2024 racing fixture list: BHA confirms launch of 170 'Premier Racedays', Sunday evening fixtures and more prize money
2024 fixture list includes 170 'Premier Racedays' including protected two-hour window on Saturdays to reduce clashes; changes also include increased prize money and a reduction of 300 Jumps races and 20 Jumps fixtures
Wednesday 11 October 2023 11:31, UK
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed the launch of 170 'Premier Racedays' as part of a major overhaul of the fixture list for 2024.
The changes, which will initially be introduced on a two-year trial basis, are designed to increase prize money and the quality of racing's marquee meetings.
All Premier Racedays will include a minimum number of higher-class races, higher minimum prize money - no races run for less than £20,000 (Flat) and £15,000 (Jumps) - and those taking place on Saturdays will be given "room to breathe" with a "protected window" to reduce the number of fixture clashes.
- Via Sistina on course for Qipco British Champions Day
- Dettori has no plans to perform retirement U-turn
There will also be significant investment in Sunday racing with the aim of increasing engagement and revenues across the weekend, while overall there is a reduction of 300 Jumps races and 20 Jumps fixtures which the BHA hopes will create more competitive racing and improve field sizes.
The plans are supported by an additional £3.8m from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for Premier Racedays and the BHA says industry modelling projects an estimated £90m improvement to British racing's finances over a five-year period from 2024 to 2028.
Julie Harrington, chief executive of the BHA, said: "Compiling this year's fixture list was a truly collaborative process on a scale which I have never before seen in our industry, with the sport pulling in the same direction to achieve a shared objective. I am extremely grateful to my teams at the BHA and everyone across the sport who has engaged so constructively in this process.
"There was agreement across the industry that steps were required to increase racing's appeal to customers at the earliest opportunity, as well as addressing the current headwinds facing the sport.
"We accept and expected that, with significant change, there will always be some who feel that the cards have not fallen their way. However, the objective for these changes is that they grow the sport as a whole, with benefits that reach throughout the entire industry in the medium to long-term.
"This is the first major step in what is a long-term transformational plan. The expectation is that the changes should generate more revenue, which will allow us to invest in other key areas - including attracting new fans and new owners and increasing the reward and recognition of all our existing participants.
"All of these changes are being introduced on a trial basis. They will be closely monitored and measured."
ARC throw support behind BHA's changes
Mark Spincer, group operations director for ARC, told Sky Sports Racing: "We support what the industry are trying to do to create a two-year trial to understand if we can leverage those Saturday afternoons and hopefully deliver what people think it will to help fund our sport.
"The proof will be in the eating. Let's see how it actually performs on a Saturday and how the consumer engages with it.
"We have some fixtures in that slot and some which have had to move to accommodate the changes. There will be pain for some and benefits for others."
Louise Stewart, chief executive of the Chester Race Company who own Chester, Bangor-on-Dee and Musselburgh, said: "We've been working to make sure the impact of this on Chester is minimised. It's been tricky as we're not a large group but we'll see what we can learn from the trial.
"Hopefully we can all work together with this programme to see if we can shift the dial on some of the numbers with British racing.
"The later starts on a Saturday are a concern. We've got a very local audience who have engrained patterns of visitation and because of our proximity to the city, it's not just the racecourse hosting the meeting, it's the entire city.
"We'll have to do research to make sure we understand how our guests feel about the change of times, which might suit some people, but could also see the audience switch to other fixtures.
"There are a lot of unknowns with this and we need to find out what works and what doesn't."
