Reflections on the BHA's Plan to Simplify Saturday Racing Schedules

There's been significant chatter in the racing community regarding prize funds and event scheduling, much of which has been voiced by owners and seen on social media.

BHA Statement

The recent BHA announcement about their aim to simplify the Saturday racing lineup offers a prime chance to tackle not only the issues of modest prize pools but also the overabundance of races on Saturdays all at once.

Julie Harrington, the BHA's CEO, emphasized in their statement to \"align our best events to highlight top levels of the sport, while displaying them in an attractive format that captivates our audience,\" thereby delivering \"substantial long-term advancements across the sport.\"

Decluttering 

While no one wants excellent racing events unnoticed by enthusiasts, the scenario we've observed, where major tracks like Newmarket, York, Chester, and Ascot host quality events simultaneously, should ideally be minimized.

This issue is noticeably present during the flat season weekends, often leaving Sundays with few or no flat races, replaced instead by two to three jump fixtures.

The spring and summer seasons can see multiple Saturday afternoon fixtures, causing high-profile races like the July Cup to be overshadowed amid five or more concurrent meetings.

The BHA has proposed staging more races around midday, in the evening, or on Sunday nights where races aren't presently held, to alleviate congestion.

I don't dispute these ideas, yet many trainers highlight staffing requirements as a significant hurdle for scheduling races earlier in the day. A midday kick-off after 12pm could clash with peak afternoon events.

An article in the Racing Post by Peter Scargill notes Musselburgh, among other tracks, has concerns about future scheduling, having hosted very competitive handicaps just last Saturday.

If the BHA plans to shift major handicap races from Saturdays to perhaps Sunday evenings, it would be regretful if tracks feel their Saturday events are at risk. Musselburgh Saturday holds special significance as a day for leisure. It gives racecourses and other sports venues like football and rugby grounds a golden chance to engage the public and draw large crowds.

Minimum Race Values 

Keeping that in mind, I'd advocate for minimum prize thresholds for Saturday races. Prize money remains a hot topic, but considering higher admission costs and greater attendance on Saturdays, there’s little rationale for offering the same payouts as weekday events.

When race timing is based on prize allure, we see extremely valuable contests even among lower-ranked races.

We saw with the Bath Good Friday fixture Though it’s unlikely we'll commonly encounter £25k 0-60 handicaps without significant fixture reductions, there’s potential for staging these races with half the current purse.

Sundays often seem underutilized for holding high-caliber racing events.

Sunday Racing

This may partly stem from the European racing calendar, with countries like Ireland and France holding many premier races on Sundays, thus offering jockeys and trainers straightforward choices given the generally lower UK event quality.

Despite some desire to revert the Derby to Wednesdays or the July Cup mid-week, there’s an appeal to see more major race action on Sundays.

It needn't always be Group 1 events, but Group 2 or 3 races would nicely highlight top-tier horses and thrilling racing when people can more easily attend.

While I trust the BHA's intentions are honorable, I'm concerned about potential resistance from racecourses wanting to retain premium time slots instead of opting for earlier or later timings.

Concerns

It's plausible we could end up with five Saturday afternoon events: two starting at midday, another pair kicking off at 2pm, and one commencing at 4pm for an evening lineup.

Such a scenario would still cause overlap and busy periods between 3pm and 4pm, especially during major races.

To handle this, racecourses would need to adapt race programming, assuming the 2pm events host the big contests.

Adjusting premier races to run earlier or later could solve congestion, once the 12pm event wraps up.

Alternatively, moving the start times for 12pm fixtures to 11am ensures they wrap by 3pm, easing the schedule strain.

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