The winners of four graded turf stakes scheduled for Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs next year will receive automatic entries and travel incentives for races at Royal Ascot and Epsom Downs, the tracks announced on Tuesday. Under the partnership, the winner of the Grade 1 Turf Classic on Derby day, May 4, will receive an automatic berth to either the Group 1, one-mile Queen Anne Stakes on June 18 at Royal Ascot or the Group 1, 1 1/4-mile Prince of Wales’s Stakes on June 19. The winner of the Grade 1 Turf Sprint on Derby day will receive an automatic berth in the Group 1 King Charles Stakes at Ascot on June 18. The winners will also receive a travel stipend to Ascot, the partners said in a release. Kevin Kerstein, a spokesman for Churchill, said the stipend will cover all the costs of travel. The establishment of the partnership underlines the importance many racetracks are placing on filling stakes fields with international runners at a time when many tracks are seeking additional wagering dollars from overseas markets. Royal Ascot has been a destination for an increasing number of North American horses over the past decade, drawn by rich purses, the prestige of Ascot, and the opportunity to showcase future bloodstock in a foreign market. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Two other races at Churchill during Derby week will also be part of the program, though the incentives will be awarded for the Epsom meet in England. The winner of the Grade 2 American Turf on the Derby undercard will receive a berth and travel stipend for the Betfred Derby on June 1 at Epsom, and the winner of the Edgewood Stakes on May 3 will receive a berth and stipend for the Betfred Oaks on May 31. Also under the partnership agreement, a runner from both the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes will receive a berth and a stipend to run in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Aug. 10 at Colonial Downs, a Virginia track owned by Churchill. Also, a runner from the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July will receive a berth and stipend for the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes, also at Colonial on Aug. 10. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.