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January 1st not only marks a new year, but a new era for British horse racing. Cheltenham will host its first premier race day. This is a cross-industry initiative that aims to grow the sport by showcasing the best racing in a clearer and more understandable way. .
As part of the 2024 calendar list, 170 meetings have been designated as premier dates, many of which will be held in protected two-hour slots on Saturdays. Horse racing leaders hope Premier’s new initiative will increase betting revenue and attract new fans by making it easier to discover and follow the best action in the sport.
Trainer Jamie Snowden plans to ride Wrist Bumper as La Marquise will represent him at Cheltenham on Monday, with his ambitions to promote the best of the sport and reward those who compete in higher grade races. I support it. Marketing activities begin with jump races, but also include flat races that continue throughout the year.
“The two main things we hope to do with it are that there will be more focus on better racing in the sport and that there will be more prize money as a result,” Snowden said. “I believe in horse racing you have to want to put better horses in better races, and that’s what we’re going to focus on.
“Try the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. The prize money for that race, which is Grade 1, wasn’t as high as the Handicap Hurdle at the end of the card. That’s completely wrong. We’ve got to do better. “It gives people the drive and motivation to put their prize money into a better race and put their horses in that race to promote it to the public. We hope that we can achieve that through Premier Races.”
Apply blood horse every day
Trainer Olly Murphy, who also plans to have runners at the first Premier Meeting, said starting the project at Cheltenham would be the perfect starting point for the project, which will be piloted over the next two years.
“I think this will make it more accessible to people, and I hope we all support this and get the most out of our workouts,” Murphy said. “Starting at the home of jump racing is a very important step because it is a suitable venue to enhance the prize money and hopefully increase the number of spectators. Hopefully it is a positive start. I hope that positive feelings will grow from this.”
Most premier meetings will be broadcast on ITV Racing and entry fees for races will be increased to create a competitive field and encourage owners to continue training their horses in the UK. But concerns have been raised after it emerged that the initiative is not being supported by new marketing funding, while concerns are raised about how the conference will look different for racegoers, TV viewers and bettors. Only limited details have been revealed so far.
What is Premier Racing?
Premier Racing was announced in October, making the biggest changes to the list of British fixtures in recent memory. There will be 170 premier meetings in 2024, the first of a two-year trial period, featuring high prize money and the biggest race in the sport.
Other meetings have been rebranded as “core” events, allowing such events to be held most Saturdays during a protected time slot between 2pm and 4pm to free up space in premier meeting rooms. There will be a limit on the number.
Why was it brought in?
In other words, Premier Racing was introduced to reinvigorate the top-end sport in the UK.
British horse racing has faced a number of headwinds in recent years, including the loss of major owners, an exodus of talent overseas, and a reduction in the size of racetracks. Attendance is also an area of concern. It is hoped that separating Premier Meetings from the sport’s “core” product will address these concerns, attract new viewers, and begin a shift towards better engaging existing race fans and customers. ing.
What are the key elements?
In addition to the protected window where other meetings are rescheduled to mid-morning start times or late afternoons, there are several other key parts to premier races.
Sunday is increasingly featured on the 2024 event list, with 29 premier race days taking place on that day.
The BHA then revealed its own criteria for premier race success and the 2024 fixture list. The headline figure could result in an improvement of around £90 million (US$114.23 million, £1 = US$1.27) to racing finances over five years compared to if Premier Horse Racing remained on its current schedule list. There is an expectation that there will be.
The primary goal is to improve betting turnover on a slimmed down Saturday and slow the overall decline in betting interest over the year, while also increasing attendance and reducing the number of races being televised. , improvements in average field size. The increasing number of horses in the UK (and more and more high-class horses) is also a particular objective worth noting.
Prize money is at the heart of the Premier Racing project and we are aiming for an improvement of between £6m and £7m for the 2024 Premiere meeting.
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