Reduced Fixture List Loses £1m, Says Jcr

Jockey Club Racecourses has outlined the financial impact of the 2015 Fixture List published by the sport’s governing body, the British Horseracing Authority, this week – with fixtures that will not be staged next year currently generating profits of circa £1 million. 

Jockey Club Racecourses is scheduled to stage 340 fixtures in 2015 compared to 364 fixtures in 2014, with the organisation pointing out that the sport is missing out on profits that would have been reinvested back into British racing in line with its Royal Charter commitments.
 
Due to their prize money contributions and performance against ‘racing criteria’ such as field sizes and betting turnover, The Jockey Club’s racecourses were allocated 50 leasehold fixtures through the BHA’s process. This includes an increase of four fixtures at its turf courses.
 
However, Kempton Park, its floodlit all-weather track – the only one in the South of England – will stage 26 fewer fixtures in 2015 (2014: 96 scheduled, 2015: 70 scheduled); a loss of 33% of its all-weather fixture programme.
 
This follows the BHA’s approval for the re-opening of Great Leighs – now Chelmsford City; its treatment as a new racecourse being automatically granted 12 fixtures; and the decision to cap the scheduled volume of floodlit all-weather ‘twilight’ fixtures, splitting them evenly between the UK’s three floodlit tracks. In 2014, floodlit twilights were split between Kempton Park and Wolverhampton.
 
Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: ‘To start 2015 £1 million behind 2014 is disappointing for everyone at Jockey Club Racecourses who have been doing a great job putting on competitive racing for horsemen and racegoers, and generating increased profits each year to reinvest into our sport. This is money we would have put back into British racing next year.’
 
‘Away from the impact of Chelmsford City on Kempton Park, we were pleased the BHA acknowledged our calls to introduce a merit-based fixture allocation system, including a proportional ‘pooled’ allocation, and that enterprise fixtures should not be impacted, which racecourses have been investing in for the last few years as permanent fixtures.’
 
‘We are also pleased the BHA is committing to pull several race planning levers at its disposal to optimise the race programme in an effort to boost field sizes; not just chop out race numbers that would take prize money out of the sport.’

‘As normal, once we complete our budgeting process for 2015 before the end of the year we will make an announcement about our prize money commitments for 2015. We will put in every penny we can afford as always, but of course our contribution will be impacted by today’s news.’