going to play 50 games, 20 games, whatever. It will be down to him in the way he performs and the way he buys into it, which I'm pretty sure he will.' Asked if Martin would be comfortable with Tavernier being the captain of his Rangers side, Martin continued. 'If he's playing. He's been the captain for a very long time. I don't see any reason to change that. And if he's not playing, it will force someone else.'