Horses Change Course

British horseracing is to undergo a root and branch review of its racing
calendar, in a bid to improve overall quality.

New British Horseracing Authority chief executive Nic
Coward, a former FA executive, told a press conference that, “Looking at a
football analogy, we have to be focusing hard on the Premier League. Quality is
something we have to aim for.”Coward says that through what he calls a different
kind of review, there will be ‘no sacred cows’, in an attempt to ‘create events
that grip the nation’ beyond the betting fraternity.

Another issue that
Coward commented on was the planned sale of the Tote for £400m to a consortium
of racecourse and racehorse owners.

“We have been asked if we can get
involved to help to pull together and get the best of the Tote debate for
racing,” he said.

“No-one is particularly happy at the moment but there
is a key meeting at the DCMS and Treasury on Thursday and we will see where that
gets to” said Coward.