November, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

British Racing Welcomes Return of Crowds

Spectators will be allowed to return to sporting events in Tiers 1 and 2 in England as the COVID-19 cases in those areas decreases. Racing ceased in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic began, and resumed behind closed doors on June 1. There were two small pilot events held at Doncaster and Warwick, but racing continued fanless under the new autumn lockdown imposed last month.

A joint statement from the British Horseracing Authority, The Horsemen’s Group and the Racecourse Association read: “The leaders of British horseracing have welcomed the government’s decision to allow spectators to return to sporting events in Tiers One and Two in England. Horseracing has been taking place behind closed doors since 1st June with participants attending under tight restrictions including medical screening and social distancing.

Since then, we have been working hard with government, including public health officials, to secure the return of spectators. Pilot events with limited numbers were successfully held in September at Doncaster and Warwick, based on detailed plans developed by the Racecourse Association (RCA) in consultation with public health officials.

A series of measures were put in place to keep racegoers and local communities safe. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) worked with the individual racecourses and local public health officials to monitor those attending and no evidence of transmission of the virus was seen.

The change to restrictions announced by the Prime Minister will now be considered by racecourses and the BHA’s medical team. Further engagement will also be required with local public health officials. We thank ministers and officials at DCMS for their support which was crucial to today’s announcement, and all those involved across government and in Parliament.

The details of the government’s new approach to tiering are not due to be announced until later in the week. Until this has been published and individual racecourses are made aware of the restrictions in their area, it will not be possible to confirm which venues will be admitting spectators. We continue to encourage the UK government to allow betting shops to reopen in all areas as part of the change to restrictions.

The BHA and RCA will now be engaging with government to clarify the basis on which spectators will be allowed to attend. With the Racehorse Owners Association, they will also be considering how this will affect the current rules governing owners’ attendance. Further announcements are expected later this week. Discussion with the Scottish and Welsh governments on their plans for spectators continue.

The government last week announced that £40 million of loans would be available to horseracing. Details of the conditions for applying for loans are not expected now until later this week and it is likely to take some weeks before racing agrees an approach to using the available funding.”

BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust said, “This is more good news for racing and for our many millions of fans who have been unable to watch in person the sport they love since March. We know the numbers are limited to begin with and not all venues will be allowed to admit spectators, but this is progress. I am confident that all our racegoers will follow the government’s public health guidelines when they return to racing and this will allow us to increase the numbers attending. We have always said that racing will act responsibly and we all look forward to getting back on the track.”

“Following on from last week’s announcement of financial support, this is a very welcome development for racecourses across England,” said David Armstrong, the Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association. “Even with limited numbers, racecourses can start to re-open facilities for racegoers, hospitality guests and owners. Work continues to prepare for larger-scale pilots across the sports sector and Racing will continue to play a key role in this vital recovery phase.”

Charlie Liverton, Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association, added on behalf of The Horsemen’s Group, “This is welcome news and a further step forward for racing after a challenging period for the sport. I am grateful to all those across the industry and government who have worked hard to get us to this position and look forward to constructive conversations on owner attendance at racecourses. Owners and other participants have played a vital role in ensuring racing could continue behind closed doors and under tight restrictions. Their support continues to be valued enormously and I very much hope all owners will be able to be back on course soon.”

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Where to Watch/Listen: Horse Racing Coverage for Thanksgiving Week 2020

As an unprecedented year winds down and cases of COVID-19 rise across North America, the horse racing world like all other areas of society continues to make changes in response to the pandemic. Many racetracks currently operating are doing so without spectators or with limits to attendance, and have instituted strict safety screening protocols for essential employees who are already on the grounds to provide daily care for horses.

Sheppard To Send String Of Steeplechasers To Ireland

Hall of Fame conditioner Jonathan Sheppard will send six of his steeplechase horses to compete in Ireland for the first time this year, according to the Racing Post. The outlet reported last week that Sheppard, a native of Hertfordshire, will have assistance from jockey Ger Galligan and assistant trainer Keri Brion with the string, which will be based at James Doyle's barn in Wexford.

Galligan said top runner Winston C will be among the Sheppard representation headed to Ireland and will be pointing for a race at Cheltenham.

According to the Post, only American-trained steeplechaser to win over the jumps in Britain so far is Lonesome Glory, who triumphed at Cheltenham in 1992 and again at Sandown in 1995.

Wagering: American Racing’s Top Priority Going Forward

Courtesy Thoroughbred Idea Foundation

Racing needs a long-term plan which will put the sport on a path to raise handle to nearly $50 billion annually with more than $5 billion held by the industry by 2040.

Sound optimistic?

Falling well short of that goal would still be a monumental accomplishment given we are on track for another year at just $11 billion in handle, and down nearly 50% in the last two decades, adjusted for inflation.

So where are the plans from the industry to start thinking long-term about not just surviving, but thriving, and building a robust, wagering-forward industry?

Horse racing has a tremendous opportunity to lean into a massive culture of betting liberalization, but it has otherwise failed to capitalize on it. Time is still there, and the opportunity is not yet lost.

There is no doubt horsemen should be thankful for the enrichment they’ve received through purses over the last two decades coming by way of slot machines, video lottery terminals, historical horse racing or other revenue sharing from casino-related operations. In many cases, tracks and horsemen lobbied relentlessly for them. It makes sense that they continue to fight for them, but not at the expense of racing’s most obvious source of sustainable revenue–actual wagering on racing.

These significant purse supplements have allowed the industry to minimize the importance of presenting a modern wagering product. Most tracks have not focused on making racing wagering more competitive and most horsemen’s groups have not advocated for meaningful improvements to stoke wagering, either.

In some cases, 90% of prize money has come from subsidized sources beyond racing, wagering on the sport has not seemed as important–a reality which is reflected in annual handle figures over the last 20 years. Many owners and trainers within horsemen’s groups do not possess a detailed understanding of racing wagering. They don’t know what to advocate for to improve their own futures.

This is problematic, because as it relates to prize money for racing, the future is not bright.

Click here to read the rest of the essay.

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