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Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes Receives Prize Money Boost
The Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes has been announced to be worth an increased total prize fund of £100,000 in 2025. The Group 3 contest, open to three-year-old colts and geldings, is due to take place on Saturday April 12 as part of the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials meeting.
The seven-furlong contest is one of the leading trials for the colt Classics in Europe and holds an illustrious roll of honour including Mill Reef, Paco Boy, Frankel and Kingman. The David O’Meara trained Esquire produced a shock result in last year’s renewal when winning at odds of 16/1 for Cheveley Park Stud. The 2025 renewal of the The Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes takes place three weeks prior to the first classics of the season, the Betfred 1000 and 2000 Guineas, as opposed to the normal two-week gap.
The Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes, one of the feature races of the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Meeting, has been kindly sponsored by local leading breeding operation Watership Down Stud since 2019. At the time of the sponsorship commencing the race had a total prize fund of £60,000 which had increased to £90,000 for the past two renewals. This year has seen a further £10,000 boost to the total prize fund on offer to enable to race to be run for a record £100,000.
Watership Down Stud, located just 10 miles from Newbury Racecourse, bred the unbeaten champion two-year-old, Too Darn Hot, after whom the race is named. The winner of six of his nine career starts including the Dewhurst Stakes, Prix Jean Prat and Sussex Stakes, the three-time Group 1 winner amassed £1,320,181 in prize money. The Andrew Lloyd Webber owned son of Dubawi retired to stud in 2019, he currently stands at Dalham Hall Stud for a fee of £90,000. No first-crop sire has ever recorded more individual Group winners than Too Darn Hot. His leading progeny include Classic winner Fallen Angel in his first crop and Group 1 Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell and Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Simmering from his second crop.
George Hill, Clerk of the Course at Newbury Racecourse, commented: “We are delighted to be able to increase the prize money on offer in this year’s Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes to £100,000. It is a significant boost for our first Group race of the year in a contest which has seen many of its winners go on to be successful stallions. It is therefore very fitting to have such a prestigious local breeding operation as Watership Down continuing to support the race, named after their Classic producing sire, Too Darn Hot. A notable change in the racing calendar this year, with a three-week gap between the Spring Trials and Guineas meeting, should prove favourable for those trainers seeking to test their Classic credential at the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials meeting.”
Simon Marsh, General Manager of Watership Down Stud, said: “We are delighted to once again be sponsoring the Group 3, Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes. We could not be happier with the way Too Darn Hot has started his stallion career being Champion 1st Season Sire in
both the UK and Australia. We would like to thank all the breeders who have supported him, including those who are sending mares to him this year as he has an exceptional book for the 2025 season.”
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