HRI anounces two new Grade 1 races for Mares HRI today announced a number of upgrades to the National Hunt pattern programme including the first two Grade 1 races confined to mares. The Mares Novice Hurdle at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival moves from Grade 2 status to Grade 1 on merit. This year's winner of the race, Shadow Eile, has won a further four races over the Summer months including twice at Galway. The Grade 3 Open Mares race on the Saturday of the Punchestown Festival has been fast-tracked to Grade 1 status in order to create an end of season Championship event for Mares. HRI’s Director of Racing Jason Morris commented:“The two hurdle races will be the first Grade 1 National Hunt events exclusively for Mares in either Ireland or Britain." "The upgrading of the Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse’s Easter meeting to Grade 1 status was merited based upon its historical quality, while the promotion of the Open Mares race at the Punchestown Festival (which will see the historical restriction on Grade 1 and 2 winners removed) was a strategic decision to provide an end of season championship event which will hopefully attract all the best mares from Ireland and overseas.” “The upgrading of five Mares Black Type races for the 2012/13 NH season, including a new Grade 2 steeplechase and two new Grade 1 hurdles, underlines HRI’s commitment to encouraging the production and retention in Ireland of high quality mares for National Hunt racing." "This support for the National Hunt breeding industry is further reflected in that HRI has progressively increased the number of Mares only jump races for the past five seasons and also raised the Mares allowance in open competition from 5lb to 7lb in October 2011.” A total of 11 National Hunt races have been either upgraded in status or introduced at pattern level including the Grade 3 Anaglogs Daughter EBF Mares Novice Chase at Thurles which will now carry a Grade 2 tag.
