Ascot supports Savill plan as track warns 'everyone has to lose races'

Ascot has become the latest course to publicly back proposals put forward last week to tackle key issues facing racing including field sizes, saying that all divisions of the industry had to "take their medicine" for the long-term health of the sport.

A group in which former BHB chairman Peter Savill played a prominent role, and in which Ascot was understood to have been involved, approached the BHA last week to outline proposals it hoped would form part of British racing's forthcoming strategy review.

Savill said racing faced major challenges around prize-money, small field sizes and a drain of equine talent abroad. One of the proposals put forward was that races for horses rated in the 80-100 bracket should be removed as that was where numbers were weakest, while boosting prize-money for the remaining races.