The Global Sprint Challenge is a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

series inaugurated in 2005 as a series of six sprint races run across three racing jurisdictions in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In 2006 the series expanded to seven races across four racing jurisdictions with the inclusion of a race in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. In 2008 the series expanded to eight races when an additional race in England became part of the series and in 2011 the series expands to nine races with the inclusion of a race in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. *The Champion Sprinter trophy is awarded to the connections of the horse that accumulates 42 points or more in a single season, and participates in challenge races in at least three countries. *The Global Sprint Challenge Champion is eligible to win a $US1,000,000 bonus for connections, provided the champion wins a minimum of three

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

races in the series in three countries other than their own racing jurisdiction. Important changes to the series for 2009 will see the $US1,000,000 bonus being split $US750,000 to the owner and $US250,000 to the trainer and there is now no necessity to race in all four countries to be eligible for the bonus.

Challenge history

2005 – Inauguration of six race series
2006 – Series expanded to seven races with the inclusion of the Hong Kong International Sprint
2006 – $US1,000,000 bonus incentive added to series
2008 –

King's Stand Stakes The King's Stand Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled ...

upgraded to Group 1 from Group 2
2008 – Series expanded to eight races with the inclusion of the July Cup
2008 – The Age Classic replaces the

Australia Stakes The Australia Stakes, registered as the Stanley Wootton Stakes, is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group races, Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race raced under weight for age conditions, for three year olds and older, over a distance of 1200 metres at Moon ...

as the second Australian leg of the series
2011 – Series expanded to nine races with the inclusion of the

KrisFlyer International Sprint The KrisFlyer International Sprint is a former Thoroughbred horse race held at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. Contested on turf over a left-handed course, the International Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classifica ...

2011 – The

Takamatsunomiya Kinen The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Chukyo Racecourse in late March. The forerunner of this race was the . It was started a ...

replaces the Centaur Stakes as the first Japanese leg of the series
2012 – Series expanded to ten races with the inclusion of the

Dubai Golden Shaheen The Dubai Golden Shaheen is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) on the dirt course at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late M ...

2016 – Series expanded to ten races with the inclusion of the

Chairman's Sprint Prize The Chairman's Sprint Prize is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run over a distance of 1200 metres. Until 2000, it was run as the Hong Kong Sprint Championship to coincide with the opening of Sha Tin Racecourse. In 2016, this race ...

2017 -

Al Quoz Sprint Al Quoz Sprint is a thoroughbred horse race held in Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first run in 2007 as part of the then, Dubai International Racing Carnival and subsequently moved to Dubai World Cup night in 2010 to coinci ...

replaced the

, meaning that all ten races will be run on turf The 2018 series was suspended due to an ongoing dispute between the racing authorities in Australia and Hong Kong over quarantine arrangements.

Global Sprint Challenge races

All races are Group / Grade One events run on turf. *

Lightning Stakes The Black Caviar Lightning, registered as the Lightning Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1000 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in February. Prize mone ...

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...

Chukyo Racecourse is located in Toyoake, Aichi, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It was built in 1994. It has a capacity of 58,400. It has 8,795 seats. Physical attributes Chukyo Racecourse has a grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's m ...

(2011 run at

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and it is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After the World War II, GH ...

) *

Meydan Racecourse Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is over a mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators. Meydan opened on 27 March 2010, replacing Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which formerly occupi ...

Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club. Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Hon ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

Diamond Jubilee Stakes The Platinum Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. Three-year-olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. It is run at ...

* July Cup at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

Sprinters Stakes The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan open to thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Nakayama Racecourse, and it takes place annually in late September or earl ...

Nakayama Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 165,676. It was built in 1990. Physical attributes Nakayama Race Course has two grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's measures 184 ...

VRC Sprint Classic The Champions Sprint, registered as the Victoria Racing Club Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over, under weight for age conditions, over a distance of 1200 metres held at ...

Hong Kong Sprint The Hong Kong Sprint is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid De ...

The Challenge Winners

* 2005 –

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

* 2006 –

Takeover Target Takeover Target (27 September 1999 – 20 June 2015) was a much-travelled Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won top sprinting races in each of the five major cities in Australia as well as in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore. ...

* 2007 –

Miss Andretti Miss Andretti was the 2007 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year and is the only Thoroughbred in racing history to simultaneously hold a total of five track records in Australia and England. Breeding She is a bay or brown mare that was foal ...

* * 2008 –

Apache Cat Apache Cat (foaled 2002) is an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who had 43 starts for 19 wins (including eight Group One (G1) victories) and was placed on another 11 occasions from for just under $4.6 million in prize money. He was born and b ...

* * 2009 –

Scenic Blast {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Scenic Blast , image = , caption = , sire = Scenic , grandsire = Sadler's Wells , dam = Daughters Charm , damsire = Delgado , sex = Gelding , foaled = 2004 , country = Australia , colour = Bay / br ...

* * 2010 – Starspangledbanner * * Champion Sprinter trophy not awarded

References

External links

Global Sprint Challenge, official web site of series
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813143359/http://www.globalsprintchallenge.com/ , date=August 13, 2006 Racing series for horses Horse racing in Australia International sports competitions hosted by Hong Kong Horse racing in Hong Kong Horse racing in Japan Horse racing in Great Britain