'Hard work, grit and dedication' - Sunak gives his backing to British racing

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has expressed his support for British horseracing by making clear his desire to see "British racing and breeding stay at the front" of the global industry.

Sunak was speaking in a pre-recorded video shown at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards at York racecourse on Monday, congratulating the finalists at the event and praising them for "exemplifying all that is best about British racing and breeding, an industry that does so much for communities across our country".

The BHA said Sunak's words were "warmly received" with the industry experiencing considerable turbulence, not least due to the delayed publication of the government's white paper on the review of the 2005 Gambling Act.

The prime minister’s Richmond constituency in North Yorkshire contains both the Middleham training centre and Catterick racecourse, which he said had allowed him to see first hand how the industry operates and the level of commitment from those working within it.

He said: “I'm delighted that the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards are taking place in Yorkshire for the first time. From my visits to Middleham and Catterick racecourse, both in my constituency, I have seen the sheer hard work, grit and dedication from all in British horseracing for the horses in their care.

"Tonight's finalists exemplify all that is best about British racing and breeding, an industry that does so much for communities across our country, generates over £4 billion for our economy and showcases Britain on the global stage. I want to see British racing and breeding stay at the front of this global race in the years ahead."

Sunak's appreciation of the racing industry was praised by Laura Farris, Conservative MP for Newbury,  who said it was "great to see the prime minister give British racing the recognition it deserves as one of our finest sports and exports", while the BHA welcomed the prime minister's awareness of the industry's position at home and abroad.

A BHA spokesman said: "We are grateful to the prime minister for his support for British racing and breeding, both in his acknowledgement of the sport’s position on the global stage and its impact on communities at home, which he is aware of thanks to his work in his constituency.

"His kind words about the hard work and dedication of stud and stable employees were also warmly received and served as a memorable moment on what was a fantastic night at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards."

Sunak’s explicit backing of British racing comes at a crucial time for the industry, which is already suffering from a drop in income brought about by affordability checks being imposed on punters by bookmakers under the direction of the gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission.

The checks are being imposed on an increasing number of punters as the wait goes on for the publication by the government of its white paper into the review of the 2005 Gambling Act, which has been repeatedly delayed over the last two years. The appointment of a new gambling minister is also yet to be officially confirmed, although the Racing Post understands sports minister Stuart Andrew MP is set to take on the brief.

Last year, it was estimated that racing had lost out on £40 million of revenue as a result of the intrusive checks into people's personal financial information. It has been forecast that racing could lose £60m-£100m annually under the most draconian measures being floated for the white paper.

Racing has also lobbied for the levy, one of the industry's primary funding mechanisms, to be extended to capture bets placed in Britain on international competition to help boost its finances and put the industry on a more level playing field with other jurisdictions.

Read these next:

'Standout selection' Sarah Guest named employee of the year at Thoroughbred Industry awards 

Starring roles for stud and stable staff at awards - and even the PM can't upstage them 

Fantastic to see Sunak's message - but racing needs to engage more with Labour too 

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