Cork and Orrery boost for Jubilee Royal Ascot`s Cork And Orrery Stakes has been promoted to Group One status to celebrate the Queen`s Golden Jubilee, it was announced today.The Royal meeting has been extended to five days this year and the six-furlong contest for three-year-olds and upwards will be known as the Golden Jubilee Stakes and will be run on Saturday, June 22.Prize money on offer for the Golden Jubilee Stakes has more than doubled to Stg#250,000 and the total over the five days tops #3 million for the first time.The enhanced five-day meeting now includes two additional Listed events.Saturday`s programme will open with the Henry Carnarvon Stakes, a #40,000 race for two-year-old fillies over six furlongs, honouring the Queen`s late racing manager.On Friday, the card will start with the Wolferton Stakes, a 10-furlong handicap worth #50,000.The remaining additional races are the Balmoral Stakes (a five-furlong handicap on Tuesday), the Hampton Court Stakes (a 10-furlong Listed event on Thursday), the Buckingham Palace Stakes (seven-furlong handicap on Friday) and the Sandringham Stakes (one-mile handicap on Saturday).Next year, the six Jubilee races will be replaced with the regular Heath Day card on Saturday and the running order for the Royal Meeting will revert to normal.However, the Golden Jubilee Stakes will remain the permanent name for what was the Cork And Orrery Stakes and will continue to be run as a Group One when it returns to its Thursday slot.Clerk of the course Nick Cheyne said: 'We have always had Group One races between a mile and two and a half miles at the Royal Meeting so being able to stage a championship sprint as well is a tremendous boost and completes the portfolio.'Some of the six additional races at this year`s meeting take the roots of the existing Saturday card, such as the Sandringham (registered as the Fern Hill) and the Hampton Court (registered as the New Stakes), and have been enhanced in terms of status and value.'However, two races are Listed for the first time and the seven-furlong Buckingham Palace Stakes is completely new.'Officials at Ascot today announced that sales for the Royal meeting have already topped #1m after booking started just threee days ago.
