Legislation

UK – Racing faces ‘severe threat’ warns British Horseracing Authority

By Lewis - 23 September 2020

The delay to the public’s return to sporting events is a serious blow to the horseracing industry and to the people and communities who depend upon it for their living according to the British Horseracing Authority.

In a statement released following news that spectators might not be allowed back into racecourses for a further six months, the BHA said that they have told the UK government that its racecourses were facing a loss of £250 to £300 million of revenues this year, which in turn means less prize money flowing through to participants and owners.

The Chief Executive of the BHA, Nick Rust, said: “Racing’s leaders are responding to this crisis by working together like never before. We are working to a recovery plan, but today’s announcement will set back our progress. We will urge the government to provide financial support, as they have indicated they are considering, and to accept the case for urgent reform of the Levy. Our loyal owners and our key international investors have stood by us and we ask government to work with us to maintain that confidence in racing and in Britain.”

The statement acknowledged the Prime Minister’s words in Parliament saying that the Chancellor and the Culture Secretary are working urgently to do what they can to support the sector and announced that Nick Rust will be ingattend a meeting with the Culture Secretary.

 

The British Horseracing Authority has announced that they will be conducting a further economic impact assessment and will work with government to put in place financial assistance to protect livelihoods and rural communities.

In a separate statement, David Armstrong, Chief Executive of the RCA, expressed his disappointment at the postponement: “The news that all elite sporting pilot events are to be postponed is incredibly disappointing. The sport has worked tirelessly to develop protocols to allow spectators to safely enjoy a day’s racing and early indications from our pilot events are that these were a success.

“All sports are suffering from the effect of zero admissions income and racing is no different. It is imperative that discussions continue with Government to highlight the economic impact of this decision. My thoughts are with Amy Starkey and the team at Newmarket—this news will be difficult to take following weeks of work to prepare the site for customers.”